Tomachi
Agencies
Mother AgenCY (MA): HOUS Management
Toronto: LeDrew Models
Answers to Q&A
Why did you want to become a model?
My mom originally went to fashion school in the late 70’s, early 80’s in London, UK. Whenever she’d tell me stories about the models, designers and runway shows she met or worked with, I knew that I wanted fashion to be a part of my life in some way. I’ve always felt that models are a beautiful piece of a creative puzzle. They help other creatives like makeup artists, designers and stylists bring their stories to life. I loved the idea of being able to tell a story, visually. As I got older, models like Beverly Peele, Naomi Campbell, Iman, Alek Wek and Grace Jones became some of my biggest inspirations. I loved the history they made as darker skinned, black models in the industry. They showed the world that black was beautiful. I knew that I wanted to continue to inspire a new generation of women and men to embrace their skin in beautiful ways.
What makes you special?
My charisma, my passion and my spirit make me special. My friends and loved ones have always described me as someone who brings so much light and energy into any given space and I feel very blessed to be someone who can do that with and for others. In my heart, I just want to inspire others and make them feel loved. :)
What are you passionate about?
Community building. I’ve always loved creating safe, fun spaces for the people around me. Whether that be through creative direction in social media, modelling, leading or participating in social clubs all through university or post-grad. I’ve always wanted to create spaces where people felt seen, loved and heard.
Outside of that, Travel is a huge passion of mine. I’ve been blessed to backpack through Southeast Asia, spend time in South America, explore Tanzania, party in NYC, and drink the best wines in Spain and Portugal. No matter where I’ve been, I’ve connected deeply with the country and embraced the culture, food and people whole-heartedly. I love that I have the privilege to travel and see the world first hand. There’s so many other places I want to travel to and I hope I have the opportunity to do all of this with friends, through modelling and solo.
Who is your favourite model? What do you like about them?
THEEE trailblazer Grace Jones!! I’ve always admired her strong sense of self, her passion for various types of art (modelling, singing, acting, go-go dancing) and her beautiful personality. When others have described her, they’ve described her as this fun, exciting, kind, and the life of the party. I LOVE the editorial shoots she’s done; the creativity, the shock factor of it all. I think she is an incredible woman who was always light-years ahead of her time.
If you could change one thing about the fashion industry, what would it be?
The lack of diversity and representation. I’ve always seen fashion and the industry as a whole, both incredibly inclusive and an exclusive community too. In some ways, it is a beautiful opportunity for creatives from all walks of life to express themselves and find community through clothing/fashion, creative direction and self-expression. However, in many other ways there are so many things that need to change. I believe that the industry should reflect the world around us because we all live our lives in clothing. I want the fashion industry to INTENTIONALLY hire and highlight people of different body types, races (especially dark skinned folks), gender expressions, etc. We all deserve to see ourselves in the media and I still believe the industry lacks this.