The Budding Career of Holly Rose
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catching up with Holly
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While other
seventeen-year-olds are only beginning to think about possible career options, Holly Rose Emery is already making a name for herself in the fashion industry as a full
time model. She currently lives in New York while her family are here in
Auckland. Holly hopes to become a famous model and follow in the footsteps of
Kate Moss or Miranda Kerr - without a doubt she will achieve this as she
possesses determination and oozes maturity beyond her years. I met up with
Holly backstage at New York Fashion Week to talk about her career.
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Holly closing Mulberry S/S14
(and that's Cara Delevingne behind her) |
After only
modeling for one year, Holly has been booked to walk for numerous designers at
New York Fashion Week, a much-anticipated event. As she walks into a frantic
room of stylists, hairdressers and make-up artists preparing models for the
opening of fashion week, she wears a loose, white T-shirt and grey sweatpants
displaying a sense of calmness and quiet confidence. Yet there is an aura of
excitement and nerves along with the strong scent of hairspray lingering in
this room that is filled with overflowing racks of vibrant clothing. She greets
everybody then relaxes her 6ft body into a makeup chair before she’s transformed
from an ordinary 17-year-old girl to an haute couture model. I sit myself next
to her with my backstage pass hanging around my neck and out of the way of the
workers zooming here, there and everywhere. Makeup artists begin to paint her
porcelain skin as I ask Holly about what she loves about modeling and instantly
her face lights up. I can tell by her enthusiasm that she is well away on her
favourite subject as she talks at full speed about modeling, “I’ve met so many interesting people, been to
so many different places and I thank my modeling career for providing me with
these wonderful experiences.” She shows great pride in her achievements as
she lists “walking for Prada, Valentino and being featured in my own editorial in Vogue Australia” as highlights of her career so far. All
these experiences would have been a distant dream for Holly a year ago but with
immeasurable hard work, Holly is on her way to her goal of being a successful
model.
Contrary to the
stereotype of stick thin models, Holly was in fact quite a big person. Unlike
the slender, elegant young woman she is today. At 95kg she knew she was
overweight as she use to lounge on the couch eating nutella sandwiches while
she watched Tyra Banks announce the winner of America’s next top model. “Believe it or not”, she says, “That’s when I realized I wanted to do
that!” Two years of a Weight Watcher’s membership, loads of self-discipline
and drive, saw Holly lose
over 40kg. On her sixteenth birthday she walked into the offices of Red11
modeling agency read to give it ago. “Boom!
I was signed”, says Holly with an animated grin. It is clear she knows it
was the best decision she has ever made. Holly had 6 successful months of
modeling in New Zealand before her agency offered her the opportunity to become
a full time model overseas and Holly obviously jumped at the chance because “it was a step closer to achieving my dream.”
We may be
envious of Holly’s life but it isn’t as glamorous as we perceive. While her
blonde hair is wrapped around curlers, she speaks with a half-joking tone and
tells me that “modeling is harder than it
looks” but I know she’s being sincere. Becoming a full time model meant
that Holly had to make some sacrifices. She looks a lot less exuberant when I bring
up the topic as she gazes at the floor and replies, “It was extremely difficult leaving my family and friends and dropping
out of school.” Holly looks at me and sighs as she reveals her self-doubts,
“Sometimes I wonder if I‘m doing the
right thing by leaving school and leaving family and moving out of the house”,
but a smile appears and her spirits revive as she continues, “But I know everything will pay off in the
end.”
Even though models have a relatively short career span, Holly plans
to be in this competitive world for long time. “The secret to a successful career is to build a brand for yourself”,
and through eyes of steel Holly says, “And
that’s what I’m going to do.” Holly has achieved more than the average
teenager but she is humbled by her journey. An organizer comes over and breaks
the news to Holly that she will be closing the show and she shakes her head in
disbelief, “I can’t believe this is real
life.” Just as Holly is about to leave the makeup chair to get changed from
her sweatpants to high-fashion apparel, I ask her what she would want to do if
she wasn’t modeling but unexpectedly she leans towards me and redirects the
question at me, “What do you want to do
when you’ve finished school?” I respond, “I have ideas but their all just pipe dreams.” She plants her hand
on my shoulder to give me the following advice:
“Keep dreaming big
because you never know and dreams are able to somehow manifest their way into
reality”
P.S. this was actually my english assignment so somethings are fictionalised - such as that I actually didn't go to New York to interview her (I wish). Holly's personality and quotes are genuine as she is a close friend of mine.
