There’s the adage that goes if a model makes you laugh, book her. There isn’t? Well there should be. Certainly there isn’t anything more out of fashion in fashion than taking oneself too seriously. Enter Olivia Forte, or rather she entered into our hearts down Sies Marjan’s pastel-hued Fall runway, or was the MSGM campaign photographed by Alasdair McLellan or just on her scroll-worthy Instagram @kidforte–mmm, doesn’t matter much how she got here so much as she is here. The bobbed, Michigan girl is not committed to everyone’s memories just yet but she’s got the right people psyched with her one part quirk, two parts cutie pie winning formula.
While contributing to the collective cool of modeling, discovered at an open call in Chicago, Olivia is still on on her quote “school-grind”. Though, her focus on Fashion 101 is not extracurricular, “Initially, I think I saw it as fairly surface level and shallow. If you’re not genuinely interested by fashion and are just an outsider seeing it all on social media all you really see of it is hot girls in expensive clothing. Obviously, my perception has changed and I can see that there is so much more to the industry.” She adds, “The connection between the women in this field is astonishing, especially with the Me Too movement. I have met some of the most intelligent and captivating people in my life working in this business,” Olivia says of her deepening perspective. This Fall Winter season marks only her second turn at fashion week, she debuted S/S 18 walking Coach. “It’s been lovely. I got to walk for my favorite designer Sander Lak and see my friends that work in the industry,” she says. Sander Lak is the designer and creative director of Sies Marjan, which has become a hallmark of New York Fashion Week. Of the Sies experience, “It was surreal, I looked like a mean ballerina.” Following a string of wins, like booking her first major campaign, a Love editorial and garnering major interest, Olivia is going to double down on her efforts. What’s next? “World dominance,” she jokes, adding seriously, “And I would love to work with Calvin Klein.” Her next stop in the circuit will be Paris, so pay attention.
