Coco Rocha Gives This Advice To Aspiring Models - Exclusive
Having been in the industry since the age of 14, supermodel Coco Rocha has plenty of wisdom to impart to those who want to follow in her professional footsteps. Soon after being scouted at a dance competition, the Canadian native began strutting her stuff on runways around the world, eventually making a name for herself as "the world's first digital supermodel."
In an exclusive interview, Nicki Swift sat down with the multitalented author, model, wife, and mom of three. Although her long career may seem ultra-glam — full of international travel, magazine covers, and photoshoots, all while sporting high-end designer labels — she assured us that the life of a model is not all that it appears to be. In fact, she explained, it can be lonely at times.
With her close to 20 years of experience, Rocha, now 33, has a lot to share, and part of her mission is to give back to the ones who will come after her. A famous example of this mentoring is when we saw her on an episode of "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" with Kylie and Kendall Jenner. In 2018, she decided to take these lessons to the next level by launching the Coco Rocha Model Camp to train the next generation of people trying to make it in the business. So what advice does she give to aspiring models? What she told us may surprise you.
Coco Rocha stresses the importance of attitude
One may assume that Coco Rocha's main piece of advice for aspiring models would be focused on technique, like mastering runway walking or the best angles to dazzle at a photoshoot. However, when posed — no pun intended — the question of what she would say to modeling hopefuls, her answer focused on attitude rather than style; specifically, how individuals in the industry should be treating one another.
The hardworking talent gave us a quote that she lives by: "It's nice to be important, but it's important to be nice." She recalled witnessing models enter the industry with the incorrect idea that they are "the one and only." Rocha explained, "[S]omehow their mannerisms and how they treat people change from how their parents taught them. And it's scary, to see someone that was such a sweetheart to evolve into something so different."
Rocha reminds her clients that they must remember that it's not just the model who creates an image that blossoms into a career — there are so many additional people involved to support them behind the scenes. She concluded, "So, if we could just remind ourselves, if we're as humble, that everyone in the room is equal, we'll then have a better career, I truly believe."
@franksredhot and @cocorocha posted content and calls for submissions throughout the hand modeling contest. Submissions can be viewed in the #frankssweepstakes hashtag, and the winner was announced on Coco Rocha's TikTok on October 17, 2021.