Do you recognize her face? You bet!!!
It is with great honor and pleasure to Spotlight one of the most talented, well established and well known models here in Second Life: KAY FAIREY
Kay Fairey's resume boast one of the most accomplished and successful modeling and fashion career here in Second Life but she is sweet, kind, humble and gracious about her accomplishments which include:
– Boulevard Agency, Agency Director & Top Model
– Modavia Supermodel and MFD Features Editor
– Modavia Production Top Model
– Styles of edo, Team edo, Director
– Evane Models Agency, Top Model
– BeStyle Agency, Top Model
– Beauty Avatar Team, Top Model
– BeStar Fashion Club, Top Model
– Elegance International Model Agency Supermodel
– superELITE Model Agency model
– IMAGE Model Agency, Model
– Second Look Studio, Model
– Einstein Model
– AGATA Model Agency Model & Okan (Momma) in SL Japan.
– Mimmi Boa Modeling Academy at Evane Models Agency, Model Trainer
– Show production and coordination
– The Best of SL Magazine, Senior Editor
– Second Life TV Japan, Overseas liason & fashion commentator
– SAOSL (Stunning Avatars of Second Life) Council member
Let’s get to know Kay Fairey and She might share some tips and insights into the SL Modeling World.
Q: Please tell us about yourself how you ventured into the modeling industry.
KF: I came to SL on November 2, 2007 and had been fascinated by SL fashion ever since I ventured out of help island. I spent my first week raiding freebie places and I was already mixing and matching what I found as well as do simple editing such as changing sleeve length to make the outfits look better. Since the original reason that I came here was through my RL job, it was part of my duty to find out what SL was all about and what potential lied in it for RL companies, I was doing a lot of reading about SL at that time while thinking with a marketing mind, what are the things I could do here. Then I read that there is actually a model indsutry in SL when I was reading through a guide book on SL and had already made up my mind to try it out myself.
So the first thing I did was search for model agencies. I didn’t even know there were academies so I thought I’ll start from visiting agencies to see what information I could gather. That’s when I accidentally ran into the CEO of the agency and was told that there was a school I could attend. And that was how I got started.
Q: Please tell us about some of your accomplishments within the modeling industry and describe what would be one of the most defining moments of your modeling career.
KF: My biggest accomplishement? hmmm….did I have any?
I’m not sure if this is an accomplishment as a model but if I can expand my interpretation to include the whole SL fashion industry in general, I feel I was able to shed light to some of the “hidden” Japanese talent and have brought Japan closer to the main fashion scene. This was not a “one way” phenomena too because while the general SL fashionistas turned to some Japanese creators, Japanese residents who had always been shy because of the language barrier started to take their first steps to venture out from thier small SL world. As they gained more confidence, they started to take more pro-active steps to promote themselves. Tukinowaguma is a very good example. At first, I had to talk to the creator a couple of times before she became convinced that she had a larger market than catering to the Japanese residents and a handful of non-Japanese. Now she has many fans in SL fashion and I feel honoured that she trusted my words. And now she even owns a sim for her main store. 😀
So maybe it’s not specifically an accomplishment as a model but I feel I have been an effective bridge between the two different cultures both for creators and more recently for Japanese models. (Two of my ex students are finalists in Miss VW now).
Q: You have certainly established yourself well within the modeling industry. Please tell us what you believe are the essential elements to being a successful model. Do you have any advice for aspiring models?
KF: There are a number of elements, I think, that is crucial to becoming a successful model. Anybody can be pretty in SL and everybody who is willing to spend some extra time fiddling with their avatar can become gorgeous. That means having a pretty avatar will be just a prerequisite and what comes AFTER that is the more important part. Specifically these would be:-
1. Unique look – you certainly don’t want 100 others looking like you.
2. Sense of styling – this is another thing that can make you stand out in a room full of pretty avatars. Unfortunately you either have it or you don’t, so although with training and close observation of what others are doing, you may improve by learning different ways to style but to be really good, you need to have the “eye” and this is something you can’t teach.
3. A high performance PC – unfortunately, the higher the spec of your computer, the better equipped you will be to handle modeling in lag. Being resistant to crash and lag will be an important element to gain the trust of others.
4. Spendable Lindens – again, unfortunately, to style well, you will need sufficient Lindens to be able to buy items you need in order to style without being constained to what might be available in your inventory. In a competitive environment, even this will make a difference.
5. Time – you don’t need to be in SL 24/7, but long enough to style, practice, participate in shows and shoots and shop around for interesting items.
6. Commitment – modeling in SL is VERY competitive especially because we can all be pretty and so many people want to have a try in becoming a model. Those without a strong commitment will not last.
7. Resistance to rejection – being a model, whether it’s RL or SL means you will be facing LOTS of rejections. Contests, castings….and any other occasion that requires selecting models will be rejecting more models that those selected in most cases. If you allow yourself to get devastated everytime this happens, you’ll end up being SL depressed. Unlike RL, nobody is forced to stay in SL which means we come here to have fun and to realize a dream that we can’t in RL. So why force yourself to be unhappy? You need the nerves to face rejections, swallow it, learn from it and move on. And more importantly not whine about it!
8. Personality – you can’t make it alone no matter how pretty and unique your look is. You need the support of fellow models, show organizers, designers, creators and whoever else that might be involved. If these people hated you, how can you get the support? A good personality is a LOT more important in SL than in RL since in RL, where you have no sliders to alter your looks, some popular models can get away with being a little less than ideal in personality. In SL, however, who wants to work with an unpleasant person?
9. Luck – in Japan, there is a saying. Good luck is part of a talent. Whether you agree or not, you certainly need an eye to see luck when it comes your way and a long enough arm to grab it before it goes past you.
10. PR/publicity capability – you don’t have to be in PR/publicity as a job. But becoming a successful model means building “your brand/brand image as a model”. And to do that effectively, you need to have a good sense of how to execute PR effectively for yourself. Again, you can learn from others but this is something that can’t be taught. You either have it or you don’t.
11. English capability – again, unfortunately the primary language in SL fashion is English and although you don’t have to be perfect, you need enough English language capability to understand what your client or photographer wants and be able to question it if you are not clear. Of course English will be necessary to enable basic communication during shows/shoots as well.
There may be others and I can almost hear voices saying “jeez……”. lol But remember, these are elements you might need to be a very successful model. You may not need all of the above just to model, but becoming one of the top requires you to weed through many obstacles and survive through a very tough competition. And in that environment, lack of any elements listed above becomes a big disadvantage against those who have them.
I have heard so many starter models say “but I think my avatar is gorgeous. Why am I not getting anywhere?” I particularly recommend those to read the above and think hard what you might be lacking. Of course, the reason can be elements you can’t see such as 6. Commitment or 9. Luck.
Also remember that you can still be a model without all of the above. For example, even if you didn’t speak a word of English, you can still model within your language groups.
OMG did I write all that? o.O
Q: What do you like and dislike about modeling?
KF: I like everything about modeling. I love simply walking in shows, styling looks, getting exposure for the designers, planning and producing shows, shopping, see happy designers when I was able to help thier sales, helping other models, helping starters, sharing store information (I never never never keep anywhere a secret)….simply every aspect of modeling is a joy for me.
I thought hard about what I may not like. And I still can’t find anything. So….none.
Q: Finally, please tell us what motivates you to be a model. Who inspires you the most and what is your inspiration?
KF: I think my answer to #4 answers this. Every aspect of being a model motivates me. I get inspiration from anything and everything I see. RL fashion, SL fashion, movies, magazines……even riding a train or subway as I watch what others are wearing and how they style themselves. Ah and I mustn’t forget….my mood of the day. How I am feeling that particular day will most likely inspire me to style in certain ways.
Q: Please feel free to share anything else you wish to add such as any additional comments etc.
KF: SL is a wonderful place to have fun and make your dream come true. And modeling, for those who like fashion, is certainly very fun. Although I listed many elements that a top successful model would need to make it to the top, that didn’t mean I have it all. It was just my objective observation. So if you are in for a challenge, dive in and you can still have lots of fun even if you are not perfect with all the elements. In fact, it’s rare to find somebody who has it all.
Parting Words From Kay: – Treat all avatars with kindness. There are real people behind avatars with feelings and emotions.
To learn more about Kay Fairey, Please visit her blog and links below:
– English blog: The Style File
http://stylefilebyclarabellekay.blogspot.com/
– Japanese blog: Kayのモデル日記
http://kayfairey.slmame.com/
– Flickr page
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25299139@N05/
– BOSL website
http://www.thebosl.com/
*Picture Credits: Head shot is by kikunosuke Eel and the kimono shot is by Sennaspirit Coronet.
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