The Graduates
Kyla Ramsey
Visit her Models.com page and click or tap the Lists button to favorite Kyla and keep track of her work.
Photography by Jon Ervin for Models.com
Styling – Rebecca Dennett
Hair – Ro Morgan | Makeup – Jaleesa Jaikaran | Nails – Kuniko Inoue
Model – Kyla Ramsey
Photographer Assistant – Vita Burn | Stylist Assistants – Alia West and John Dunham | Makeup Assistant – Eunice Kristen
Editor-in-Chief – Stephan Moskovic
Text & interview by Irene Ojo-Felix
Production – Sasha Grinblat
On Kyla above – Top – J.W. Anderson courtesy of Albright Fashion Library | Pants – Paco Rabanne courtesy of Albright Fashion Library
Kyla Ramsey might be soft-spoken but we would be remiss to say her resume is as hushed. Since she first appeared as a worldwide exclusive at Louis Vuitton S/S 19 show, Ramsey has gone on to grace the runways of Dior, Valentino, Marc Jacobs, Balmain, and Prada debuting for the Italian brand with an opening spot in 2019. “It was scary. I didn’t know I was going to open the show until 30 minutes before we were going on,” she recollects of the legacy position she’s most proud of. “It was a big thing for me because I think Anok had recently been the first to [open], 10 years after Naomi. After I did that, everything skyrocketed for me and all my dreams happened within months.” Added to that achievement, a covetable cover for Vogue Italia’s September issue in 2020; no less than 3 Prada ads and a Kenzo campaign from earlier this year; along with tearsheets from top magazines like Harper’s Bazaar, W, and WSJ.
Her mother’s vintage store in Connecticut planted the seeds that working in the fashion industry could be possible but Ramsey took her own destiny into her hands. “I sent my photos online and Muse Models reached out to me once they saw my online submissions,” she says of her discovery. “I ended up meeting with them and then they signed me on the spot. As I started my season, they got me signed overseas over time.” We first got a glimpse of her in New York during our Confirmed Go Sees series before she went on to dominate the Big Four and end up with a breakout season as our Top Newcomer F/W 2019 pick.
Outside of modeling, the 24-year-old is focused on mental health and helping others who struggle with anxiety. The Jamaican-born, American model spent much of quarantine giving her traveling anxieties a break after almost two years of nonstop movement. “I was happy to just be in one place. Airplanes scare me…I’ll do it but it’s not fun,” she discloses. “Once it opened back up and I was able to work with designers that I loved, I was happy to be back on set with a full team because during quarantine I did actually shoot at home.” In the not-too-distant future, Ramsey hopes to secure a lucrative deal with a beauty company with worldwide reach or Victoria’s Secret. She’s achieved everything else she’s wanted, so why not?
