Sedene targets retailers

It is not often that a girl plucked from obscurity pops up on billboards, buses and advertising boards in stores across major cities in the United States. But this is the reality for Sedene Blake, the young Jamaican model discovered by Pulse and who began her international modelling career just under a year ago.

"Did you hear?" an excited Hopie Dennis exclaimed, as she called Pulse last week to share the news that several persons had contacted her from New York indicating that they had seen her daughter on billboards and larger-than-life posters on buses all over New York City.

The sightings of her daughter are for retail conglomerate Target.

This came as no surprise to Pulse's fashion director Romae Gordon, who had had her own encounter with the in-your-face advertising as she caught up with another of Pulse's supermodels, Jeneil Williams, during the recently concluded New York FashionWeek.

"There goes Sedene," Jeneil had casually said, as they both strode out of the New York Model Management office.

"We know the girls are doing very well, but it is always a pleasure to see the jobs come to life, and it's even more so when its magnified in larger-than-life superboards or on a bus going by in New York city traffic," said Gordon.

In the multimedia campaign, Sedene sports fun and lively prints by designer Gaby Basora who was commissioned to create the Tucker line for the fashion-forward, design trendsetter, Target.

This is a huge campaign for the young model who flew to Los Angeles for the shoot.

Target was one of the first brands to enlist high-end fashion designers to create special lines for their stores. This was an idea that created a major impact on the fashion and home-design landscape. It did not take long for other big retailers to enrol their own A-list designers.

World-renowned architects such as Phillipe Starck and top clothes maker Issac Mizrahi were two of the other high-profile names who joined Target for the new wave in fashion.

The chain's latest collaboration is with British luxury brand Mulberry.

Sedene, meanwhile, has just teamed up with arguably one of fashion's best photographers of our time, Patrick Demarchelier. The multiple-page editorial was shot for American Glamour and is expected to be published later this year.

Blake has also been kept busy doing presentations for American Vogue's Anna Wintour.

Anticipation

Although she has already shot four editions of Vogue,including appearing on the cover of Vogue Beauty for the Italian publication, she is eagerly anticipating her first outing for the United States' version of fashion's bible.

In less than a year, Blake has done extremely well, making a significant mark on international modelling. She has worked for clients like Calvin Klein, Carolina Herrera, Tommy Hilfiger, Marc Jacobs, Jason Wu, Custo Barcelona, Peter Som, Rachel Roy, Halston,Costello Tagliapietra, Phillip Lin and Catherine Malandrino, Vivienne Westwood, Roksanda Illincic, Osman, Todd Lyn, PPQ, House of Holland, Nicole Fahri, Richard Nicoll and Paul Smith, Carolina Herrera, Tommy Hilfiger, Marc Jacobs, Jason Wu, Custo Barcelona, Peter Som, Costello Tagliapietra, Phillip Lim and Caterine Malandrino. Viviene Westwood, Roksanda Illincic, Osman, Todd Lyn, PPQ, House of Holland, Nicole Fahri, Paul Smith, Costume National, and Valentino.

Blake, who is now holding a significant option for a major cosmetic brand, was discovered and developed through the Pulse Model Search.