Puerto Rican beauty & instagirl Joan Smalls is one of the biggest supermodels in the world right now. She’s the face of Estée Lauder, Givenchy’s main muse, a VS Angel, kicks it with Beyonce, starred n VOGUE’s coveted September issue (alongside Karlie Kloss & Cara Delevingne) and is runway royalty. As LUCKY Magazine puts it she’s ‘a force to be reckoned with’.
Smalls is the mags latest cover star and talks all things modeling – we love her candidness, and homegirl truly WORKED to get where she is now. From starting off at modeling contests in malls to getting her degree & coming to NYC, she’s got some seriously good advice & experience for aspiring models.
Creative director of Givenchy, Riccardo Tisci, really put Joan on the fashion map by featuring her in a spring haute couture show, she says, “I had been shooting a lot of catalogs up until then. Riccardo bleached my eyebrows and I suddenly became this androgynous, versatile model. It kick-started my career for sure.”
Supermodel, dancer & now designer (since her collaboration with True Religion), LUCKY asked her ‘what she thinks of her emerging status as a powerhouse hyphenate,’ she says, “I feel like a good amount of women have used modeling as a platform. People like Gisele and Cindy. And I think that’s really cool, not only for models but for women. It shows that you can have a voice and a say. You can have a brand and be your own boss. It’s empowering.”
The 26 year old also credits E! True Hollywood Story, which showcased catwalk queens from Naomi Campbell, to Kate Moss and Christie Brinkley. “I’d just watch the show and be glued to the screen,. I couldn’t even imagine—these were women who got to travel the world. It just seemed so alluring.” Adding, “I was so awkward-looking—tall, super skinny, gangly. The boys at school made fun of me,” she says. “But I’d see those girls on TV and I’d think, Oh, they have my same body type.”
At 13 years old Joan knew she wanted to model, so Smalls began signing up for modeling competitions at shopping malls, which involved A LOT of traveling, fortunately she was able to make it a family affair, “I lost every single time. We had a gray minivan, and one time it broke down during a long drive home, and I remember thinking, Is this even worth it? But I loved it. And I had my family’s blessing, which was cool. My parents were into it. They were like, ‘Why not? It’s a fun extracurricular activity, and she has good grades.’ Their support was crucial, because I didn’t have a license to get myself places.”
On NYC, the fashion / modeling capital of the world: “New York was quite a shock, but I was so eager and hungry. I’d take the bus to get on the subway to make it to castings.”
On rejections: “You’re competing with 40, 100, 200 other girls. You go to a call, see the casting list and you’re number 202. And you know there are just a couple of open spots.”
Some days she’d attend as many as 15 calls. “I would say to myself, I just want to get to a place in my career where I don’t have to do castings, because it was grueling. There are so many places to be at once, you’re always running late and then having to wait your turn. Now I’ll sometimes see models rushing around the city, and I totally feel what they’re going through.”
We’ve always loved following Joan Smalls’ modeling journey & can’t wait to continue watching her reign over the industry.
*Interview & Photos Courtesy of LUCKY.