Gail McInnes

Originally published in Inspire Magazine, Fall 2006

Canada has developed and exported many of the world’s top models. The rich diversity of cultures in Canada, the good nature of the people and the care the Canadian agents take when developing their models have all attributed to the rise of the appearance of more Canadian faces representing the world’s top fashion and beauty products.

Though most major cities have some type of work for local models, the main centers for models are Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Because Canada stretches over many miles, there are so many places for scouting models, no matter how small a town may be, it most is likely an untouched resource for the agent to find a new face. Models have been scouted at coffee shops, concerts, amusements parks, malls and even on the street.

The exporting of Canadian models has risen in the past few years, and the world’s fashion community has been taking notes. The number of Canadian models walking on the international runways has increased and so has the number of Canadian faces appearing in major advertising campaigns.

It seems to have been the rapid rise of Daria Werbowy’s career in 2002 which started the trend. She is credited as the model who walked the most runways in one season and is still considered to be one of the top runway models ever. The Mississauga, Ontario native and current face of Chanel and Lancome fragrance, is rated as the number one model in the world, according to Models.com. Designer Karl Lagerfeld has been noted to have said, “She is much more than a model; a personality and a unique beauty, a rare mix.” This seems to be the combination that many of the world’s top designers and fashion editors are seeking when hiring models for their runway shows and photo shoots – and it’s something that Canadian models seem to naturally possess.

Why are Canadian models in such demand around the world?

“It’s because became a global village a long time ago. Our models are raised in a multicultural society that encourages a natural curiosity of how other people live, and a respect for what makes us different. Clients know that when they book a Canadian they are going to get someone that views international modeling as an opportunity – not a job. Basically, when a Canadian model lands in Tokyo they want to try the food and learn the history, rather than complain because no one speaks their language,” states Dan Grant, publisher of Modelresource.ca, the Canadian offshoot of Modelresource.com, launched in 2004, perfectly timed with the rise in careers of so many Canadian models.

So highly in demand are new Canadian faces that the top international agencies are scrambling to see who will acquire the next “it girl.” Scouts from all the major fashion centers around the world fly to Canada’s cities; visiting agencies and attending conventions on the look out for that next fresh face who could be the next to make it big.

Predecessors of the Canadian model movement include, most notably, Linda Evangelista, who at 41 years of age, and pregnant, graced the August cover of American Vogue this year. She was the first model, rather than a Hollywood actor, to be featured on the magazine’s cover in over a year. Shalom Harlow, Yasmeen Ghauri, Liisa Winkler, Tasha Tilberg, Yasmin Warsame, and Estella Warren all have gained notability in the fashion industry throughout the recent years.

The current crop of “it girls,” who you might not know by name, but whose faces you are sure to recognize, include Jessica Stam, Lisa Cant, Irina Lazareanu, Heather Marks, Tasha Tilberg, Julia Dunstall, and Coco Rocha; all listed in Models.com list of the world’s top models.

With the recent completion of the first cycle of Canada’s Next Top Model, the Canadian equivalent to America’s Next Top Model, it seems everyone is taking note: Canada is the place to be when it comes to finding new talent. The world knows a good thing when they see it, and Canada is already developing that next generation of runway stars.