Alicia Burke, winner of 2015’s Pulse’s Search for the Million Dollar Girl TV reality rhow, was recently featured in several pages of 1883 glossy. The shoot was styled by Ginger Clarke and shot by Harriet McSween, with make-up by Shelley Blaze for M.A.C.
The model standout started her international career in the United Kingdom in November. Since then, she has been in hot demand in all the major markets, quickly securing representation in Milan and New York, with Paris representation to be announced later this week. Pulse, which has placed her with these agencies, first Models 1 in London and then Women in Milan and New York, is elated by her success.
With her career only a month old, commencing in the period immediately leading into the Christmas break, this Jamaican beauty has managed to do shoots and other assignments for several clients and is currently holding a mind-boggling option, which, if confirmed, will make her one of the fastest-rising stars in the industry. In September last year, Burke had been signed to Models 1, arguably London’s top model agency, while on a Pulse agency visit to London and Paris, headed by the company’s chairman, Kingsley Cooper. However, her working career only started in November, after the finals of Pulse’s live Model Search on November 1.
Burke returned to London on the weekend and is ready for the collections in London, Milan and Paris. A native of Bullet Tree District in Old Harbour, Burke says her grandmother’s influence has been the most important factor in her young life. She lists Pulse’s multiple Vogue cover girl Jeneil Williams as her favourite Pulse model. Williams was a special participant in the 8 week Model search TV show which Alicia won. At the time Burke said, “The international prospects are great. I have a strong feeling that I am going to be the next big thing. I just need to continue doing what I am doing and work hard going forward.” These words could prove prophetic.
This immediate period is very exciting for Pulse, with new stars like Vogue and Elle model Francine James, Seventeen model Alysia Francis and now Alicia Burke beginning to stamp their class on international modeling. In addition, the global recognition received by supermodels Jeneil Williams and Nadine Willis at the end of 2015, have put an amazing year in context.
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Changed the face of fashion
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Vogue declared Jeneil Williams and Nadine Willis to be two of five Jamaicans who changed the face of fashion. They were the only two of the five to have been discovered, developed and managed by a Jamaican agency. The others were Stacey McKenzie, Grace Jones and Robyn McPherson. Of the group, only Jeneil Williams is currently in the global model market, having had one of her best years ever in 2015. Capping a year of new campaigns for L’Oreal, Nike and H&M, among several others, with Christmas campaigns for Macy’s and M.A.C., Jeneil is the ‘it’ girl from the Caribbean in the global fashion space. She is featured in a hot new story in SELF, a one girl multi-page spread, which is actually a story on herself. At the end of the year she was the cover of models.com, with a photo spread and story hailing her amazing success.
Apart from being named one of five Jamaicans who changed the face of fashion, Nadine Willis’ Gucci campaign was recognised by CNN as one of 15 ads that shook society and changed the world! All of these models are products of Pulse’s Caribbean Model Search. Since 1980, The Pulse Search has produced fashion legends and new stars such as Kimberley Mais, Angela Neil, Carla Campbell, Romae Gordon, Nikki Vassell, Parisa Fitz-Henley, Althea Laing, Lincoln Wynter, Nicole Sky Grey, Lois Samuels, Jeneil Williams, Oraine Barrett, Jaunel McKenzie, Sedene Blake, Nell Robinson and Nadine Willis.