{"id":69351,"date":"2026-08-18T13:52:50","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T17:52:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/models.com\/mdx\/?p=69351"},"modified":"2026-08-18T13:52:50","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T17:52:50","slug":"industry-access-mentoring-matters-and-who-gets-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/models.com\/mdx\/industry-access-mentoring-matters-and-who-gets-in\/","title":{"rendered":"Industry Access: Mentoring Matters and Who Gets In?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/BoZ7TzA7npw?si=yc0vXGkgfAP8LTJB\"  frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<style>\n#content .row {max-width:100%}\n#cover { \nbackground-color: white; position: relative; margin: 0 auto 30px auto;; text-align: center; \n}\n#covertitle, #covertitle h1, #content #covertitle h3 { font-family: \"SuisseIntl-SemiBold\", sans-serif; }\n#covertitle { position: absolute; font-family: \"SuisseIntl-Bold\", sans-serif; bottom: 12%; width: 100%; font-size: 3.8rem; font-weight: 900; }\n#content h1 { font-size: 4vw; display: inherit; display: inline-block; text-align:center; }\n#content div.post h2 {margin: 20px 0; background: white; font-family: \"SuisseIntl-SemiBold\",sans-serif; font-size: 2rem; color: #333;}\n#content #covertitle h3 { \nfont-size: 8vw; line-height: 20vh;\ntext-transform: uppercase; \nfont-family: \"SuisseIntl-SemiBold\", sans-serif;}\n#introbox { border: 1px solid white; padding: 90px 30px !important; max-width: 850px; margin: auto !important; font-family: \"SuisseIntl-SemiBold\",sans-serif; font-size: 20px; text-align: center !important; }\n.introblurb, .introblurb p, .post div.introblurb p:first-child {\nfont-size: .7em; \nline-height: 1.6; \ntext-align:justify;\nfont-family: \"SuisseIntl-Book\", sans-serif;\npadding: .3em 1em;\n}\n#content div.introcredits, #content div.introcredits p {\nfont-family: \"SuisseIntl-Book\", sans-serif;\nfont-size: .8em; \ntext-align: center;\n}\n.pic40 { margin: 0 10%;; text-align: center; }\n.videocontainer {max-width:600px; margin: auto;}\n.txtbox { \nfont-family: \"SuisseIntl-Book\",sans-serif; \nline-height: 2;\nfont-weight: 400; \nwidth: 36%; \nborder: 0; \nmargin: auto; \npadding: 5%;\n}\n.introtxt, .introtxt p {text-align:justify;}\n.pullquote {\nfont-size:4vw;\nline-height: 1;\ntext-align:center;\nfont-style:italic;\nmax-width:900px;\nmargin:auto;\npadding:1em;\nfont-family: \"SuisseIntl-SemiBold\",sans-serif;\n}\n.credits:empty {display:none;}\n.credits {\nfont-size: .75rem; \npadding: 2rem 0;; \nfont-weight: normal; \ntext-align: center; \nclear: both; \ntext-transform: uppercase; \nmax-width: 800px; \nmargin: auto; }\n#thumbsul { margin: 0 8%; }\n.text-left {text-transform: capitalize !important;}\n#thumbsul a, .text-left a {color: black;}\n#thumbsul a:hover, .text-left a:hover {color: #666;}\n.separ { border: 1px solid white; clear: both; padding: 60px; }\nem {color: #999;}\n<\/style>\n<link rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https:\/\/i.mdel.net\/css\/sb\/index-sb@9e8baf1be17137f952c9eacc710f6bf0b29b9b08.css\" \/>\n<div class=\"txtdiv\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"introbox\">\n<div class=\"introtxt\">\n<h1 class=\"title\">Industry Access: Mentoring Matters<\/h1>\n<p>In an industry where who you know can carry as much weight as what you know, access can shape a career trajectory before it even begins. For many looking to break into fashion, beauty, and media, the barriers to entry are not always about talent. They can be about knowing where to look for an opportunity, having the right network, affording a formal education, or simply having someone willing to open a door.<\/p>\n<p>That is part of the work <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/mentoring.matters\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Mentoring Matters<\/a> is committed to changing. Through its global mentorship program, the organization connects emerging talent, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds, with established professionals across fashion, beauty, and media. In collaboration with the organization, Models.com hosted the next installment of\u00a0 Industry Access: <strong><em>Who Gets In?<\/em><\/strong>, moderated by Models.com Features Editor and Mentoring Matters alum <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/anire-ikomi\">Anire Ikomi.<\/a> The conversation brought together four of the program&#8217;s former mentors, including founder Laura Edwards, renowned hairstylist and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/echelon_noir\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Echelon Noir<\/a> co-founder <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/jawara-wauchope\">Jawara, <\/a> <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/client\/harpers-bazaar\">Harper&#8217;s Bazaar U.S.<\/a> Executive Digital Director <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/lynette-nylander\">Lynette Nylander, <\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/models.com\/client\/supreme-new-york\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Supreme&#8217;s <\/a> Director of Strategic Costing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/jessicaevanlin\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jessica Lin.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The discussion went beyond the question of who gets into the industry and explored what it actually takes to sustain a career. Panelists spoke candidly about taking risks, being obsessed with your craft, and the importance of staying adaptable in an industry where the path forward is rarely linear. As artificial intelligence continues to reshape creative industries, for better or for worse, Models.com turned to these leading experts to discuss two things that cannot be easily replicated: taste and curiosity.<\/p>\n<div class=\"introcredits\">\nEditor in Chief: <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/stephan-moskovic\">Stephan Moskovic<\/a><br \/>\nFeatures Editor and Moderator: <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/anire-ikomi\">Anire Ikomi<\/a><br \/>\nEditorial Director: <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/irene-ojo-felix\">Irene Ojo-Felix<\/a><br \/>\nManaging Editor: <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/sasha-grinblat\">Sasha Grinblat<\/a><br \/>\nVideographer: <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/ben-wulff\">Ben Wulff<\/a><br \/>\nVideo Editor: <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/chase-coughlin\">Chase Coughlin<\/a><br \/>\nMakeup Artist: Yolie<br \/>\nHair Stylist: Latanya<br \/>\nEvent Photographer: <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/quadir-moore\">Quadir Moore<\/a><br \/>\nLocation: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/sohoworks_\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Soho Works<\/a><br \/>\nSpecial thanks to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/doladira\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Doladira<\/a>, La Catrina Flower Studio, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/diptyque\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Diptyque<\/a>, and <a href=\"\/\/models.com\/people\/christopher-michael\">Christopher Michael<\/a> at Egos &#038; Icons<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Industry Access: Mentoring Matters In an industry where who you know can carry as much weight as what you know, access can shape a career trajectory before it even begins. For many looking to break into fashion, beauty, and media, the barriers to entry are not always about talent. They can be about knowing where [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":69400,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3044,155,4259,2701,1538],"tags":[4179,4291,5769,1177,711,2554,2690,5773,3103,197],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/mdx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69351"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/mdx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/mdx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/mdx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/mdx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69351"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/mdx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69351\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":69408,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/mdx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69351\/revisions\/69408"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/mdx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/69400"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/mdx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69351"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/mdx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69351"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/models.com\/mdx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69351"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}