Luise
Who:
Luise Kircher (@luselmann); 181 cm / 5’11.5″; Austrian from Vienna, Austria; born May 2nd.
Where:
Das Deck (Vienna – mother agency), STUDIO Paris
— One thing people may be surprised to find out about you:
I’m actually very nice.
— Your most embarrassing moment:
When I vomited on my crush.
— What are three interesting facts about you?
1. My thumbs are double-jointed.
2. I’m a skiing teacher.
3. I sleep with socks on.
Maya
Who:
Maya Tuffin (@mayatuffin); 178 cm / 5’10”; American from Miami, Florida, USA; born October 2nd.
Where:
The Syndical (Miami – mother agency), IDENTITY (New York)
— What’s your most prized possession and why?
My most prized possession is my collection of crystals. I allow myself to gravitate toward whatever crystal I need in every new season of my life. Each of my crystals symbolizes a period of growth in my life and holds a lot of meaning in my home.
— One thing people may be surprised to find out about you:
People may be surprised to know that I am vegan and have been for over 5 years. I believe that every being holds energy so I choose to only fuel my body with ingredients that grow from the Earth.
— How did you become a model?
My mom introduced me to modeling when I was 12 and then I first began working with a mother agent back in my hometown. I pursued modeling for a couple of years until I convinced myself that I wasn’t able to make it as far in this industry as I had hoped. During this period of time, the universe handed me an opportunity and I was at a Billie Eilish concert. I was then placed with Identity Models in New York City, where I’m living now. I couldn’t be more grateful to be working with such beautiful people who build me up and allow me to believe in my success as much as they do.
Noah
Who:
Noah Hanes (@noahhanes1); 189 cm / 6’2.5″; American from Los Angeles, California, USA; born May 26th.
Where:
The Dragonfly Agency (Los Angeles – mother agency), Independent Model Management (Milan)
— Who is your favorite entertainer?
Robert Plant. I love his ability to absorb the crowd’s energy, create songs on the spot, and his unique voice and look.
— An issue or cause you are passionate about:
Ocean/beach pollution, it’s a huge part of our future and ecosystems. I love spending time at the beach and the way it makes me feel, and hate seeing how it’s being corrupted for financial gain.
— What are three interesting facts about you?
1. I love to sew by hand and with a machine! My aunt taught
me how to sew a couple of years ago and I try to push
myself to be creative and learn new things.
2. I’ve grown up surfing and love exploring new spots.
3. I have a green thumb and love gardening and taking care of
my plants.
Saad
Who:
Saad Bellakhdar (@thatsosaad); 188 cm / 6’2″; Moroccan from Temara, Morocco; born December 22nd.
Where:
The Ølz (France – mother agency), The Claw (Paris)
— Who is someone you admire and why?
Angelina Jolie. She’s such an inspiration to me, her humanitarian activism and dedication to improving the quality of the fortunate people around the globe. I love the way she brings attention to important causes.
— An issue or cause you are passionate about:
Body positivity, I believe that all people deserve to have a positive image of their bodies, regardless of how popular culture perceives very unrealistic body standards. EMBRACE YOUR FLAWS!!!
— How did you become a model?
Just 8 months ago I never thought I could be an actual model, I visited my friends in Paris and they told me about this modeling casting that’s happening. At first, I refused to go but they pushed me to do it and helped me practice my walk so went to the casting and that’s how I got signed.
Tianle
Who:
Tianle Chen (@tianle_chen); 186 cm / 6’1″; Chinese from Lisbon, Portugal; born March 10th.
Where:
We Are Models (Lisbon – mother agency), CREW Model Management (Milan)
— The most interesting thing about your family?
I was born in China. My dad came to Portugal when I was 3 years old and my mum and I moved when I was 6. We lived there together for a year or so and then they thought it would be better if I went back to China to study so I went back and lived with my grandparents, but I came to Portugal every summer for vacation. I ended up moving to Portugal permanently with my mum, dad and sister when I was 15.
— What are three interesting facts about you?
1. I love to play basketball.
2. I love pictures of the sky and I like to take pictures to document them.
3. I love food, I am a foodie.
— Your most embarrassing moment:
I know the rules of basketball. There was a basketball game when I was in 9th grade and my teacher wanted me to try out as a referee. I thought I could do it, but when the game started, one team fouled out and there was a big pressure to be the referee and I didn’t call the penalty in time. Then the other team, the spectators and the teacher were all looking at me waiting for me to call the foul and I didn’t. It was very embarrassing and I did a terrible job as a referee.
Yurima
Who:
Yurima Santana (@yurimasantanaa); 175 cm / 5’9″; Spanish from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain; born June 5th.
Where:
Pop House (Las Palmas de G.C. – mother agency), Women 360 Paris, Women Direct (Milan), Traffic Models (Barcelona)
— What are three interesting facts about you?
1. One of the fundamental factors that define me is empathy. I believe that I need to always put myself in the other person’s shoes, whether it is to understand them, support them or even help them to move on when things go wrong. I believe that you should always do good deeds for others if you want them to do good deeds for you. That’s why I consider myself to be empathetic, because I always try to put myself in the other person’s shoes.
2. I also consider myself a very fair person, as I believe that we have to have a balance in life in which what we are given is because we deserve it and therefore no one can reproach us or devalue us because if you have achieved something it has to be for your effort and dedication and not for “cheating”. If everyone had what they deserved everything would go much better in life.
3. Finally, I would like to highlight my ability to be a sensible person. Throughout my life, not everything has been rosy, and I have had to live through many situations at a young age that have made me mature, and even grow as a person. Thanks to the things I have been able to learn in my personal growth, I have managed to be a very consistent person in my actions, facing the consequences of each one of them.
— What’s your most prized possession and why?
I feel that I am at a point in my life where I need to grow, professionally and personally. And the way to do that is to work hard at what fulfills me because that is what makes me happiest. My other great happiness and priority in my life are my grandparents. I have been living with them for a year now, I felt that I had to thank them for everything they have done for me in my life, because since I was little they always took care of me. Now I am grateful in my soul to be able to give them back for everything they have done for me by giving them my company and my unconditional support. I really don’t need anything else as long as I have them.
— How did you become a model?
My “start” as a model was when I watched my mother modeling. I loved her photo shoots and I loved the world of fashion, the cameras, the feeling of posing… let’s say that since I was a child I have been very photogenic. From then on, little by little my mother tried to get me into the world of photography, but after I went to shoot a commercial, I didn’t want to do anything else. After a few years, Lartaun, the current boss of my agency Pop House, stopped me and asked me to visit the agency. I was still only 16 years old, so after telling my mother about it, I went to meet them. From then on I started to develop more professionally what I liked and I remember every job as a new perspective.