Tyson Beckford, VH1's Male Model of the Year in 1995, has inspired over ten web sites strictly praising him on his looks. Mr. Beckford's star quality has landed him Ralph Lauren campaigns and the sighs and ah!s of Toni Braxton. (Beckford appeared in Braxton's "Un-break My Heart" video.) Beckford, who is represented independently by Bethann Management, is now shying away from the press and has been quoted as saying that he dislikes the paparazzi.
Jason Fedele
Leaving his guitar behind to pursue modeling was not an easy thing for Fedele. A trained musician, he was playing gigs at CBGB's in New York with his band, Shockpus, before he was spotted on the street. At 26, Fedele seems a little more focused about his ambitions. Modeling is a here and now thing while music is the real passion. Luckily for him, his second career has provided much exposure after only a year or so of work. He has shot a CK campaign with David Sims, a Gucci campaign and a Joop fragrance campaign.
Enrique Palacios
Enrique Palacios has been modeling for only one year, but already he has worked with the industry's top photographers, like Steven Meisel. He has a versatile look that can range from boy toy to London street punk to 1960's Italian matinee idol -- picture a young Marcello Mastroianni or Alain Delon. He is indeed tall, dark and handsome! His exotic presence has earned him the coveted Dolce & Gabanna campaign and a place in the mind of fashion editors and photographers.
Hailing from sunny Florida, Scott Barnhill is something of a cross between Johnny Depp and the cute boy next door. A natural from the start, he was discovered dancing the night away in a nightclub a year ago. The campaigns he has worked on to date include Tommy Hilfiger, Dolce & Gabanna, and Versace (shot by the renowned photographer Richard Avedon). When he's not hanging out waiting to pose, he's taking on the streets on his killer skateboard.
Charley Speed
At 19, Charley Speed has cornered the modeling market by appearing in the most innovative fashion campaigns. CK (shot by Craig McDean), Armani and Iceberg (shot by Peter Lindenberg) are just a few of the campaigns he's been featured in. Discovered in his native London, he's now with New York's Next agency. Despite his family background in the film industry, Charley is concentrating on modeling and, on his time off, skateboarding.
PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
Craig McDean is one of the new breed of photographers that pioneered a raw, energetic style of fashion photography. Emerging from a London school of artists, McDean took the soft muted colors of 70's photography and added a 90's edge with a little trashiness and sexiness. Featured in the celebrated "Fashion in the 90's" photography book among the likes of Nan Goldin and David Sims, great things are expected from this younger lens man. McDean has done campaigns for Prada and Calvin Klein and shots for numerous magazines like the Face, W magazine and Harper's Bazaar. His timeless photos of Stella Tennant and Amber Valletta are featured in W's 25th anniversary issue.
Steven Meisel
Known for his highly stylized and conceptual photographs, he immortalized the fashion trinity, as they were known in the mid to late 80's, of Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbell and Linda Evangelista. His black and white photographs captured them with cigarettes in hand, black eyeliner streaming down their faces, and flawless clothes. In 1992, Meisel reached one of the pinnacles of his career by shooting Madonna's infamous "Sex" book. The racy book came wrapped in layers of protective coverings and was banned in most chain bookstores outside of New York and L.A. A former stylist and Parsons School of Design dropout, Meisel's career flourished on the fashion editorial pages of Italian Vogue in the early 80's. His controversial coup came with the Calvin Klein "kiddie porn" jean campaign, featuring pre-teens in seductive poses in 70's wood-paneled rooms. Meisel, who prefers to keep a low profile, is always under hats and sunglasses, but he continues to shoot for every major international magazine and most recently photographed the new Dolce & Gabanna campaign.
Terry Richardson
Can you imagine Kate Moss and Elvis in Vegas glory for a fashion spread? Terry Richardson made this fantasy possible for the September issue of Harper's Bazaar. This hot new photographer plays up his concept to the max, whether it's kitschy Americana, the rich hues of a landscape or someone's front lawn. Looking like he belongs in a Midwestern rock band rather than at a fashion shoot, Richardson has won rave reviews from fashion folk and the art community. He shoots for Vanity Fair, Bazaar and Visonaire (the limited art/fashion book produced by renowned fashion editor Stephen Gan), and established his career in British magazines like ID and the Face. Among the campaigns he's recently worked on are British designer Katherine Hammette, Matsuda and Levi's.
Mario Testino
Mario Testino can always make the ordinary remarkably intriguing. Much like a film director, he sets scenes, giving his models characters and a new life. Testino broke into the scene in the early 90's as a kind of reporting fashion photographer. While shooting, he's completely under wraps, creating an enclosed set where only his assistant and the model are allowed. The end result is always a collection of eye popping images that make you look twice after thumbing through forty pages of editorial. A regular contributor to W magazine, Harper's Bazaar and Vanity Fair (where he shot Madonna for the cover in '96 after "Evita"), he's known for his good natured smile everywhere he goes. In 1996 Vanity Fair named him photographer of the year. Among his busy editorial schedule, he has also shot campaigns for Missoni, Gucci and Donna Karan. Testino has the distinction of having taken the last commissioned photographs of the late Princess Di, photographed for Vanity Fair this summer.
Bruce Weber
Bruce Weber reinvented fashion in the early 80's. His signature velvet-like, sensual black-and-white images of men and women out of the studio on sandy beaches in places like Miami and Rio opened the doors to new photographers like Herb Ritts and Meisel. Among his many celebrated books and films are the 1986 "O Rio De Janerio" and "Gentle Giants," which was about Newfoundland dogs and was later developed into a short feature shown at Sundance in 1995. In 1988 his documentary "Let's Get Lost," covering the life of the late jazz great Chet Baker, was nominated for an Academy Award. In between his work as a photographer for a myriad of campaigns and magazines, he has recently finished a documentary on Robert Mitchum and will have a retrospective of his work exhibited in November in London's Portrait Gallery.
Ryan Locke
Ryan Locke hails from Freemont, CA. His career was launched a year ago when he walked into the Clear Model Agency and within three months was on the cover of L'Uomo Vogue. He was introduced to Tom Ford of Gucci and was booked to open and close the next Gucci runway show. He then became the face of the Gucci underwear ad campaign. He is also pursuing his love of guitar and studying acting with Susan Batson (who taught Tom Cruise). He can currently be seen in campaigns for Valentino, Versace, and Giorgio Armani.
Chris Walters
At just 20, London-born Chris Walters has accomplished a great deal in a short period of time. He began his career in August of 1996. He has done extensive editorial work in such magazines as GQ, Vogue, Attitude, L'Uomo Vogue, and Arena. Chris' campaigns include The Gap, Paul Smith, Yves Saint-Laurent, Lancome, Thierry Mugger, and Armani Exchange. In April 1998, he signed an exclusive contract with Gucci. The fall 1998 ads, shot by Steven Klein, are all over the pages of the magazines this season.
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