Sophia White: Mahogany Models' Leading Lady

As our UGPulse Beauty prepares for a partnership with Mahogany Model Management we interview the leading lady of Mahogany Models. Sophia White gives us an expert's view of what is going on in the industry... a must read for those who think they have what it takes to get into modeling. Not only a business for profit but one for social change, Mahogany Model Management, like UGPulse Beauty, seeks to correct or broaden the "definition" of Beauty. In this interview Sophia White explains her Black But Invisible campaign.

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Sophia White.

Tell us about Mahogany Model Management. What does the company do and how big are you?
Mahogany Model Management are a team of professionals with a social consciousness focusing on creating sustainability in the fashion industry for models of colour.

We nurture and develop models of colour's attitudes, professionalism and careers. Our mission is to hand select and promote every type of mixed heritage model we can find via our agency (both male and female) typically from the following origins: Caribbean, African, Asian, Hispanic, Turkish, Multi-racial and Oriental. We strive to "Inject more colour into mainstream fashion."

Mahogany Model Management not only works within the model remit, we contribute to the wider fashion industry by providing training through workshops and events to educate the next generation of models.

We plan to start making our mark in fashion by contributing to the development of models' professionalism in the industry. The company operates through five divisions: Women, Men, New Faces, Special Bookings and Personal Management. The New Faces division is responsible for finding new models, training them and helping them to get their careers off to the best possible start.

We are the largest specialist agency in the UK soon to launch in Europe and the USA next year.

'Adding a splash of colour into mainstream fashion.'

We are also UK's largest and only self servicing online website for amateur/semi professional models of colour with 880 on the directory and 2700 on the database

How was the company started? You are an incredibly attractive woman... Being a model agency, perhaps that had something to do with it.
Hah ha – Well Mahogany Group is not my company... I head the Mahogany Model Management Agency side of the business only. The company is owned by a talented Sola Oyebade – I wished I owned it (laughs some more).

Sola Oyebade.

I must thank you for your compliment... You're making me blush. I am not sure if my looks have helped but hard work and NO sleep has a lot to do with it too..

Mahogany Models History

Mahogany Bridal & Lifestyle Show 2008.

Activities started in 1996 when Mahogany Brides Magazine was first published with the aim of raising awareness for black brides in the UK and since then The Mahogany Group have expanded its services into the modeling arena creating multiple entities established for over 12 years. Mahogany is becoming the powerhouse in the model, bridal and event production industries.

Our vision is to become a global power house in the ethnic model field by 2012.

"I believe that black & ethnic communities around the globe are beginning to make tremendous inroads in the world or fashion and entertainment & TMC is already a long way down the road of being a major force within the fashion industry" Sola Oyebade CEO - Mahogany Group.

Tell us your childhood and background, where you are from and your earlier years in other professions and your career earlier in the modeling industry.
Well how long do you have?!

I lived in Rainham a small village in Essex – Please don't tell the handbag joke!!!

Where I lived most of my life, I was very creative at school and loved art and child development because it was so easy, I didn't mind science now and then but art was my course I really excelled at.

From school I then went on to do a ND in Fashion Design (Redbridge College) and a HND in Fashion Design with Management (Croydon College) and I enjoyed both courses.

Throughout my time in college or even further back I won drawing competitions from the age of 7 yrs and my artwork was put up in the library – my parents were so proud of me, then moving on to college I came 2^nd in a swimwear competition where I won 75 pounds and had articles in the paper. Then I was featured in a newspaper article for a collection – this one is very vague... I actually can't remember all the details.

Then at Croydon my collection was picked at my final show to appear in the window of BHS for a week which was a big deal back then. I then went on to design freelance work for various clothing brands (being mentored by Fashion Works... a designer program). I designed for Xargo a manufacturing company in fur and leather, who were Jewish and I was the 1^st ever black person to work for them. It was challenging but I designed for them and some of my collections were brought by Selfridges... a contract my Jewish bosses were trying to get for a while. I also designed some fur items which Monsoon brought so they were very happy with me after that!!

I then did a bit of styling and then fell into photography and started to shoot for Street Beats RNB a compilation CD for DJ's but during all this time I studied, as I love reading and developing myself.

Then I did PA work because as I am very organized which made me fall into event organising which is how I meet Sola Oyebade at the Factum Fashion show and dinner, from there I did a few events with the Mahogany Group and started to go on a few casting with Sola and loved it! It was right up my street and I enjoyed that part of the business and then before I knew it I was heading the agency.

Very inspiring... Sort of reminds me of my own path to my career as a software engineer... lol.. and here I am taking a shot at interviewing.

So what makes a one a good model? When should one feel like they got what it takes to be a model?

For me as long as you are photogenic and have a model look in the flesh (which can be created) you are a good model. Oh yes! and you have to have a great personality. I generally take on models who photograph very well even if they do not look like a model in the flesh BUT style and pose can be learnt whereas learning to take photographs if it is not in you is slightly difficult.

How about scams? What advice do you have on this?
In terms of scams, there are companies who produce portfolios that are not up to the quality and standard agencies need and models pay a lot of money for them and there so called portfolio when they come to a casting, only to be told they need photographs because these companies are only interested in taking money and not providing the model with any help or guidance

Always go to a reputable company you know to get your portfolios done. If they do not ask you what type of work you would like to get out of your portfolio then you are at the wrong place because how would they know what images to provide your with??.

In her book Industry Exposed Michelle Niemiec talks about some of these scams and some of the ugly side of modeling which she endured... the manipulation and eating disorders... and in her case rape. I am sure she was not talking about your company otherwise this would be a different type of interview. But how much of her story do you see in the industry? What advice do you have for the often very young women and men that go into this industry... and their families? And what steps do you, in your position at Mahogany, take to make sure that your company is squeaky clean and able to cater to the needs of one set of its important clients... the models themselves?
I personally have not seen anything of this nature in the industry but I guess it could happen. I suggest models attend shoots with a friend or take a guardian and do some checks before you go to the shoot.

We are a VAT registered company which gives you some kind of indication we are properly structured. We will soon be attached to associated bodies in the industry so the logos attached to our brand will immediately show the clients and models that we are apart of the agencies who have been checked and validated.

Can you tell us briefly a few of the most successful models at Mahogany?
Kadiatu Kamara – Discovered 1 year ago and has already graced the pages of Ovation, Yes Magazine, 601TV and graced the catwalks of Nolcha, London Fashion week and many other fashion shows. She is now the face of the Black BUT Invisible Campaign and has been interview by the BBC, 601 TV, BBC Coventry and many many other people.

Kadiatu Kamara.

Black But Invisible Campaign... This is a very important campaign that goes beyond just modeling. It deals with the redefinition of beauty as many people define beauty with the eyes given to them by the media. With the likes of Tyra Banks... and her influence in the industry when it comes to promoting models of color... Then there is Tyson Beckford... Is it still really hard for models of color?
Yes! See some statistic below:

Independent on Sunday

Fashion is racist: insider lifts lid on 'ethnic exclusion'

One of Britain's leading model agents has offered a disturbing insight into the racial discrimination holding back the careers of black models in the British fashion industry. Rob Sharp reports:
Images from London Fashion Week, which ended yesterday, feature few black and ethnic-minority models. On the web pages of the fashion site style.com, three shows chosen at random featured black models in eight out of 136 photographs taken during the week.

The March 08 issue of Vogue – with more than 400 pages of editorial and advertising – has 14 shots with black or Asian women – two of them featuring Naomi Campbell.

This month's 362-page Marie Claire has eight photographs featuring black women and four examples are in the current 312-page Glamour magazine.

Saturday, 16 February 2008 Independent on Sunday.

Black Models In Advertisements, October 2007:
Marie Claire: 10, 1 of whom is a celebrity: Walgreens (3), Olay (1), Johnson's Soft Lotion (1), Diesel (1), CoverGirl (1), Puma (2), JCPenney (1).
W: 3,1 of whom is a celebrity: Target (1), L'Oreal (1), Turks & Caicos tourism board (1).
Vogue: 6, 4 of whom are celebrities: Revlon (1), American Express (1), Diesel (1), JCPenney (1), Vaseline (1), Avon (1).
Harper's Bazaar: 2, 1 of whom is a celebrity: Make-A-Wish Foundation (1), CoverGirl (1).
Glamour: 3, none of whom are celebrities : Aquafresh White Trays (1), Liz Clairborne (1), Lee Jeans (1).
Cosmopolitan: 0.
Allure: 8, 4 of whom are celebrities: Diesel (1), Revlon (1), Sephora (1), L'Oreal (1), Revlon (1), Aquafresh White Trays (1), CoverGirl (1), Olay (1),
Lucky: 9, 4 of whom are celebrities: CoverGirl (1), Target (1), American Express (1), MAC Cosmetics (1), Dillard's (1), Puma (2), Sephora (1), Avon (1)
Elle: 13, 3 of whom are celebrities: Target (1), MAC Cosmetics (1), Diesel (1), Puma (2), Benetton (1), Avon Foundation (1), House of Dereon (4), Secret (1), Botox* (1).

Black Models In Fashion Editorial, October 2007:
Marie Claire: 1, starring solo in a 6-page fashion editorial
W: 1, appearing on 1 page of a 20-page fashion editorial
Vogue: 0
Harper's Bazaar: 0
Glamour: 0
Cosmopolitan: 0
Allure: 0
Lucky: 0
Elle: 0



In all those kilograms of pages, there were only four black women in editorial fashion shoots, and 10 Asian women, whereas there were 71 black women and 48 Asian in advertisements. Four black women in editorials against 71 in advertisements is a striking contrast. It suggests that, in reality, ethnic beauty has greater commercial value than the fashion mavens assume, and that the market has latched onto it first. As Hilary Riva, chief executive of the British Fashion Council, points out: "It is important that we see aspirational images of all types of women in the media. One of the biggest UK ad campaigns, for M&S, has done just that." Perhaps the punters are a bit less racist than the pundits.

Minette Marrin

There's an open secret in the beauty industry and it's a guilty one: the industry is racist. And it seems a storm is set to break about this, exactly as it did over the size-zero campaign. You might imagine that, among fashionistas, beauty would be welcome in any form, and the more diverse, the better. But you would be wrong. These days, ethnic beauty is pretty much invisible.

Last month, I took a quick snapshot of what you currently see in fashion magazines. I bought 25kg of glossies in random armfuls from a top newsagent; mainly British and American, but also several from Europe, as well as Japanese and Indian Vogue. All those kilograms added up to literally thousands of pages, and the result was conclusive. Compared to the vast numbers of white girls in them, there were hardly any ethnic models, and few of those were black. In all the editorial photoshoots and advertisements combined, there were only 163 ethnic women, and of these only 14 were black.

An interesting ensemble of stats... How does the other side of the Atlantic fare in this respect? Do they do a better job at bringing models of color to the forefront... than perhaps the UK and Europe?
They are slightly ahead and I believe that is because the black communities are working together more to make their own way rather then waiting for mainstream fashion to come and snap them up.

Tell us about the events Mahogany Model Management holds throughout the year. I understand you are finishing up one just now as we carry out this interview (sometime in June).
Yes! We are in the middle of TMC - Top Model of Colour competition (TMC) (An annual competition aimed at exposing new models into the industry). Last year saw winners Marcus Jordon and Claire Jonson win contracts with leading agencies.

You are now showcasing some of your talent on UGPulse Beauty. What do you offer to our Beauty channel and how is this good thing for your models?

We can offer the beautiful models from all across the different cultures, we aim to promote more ethnic models across the sores and offer the best talent we can find and promote all cultures from all over the world, we also have a creative team who are very skillful in making people look beautiful so you are at the right place.

Any Ugandan connections? When should we expect you there?
I would love to make Ugandan connections so please expect to see me around more! Please do get in touch, with us as we would love to work with people out there!!

More on Mahogany Model Management at mahoganymodelmanagement.com