A Flower Blooms Through Fashion: What It Really Takes To Be a Model: When it comes to modelling fashion, making it look easy can be tough

In an industry where beauty and flawlessness have long been in style, there is more than what meets the eye reveals Canadian model, Ornelle Chirezi. Discipline, strength and a thick skin are just as important as looks. 

In conventional and social media, we are constantly exposed to fashion models with pretty faces and perfect bodies. Even in “off-duty” social media posts, models appear effortlessly cool. On the surface, beauty standards seem unattainable for most people. Many envy models, their looks and the “easy” jet-set lifestyle that appears to bring them. Beneath the surface however, modeling is a profession requiring practice, dedication as well as mental and emotional resilience. 

“I spent hours and hours learning how to walk and during countless, non-paid, creative photoshoots just learning different posing styles,” says Chirezi, who has been modelling for four years. For new models, early years are less about immediate success and more about learning the craft and building a business, she adds. 

Now 21, Chirezi recently modelled for Ssense in Montreal. To succeed in the industry, models must invest a substantial amount of time and money, she says. 

“When you first start out, you’re actually investing more than you’re making. You’re paying for shoots, flights, comp cards, website fees for agencies,” Chierzi says. Becoming a model is like investing in yourself as a business opportunity. Your face and body becomes your resume, which can only be changed so much. It’s a competitive field and there will always be someone who looks, walks and poses better, Ornelle explains.The better your portfolio, the greater your chances at winning jobs over other models. 

Chirezi loves art and movement and has wanted to model since she was a child. Despite her natural talent and inclination towards the industry, her father opposed the idea, concerned that modeling could harm her self-esteem. Chierzi persisted, first landing representation with Panache Management in Winnipeg. She then signed with Spot6 Management in Toronto and Montage Models in Montreal. 

The modelling industry can foster insecurity. A study cited in Vogue magazine in 2017, found that 62 percent of models were asked by their agencies to lose weight. Most are already thinner than average. An estimated 40 percent of models struggle with eating disorders. Ornelle admits that modeling has given her insecurities. 

“However, it’s normal within the industry…you will face a lot of critical comments about how you look and you just have to navigate that,” she says. 

Despite the encouraged restrictive eating habits in the industry, nutrition became essential to Chierzi’s confidence. Eating whole foods and staying active allowed her to achieve her measurement goals without feeling weak. Chierzi’s approach fosters a healthy lifestyle. She is also a firm believer in “eating her skincare,” claiming sardines give her “glass-like” skin. 

Chierzi has grown passionate about food and now uses social media platforms, Instagram (Nelnourish), and TikTok (Model Chef), to share healthy, delicious, recipes packed with nutrients and energy. She hopes to eventually fuse her modeling and culinary interests into a business. 

In addition to appearance criticism and pressure to fit a certain mold, models are vulnerable to inappropriate or exploitative situations, particularly when young and starting out. Chierzi recalls an early photo shoot in Toronto requiring her to pose nude. It left her feeling conflicted: 

“I was really uncomfortable, but I was so desperate for good photos, I allowed (the photographer) to keep ‘his own’ photos so he could take good ones of me, clothed, for my book (portfolio). I regret it incredibly.” That experience serves as a cautionary tale for aspiring models, she says. 

While modelling can also be fun and exciting, the work can be physically and mentally demanding. On a typical day in Montréal, Ornelle models an average of 100 pieces of clothing from 8am to 4pm. Afterwards, she’ll jump into content creation and workouts to help her maintain exposure, fitness and focus. 

One positive is that models are typically well-compensated once their careers are launched. Campaigns, commercials, and e-commerce shoots can pay anywhere from $800 to more than $10,000. Runway work pays around $300-800, but it’s great for exposure and connecting with brands. Achieving a steady income requires a mix of landing gigs, consistently performing well and persistence in attending castings or sending self-tapes. 

With experience, Chierzi has learned which pieces flatter her body type and complexion. When selecting clothes, she avoids trends she has already modeled and disliked. This may explain why models always look fashionably good, even when off-duty. 

According to Chierzi, the key to navigating the industry is figuring out the impact you want to make. “Once you know what you want out of the fashion industry, it becomes easier to carve a path for yourself and set up achievable goals.” Her goal since having worked in Mexico is doing more international work. She dreams of Paris, Milan, and New York. 

Even though the modelling industry is becoming more inclusive, by using more models with plus-size or different body types and looks, there is still a long way to go in eliminating issues like eating disorders. 

And while the world may see only the beauty on the surface, for insiders like Ornelle, modeling is also about strategy, self-care, and even survival. She represents a side of modeling that values health and self-respect over appearance and success at any cost. It's about staying strong and focused, yet passionate in a world that can easily drag you down. 

Ornelle Chierzi’s first name means “flower.” Beautiful, elegant, strong, and rising above challenges, the name suits her. She has bloomed in style.

Sparkle with Substance: How Pageantry Helped Shaped Jacklynn Bowdery’s Confidence and Calling

Through gowns, glitz, and a growing love of fashion, Barrie’s Jacklynn Bowdery has turned pageantry into a masterclass in confidence, culture, and personal style.

When 21-year-old Jacklynn Bowdery steps onto a pageant stage, she brings more than sequins and sparkle, she brings self-assurance. “Pageantry really gives me courage and the confidence I need to live every day,” she says. “It’s taught me how to show up for myself and not just on stage, but in life.”

From her Filipino roots to the international runway, Bowdery is part of a new wave of titleholders transforming how the world sees beauty. For her, the crown is less about competition and more about connection. As beauty standards continue to evolve, young women like Bowdery are redefining what it means to be a “queen.” Through her titles, she’s turned a childhood dream into a mission: to empower others, celebrate culture, and make pageantry more sustainable. “The essence of pageantry,” she says, “is uplifting other women and girls to strive to be the best you can be.” 

From a Family Dream to a Lifelong Passion

Bowdery grew up in a multicultural home where pageantry was woven into her family’s identity. “My mom’s Filipino, and in the Philippines, pageantry is at the heart of the culture,” she explains. “She never got to live that dream herself, so she put me and my sister through pageantry to help empower us and open up opportunities.” She entered her first pageant at 14 and quickly found her place. In Miss Teen Philippines Canada 2018, she placed first runner-up, an early success that reconnected her with her heritage. “That first pageant reconnected me with my roots,” she says. “It really ignited my love for pageantry.”

By 17, she had gone from small-town contestant to Miss Teenage Ontario 2021, a victory she describes as “a pivotal moment.” A few months later, she claimed the national Miss Teenage Canada title. “Meeting girls from all across the country was incredible,” she recalls. “We were all there for different reasons, but we shared one goal, to inspire the next generation.” Her international debut came soon after, when she represented Canada at Miss Teen Mundial 2022 in El Salvador, placing in the top 15 (the first time Canada had ever placed in that pageant).

“It was surreal representing my country and connecting with girls from around the world,” she says. “It reminded me that confidence is universal.” At 19, Bowdery became Miss Asia Canada 2023, the youngest contestant to win the title. Competing against women nearly a decade older was intimidating, she admits, but staying grounded made the difference. “I told myself, whatever happens, happens, I’ll do my best and show why I’m here.” 

Finding Confidence in the Competition

While Bowdery is quick to acknowledge the glamour, she insists fashion in pageantry is deeply personal. “Besides the glitz and glam, it’s about individuality,” she says. “It’s about loving yourself because of who you are.” Pageantry, she explains, changed how she views style and self-expression. “I go to fashion and business school now, and it’s influenced how I dress, not in a bad way, but it’s made me more confident in taking risks,” she says. “I wore a suit for an interview once, and I’ve loved suits ever since. They make me feel powerful.”

★ “The empowerment of wearing feminine clothes and being comfortable in my own body really comes from pageantry,” she adds. Her sense of fashion has evolved with her confidence. “Being confident means being happy with who you are,” she says. “It’s about being comfortable enough to express that to the world.”

Sustainability and Style

In recent years, Bowdery has seen sustainability take center stage in the pageant world. “Sustainability has become such a huge topic,” she says. “A lot of girls are spreading awareness about how we can make a greener world for future generations.” For her, it’s more than talk, it’s practice. “I reuse and recycle a lot of my outfits. I donate or pass things down to other pageant girls. It’s about being mindful of what we buy and how we use it.” 

Bowdery collaborates with Filipino designers for her competition looks, including Ontario-based label E.Kash, known for its intricate pageant gowns. “I love working with Filipino artists,” she says. “They understand the cultural meaning behind what I wear.” One of her most meaningful looks was a traditional Singkil costume she wore in a Miss Asia Canada photoshoot, a Filipino Muslim dance ensemble symbolizing wealth, prosperity, and good fortune. “It helped me feel grounded in who I am,” she says. “That costume connected me to my heritage in such a powerful way.”

The Next Chapter

Now preparing for Miss Global Canada 2025, Bowdery hopes to take everything she’s learned from confidence to cultural pride, to the next level. “It’s been two years since my last pageant,” she says. “I’m excited to get back on stage, connect with the audience, and show how much I’ve grown.” Through her personal project, I’m Always First, she advocates for youth empowerment and self-love. “Confidence looks different for everyone,” she says. “For me, it started with journaling. Every morning, I write three things I’m grateful for and three things I love about myself. Over time, you start to believe it.”

★ “You don’t need a crown to feel like a queen,” she says. “You just have to wake up every day and love what you see in the mirror.”

Beyond The Crown

For Bowdery, pageantry isn’t just a phase, it’s a foundation. “I might not compete forever, but the lessons, the confidence, and the fashion, that will always stay with me,” she says. “I’m excited to see how my style and my purpose keep evolving, even long after the spotlight fades."

An Alumni’s journey in fashion: George Brown Alumni shares career, experiences and advice on navigating the Canadian Fashion space

One of our own shares her lifetime career in the fashion industry, take the journey through her eyes, the roles and responsibilities she filled, advice she passes on to help us understand and manage work/career expectations.

Early life and Introduction to the industry

Adina Sousa migrated to Canada from Portugal as a child with her family. She remembered always being a creative individual. She recalled creating her first bag at age ten (10). The ladies in her family sewed, she especially admired a cousin who was a seamstress who she remembered made “Beautiful stuff for the ladies”.

This early introduction to fashion motivated her to seek further education in the field. She attended Central Technical High School in Toronto then applied to colleges for fashion programs. She said she chose George Brown because it was the first school to respond (a practice they uphold to this day) and close to her home. Skills that helped Transition from school to work Adina stated that while she had always loved sewing, at George Brown she found drafting “was not easy and grading was more difficult”.

As she developed her skills at school, she said she discovered aspects she enjoyed which led to her career roles throughout her career. Adina said she participated in the school’s year end fashion show and realized that coordination was something she was good at and enjoyed, she like collaboration with the different teams that made the show complete, was introduced to different roles and functions throughout the production and felt fulfilled watching it all come together. This exposure formed the foundation of her career choices, she started initially as a sewer then supervisor, coordinator and assistant buyer, all positions of ongoing communication, collaboration with internal and external customers and suppliers.

The transition from George brown to the workplace was at first unsettling as Adina, like many people, had a hard time adjusting from the change of school routine to a new environment and faster pace. At school she recalled staying as late as 9:00pm sometimes working on assignments and said she even had her coffee cup as a reminder from those days. She reported that work after George Brown was difficult as she missed the school environment and the camaraderie among peers, at work she said she felt like a child the new young person hired, often ate alone as she was not a part of the more experienced work force. She had to adjust and developed sleep apnea as she was conditioned to study late and preferred to work late as she was not a morning person, sounds familiar?

Her first job was with Canadian Designer Linda Lundstrom who created the ‘La Parka Coat’ still available on Etsy.com. It was a friend from college who got a job there that told her Linda was looking for a sewer to put beads hand sewn onto garments. She then worked in the Design & Development department sourcing material, finding and notions. She became a supervisor in the sampling area, here she emphasized priority scheduling, in this capacity she ensured everything was organized and on schedule, prepared work ahead of time for her staff e.g. drafting samples, cutters made aware of specifics, sample sewers had the supplies they needed, garments were pressed to look their best and ready for models to showcase.

This would often mean working late into the evening to ensure staff work was prepared and ready for them to start the next morning. In the morning, she would check in with sample sewers that all was well, check messages then get on with her other functions. Her position as assistant director required her to observe, listen, see the designer’s vision be able to translate it across the team and anticipate the designer’s preferences and direction.

Designers then generally gave hint of block or style number and fabric type, the assistant as expected to know and fulfill everything else. Adina worked over ten (10) years as a Private Label Coordinator at Parkhurst knitting Company where she managed order of 5,00, 6,000 and 10,000 units for 10 – 15 companies including brands such as Dillard’s, Nordstrum, Sears, Johnny Apple Seed with a 2 – 3 weeks completion rate from contact to delivery i.e. drafting and on the line, “Design is about proportions” she said and explained shape, colour and dimensions were all very important aspects to a design and ultimately customer satisfaction.

What was most rewarding? Adina happily recalled working at Marks and Spencer’s in Canada and recalled it to be her most rewarding experience as the fashion was classic, well made with emphasis on clean finishes. During her time with the company, she travelled and gained cross section exposure to the company operations. She admired fashion of the 1980’s stating that decade was pivotal, bold, innovative. Popular designers were Wayne Clarke who specialized in Canadian Dresses, Alfred Sung, Pat McDonna and Danier Leather company, in the 1980’s leather was an important material in fashion What she wished she knew Learning to accept things beyond your control, don’t take stuff to heart

 Looking Back – Advice for future fashion students

Adina encourages skills for industry such as networking as she put it “It’s not what you know but who you know”. Loyalty, order, and having an organized space,’ dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s’ are good attributes to develop. Be passionate about your work. The profession sometimes offers low pay, last minute challenges, can be very demanding, passion is what will help you carry on. She wished there be more opportunity for apprenticeship as entering the work force requires on the job training to fully develop.

Last Words, “whichever path you choose, Practice! Practice! Practice!” Heartfelt thanks to our Alumni Adina for sharing her experience, insights and suggestions for success in the industry today.

From the Floor Up: How a Uniqlo Sales Associate Found Purpose in Simplicity

When Cindy Yu came to Canada on a working-holiday program a year ago, she only wanted to gain some work experience and see a bit of the world. What she didn’t expect was that a retail job would change her perspectives on fashion, and even on herself. “I applied online and that’s how I got in,” she explains. “I was really interested in this job at Uniqlo—nice clothes for everyone.

The brand’s philosophy, LifeWear, is about making real clothes for a fair price with no compromise. I liked that idea right away.” Now working as a sales associate at a Uniqlo store in Toronto, Cindy has found that simplicity can carry more meaning than most people realize. Inside a Typical Day Cindy’s days are full and physical. “I talk to customers about products, sort stock, check invoices, and help the cashier,” she says. “We stand, walk, and lift things for hours every day.

It’s not glamorous work, but she finds satisfaction in the steady pace. “It feels good when customers find something they really love. I’m always learning about new products and how to present them better.” Those everyday moments, folding clothes, restocking shelves, helping someone pick the right size, have helped her realize the importance of fashion. “You see how different people express themselves, even through something as simple as a T-shirt,” she adds.

Learning Patience

Retail isn’t always smooth sailing. “Folding clothes or doing inventory can get repetitive,” Cindy admits. “And dealing with rude or impatient customers can be tough.” Still, she’s learned that patience and empathy go a long way. “You have to stay calm and kind, even when it’s hard. Some people just need to be heard,” she says. These lessons, she explains, are part of what makes the job meaningful. “Working here has taught me how to handle people. That’s something every job in fashion, and life, really needs.”

Fashion with a Conscience

One of the reasons Cindy feels proud to wear the Uniqlo logo is the company’s approach to sustainability. “There’s an app that shows how much of the clothing is made from recycled or organic fabrics—93 percent, which is pretty amazing,” she says. She appreciates that the company doesn’t just talk about sustainability but builds it into their products. “It makes me feel like I’m part of something that matters. Fashion shouldn’t just look good; it should do good too.”

For Cindy, that sense of responsibility makes her job more than just retail—it’s being part of a global brand that tries to make fashion accessible and ethical at the same time. Room to Grow While many people see sales associate roles as temporary, Cindy looks at hers as a stepping stone. “The pay starts at minimum wage, but it’s easy to move up,” she explains. “You can become a supervisor, manager, or even go into corporate if you stay long enough.”

And Cindy became the manager few months ago. She’s seen coworkers move into higher positions and finds that motivating. “It shows that hard work really counts here,” she says. “And the experience you get—customer service, teamwork, problem-solving—it all helps if you want to stay in the fashion industry.”

Advice for Beginners

When asked what she’d tell someone thinking about joining fashion, Cindy doesn’t hesitate. “Be curious. Keep learning. Fashion changes fast, so you have to adapt,” she says. She also stresses the importance of people skills. “Networking is really important. Talk to others in the field, listen to their stories, and don’t be afraid to start at the bottom.”

Her words come from experience. “This job may not sound exciting, but you learn so much about what customers want. That knowledge is gold if you ever want to move into design, buying, or marketing.”

Finding Meaning in the Everyday

Looking back, Cindy says the job has surprised her in the best way. “At first, I thought it was just about selling clothes,” she says with a smile. “But now I see that it’s about people. It’s about helping someone feel good in what they wear.”

She pauses for a moment before adding, “Every folded shirt, every happy customer—it all adds up. I’ve learned that even small things can matter if you do them with care.” Cindy’s story shows that there’s purpose to be found even in the most ordinary places. Her work at Uniqlo is proof that fashion isn’t only about trends—it’s about connection, growth, and finding beauty in simplicity.