Puerto Rican fashion model Joan Smalls is covering the January 2014 issue of Elle magazine. The Hatillo born and raised model moved to NYC with a dream after graduating Magna Cum Laude from the InterAmerican University of Puerto Rico with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology. She is currently the 8th highest paid model in the world, according to Forbes.
Smalls has come a long way from the small town she’s from. In 2007, she was signed by Elite Model Management. She left the agency in 2009, and signed with IMG Models worldwide, where she changed her focus to runway work.
Smalls graced the covers of Vogue Italia, Vogue Australia, Vogue Japan, Vogue Turkey, Vogue Brazil, Vogue Korea, Vogue Russia, Vogue Spain, Vogue Germany, Elle US, Elle UK, Elle France, GQ South Africa, GQ Mexico, GQ Style UK, W Magazine, i-D magazine, Harper’s Bazaar UK, Harper’s Bazaar Brazil, Harper’s Bazaar Singapore, Harper’s Bazaar Bulgaria, Harper’s Bazaar Thailand, Dazed & Confused and others.
Smalls has walked the catwalks for some of the world’s top designers and has appeared in fashion ads and campaigns for Givenchy, Gucci, Roberto Cavalli, Calvin Klein, Gap, Versace, Prabal Gurung, H&M, Fendi, Chanel and many more.
The 25-year-old met at SoHo’s The Mercer Kitchen for an interview with the publication. Smalls detailed her journey from the small town she was born and raised to an international supermodel, opened up about diversity in the fashion industry and talked about wanting to become an actress. Below are some highlights:
On moving to NYC:
“I came to New York with a dream. I came to do what I saw girls doing in campaigns, in editorials—great things, challenging things“.
On why she chose to reside in Brooklyn and Queens:
“I like to detach myself from work, to be able to go home and switch it all off, but I like looking into the city.”
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Growing up, She didn’t take modeling serious because she didn’t fit the standard of beauty that she saw in beauty pageant back home:
“Modeling was never a real idea, because the aesthetic of beauty was so different from my body type. They love a curvier woman, light skinned, of average height.”
Moving to Queens, NY with her aunt at 19 and Givenchy’s Riccardo Tisci giving her her big break:
“At 19, Smalls put the dream into motion. She moved to New York, slept on an air mattress at her aunt’s house in Queens, and picked up a trail mix of jobs—Nordstrom catalogs, a Target commercial, a Ricky Martin video, print ads for Liz Claiborne. Not bad work, but scaling fashion’s upper echelons took more time and perseverance, including a trip to Paris on her own dime in an attempt to line up an agent there. The breakthrough came in summer 2009, when Tisci—who has since been home to Puerto Rico with her and met her parents—took one look at her and put her on exclusivity for Givenchy’s couture presentation. This was roughly the equivalent of transferring from community college to Harvard: One minute Smalls was shilling microfiber push-up bras, the next she was wearing Chantilly lace next to Natasha Poly and Mariacarla Boscono“.
On being turned down by an agency because she had crooked teeth:
“I made a list of agencies and went to all the open calls,” Smalls remembers. “One of the agents looked me over and said, ‘Joan, I’d love to represent you, I think you’re great, but you have to straighten your teeth.’ ” She was perplexed. “Why do I have to straighten my teeth?” she asked. “I see models with crooked teeth all the time.” The agent looked her square in the face: “Joan, those models are Caucasian, and you’re not. You’re a black model. And it’s already a challenge.”
On diversity in fashion industry while opening doors for young, black women:
“Fashion should be about creativity and visionaries, and last time I checked, the world is a multicultural place. Why shouldn’t a little girl from Puerto Rico see the runway and think, I can wear that?” She pauses, gathers her thoughts: “People hide behind the word aesthetic. They say, ‘Well, it’s just that designer’s aesthetic.’ But when you see 18 seasons in a row and not one single model outside a certain skin color…?” She raises an eyebrow. “There are people in the industry who are advocates, who support diversity. And there are people who do not. I don’t get it. Beauty is universal. These doors have to open.”
On wanting to become an actress:
“I want to be clear that I don’t want to act just because it’s the typical move for a model. Everyone wants to be an actress, for God knows what reason! Fame, I guess.” Her desire “comes from a place of wanting to entertain people on a different level.” And also from her love for film, which tends toward “scary movies, psychological thrillers, and anything drama driven that pulls you in and keeps you guessing.”
Read the full interview over at Elle.
Photos Credit: Michael Thompson