The Bite Magazine - Spring 2016 - Issue 15

Model Profile Jourdan Dunn Gina Gill delves into the life of model Jourdan Dunn and discovers her amazing staying power within the competitive modelling business. I t’s not often that a chance spotting in Primark can lead to a million dollar career but Jourdan Dunn is an excep- tion in more ways than one. Scouted by the keen eyes at Storm Model Management (the very same keen eyes that scouted Kate Moss) in 2006, the 25-year-old’s star has been rising ever since. Definitely one for breaking expectations, Dunn’s career has seen her in a whole host of firsts, from being cast as the first black model since Naomi Campbell to walk a Prada runway to being the first black British model to make the Forbes annual rich list with estimated earnings of $4 million dollars in one year. Born in the west London suburbs of Greenford, Dunn was raised by her Gre- nadian mother alongside her two younger brothers. Growing up Dunn was self-con- scious about her height and weight and therefore modelling wasn’t on her radar until she started watching America’s Next Top Model, with the reality show giving her an insight into the modelling industry which raised her interest. At just 16 Dunn took the international runways by storm, making her runway debut at New York Fashion Week for SS07, walking for the likes of Marc Jacobs and Polo Ralph Lauren, AND securing a feature in BritishVogue as a ‘new star’ that same year. Having made a strong debut, Dunn went from strength to strength the following year; Style.com listed her as one of their top 10 newcomers and she walked a massive 75 shows for the season of SS08, including Paris Fashion Week favourites Louis Vuitton and Valentino. She’s been a major fixture on runways ever since and walks for the biggest designers each season, often as the only model of colour, something that is a real cause of contention for her. Dunn has often voiced her frustration at the lack of equality in the modeling industry and the subsequent lack of work available to her and others as a black model.“I find it weird when agents say,‘you’re the only black girl booked for the show. Isn’t it great?’ Why is that great?” she has said. She was one of four cover models chosen by Steven Meisel for Vogue Italia ’s iconic Black Models issue as well as landing covers for American Vogue, British Vogue, Vogue Turkey,Vogue Japan,Vogue Brazil and TeenVogue,W magazine, Elle France, Elle UK, Luelle and many others including covering i-D a record eight times. However, despite this success she has been vocal at how slim the opportunities are for a model of colour, with claims of being turned away from castings because the designer “didn’t want any more black girls,” subsequently causing intense competition as well as many of the industries hair and make-up artists not understanding how to work with her skin tone and hair type. "We're talking baby steps [but] it is ridiculous that we are still ranting about this," she said. "It’s hard for black girls. A lot do give up, because if you don’t have an agency who is going to push you, you are just bitemodelprofile