“The New Generation of Dominican Models are Redifining Beauty” appeared on 13 April 2020 in The New York Times. The feature is about dozens of young Dominicans who never imagined they would have a career in fashion in few months becoming international runway show models.
The story in The New York Times is by Dominican journalist, Concepción de León. The feature shows how a “new generation of Dominican models has come to define the runways – and continues to shape our definition of what beauty looks like.”
In an interview for “Esta Noche con Mariasela,” Sandro Guzmán of the Ossygeno model agency that discovered many of the models, says that what began as a trickle of one or two models has become a generation. Guzmán says the fashion industry from the traditional European-looking woman or Brazilian women has opened to show women of other cultures that previously were not known to appear in runway shows.
Recently, after a Paris runway show, around 10 Dominican models posed for the New York Times feature. Guzmán explained the photo shooting for the feature began in Paris but ended with coverage in the Dominican Republic to show where the models come from.
He explained that the New York Times story wanted to tell the story of the role these Dominican girls play in international fashion. He said that 90% of the models are girls from humble background, but with good levels of education and their personal discipline that has enabled them to forge ahead for themselves and their families.
Guzmán says the Dominican models are riding a wave, a new fashion trend. “There is not a famed international fashion company that has not had a Dominican on its runway show,” says Guzmán, mentioning Chanel, Armani, Prada, Calvin Klein, among others.
He said the impressive part is that this is not about one or two models, or one modeling agency. “This is a complete generation,” he says. “The world is opening, there is not only one standard for beauty,” he says. “The world is crying out for diversity.”
Model Hiandra Martínez observes there is still a long way to go to change the prototype of what beauty looks like. “The world still needs to open up more to diversity,” she says. Her friend, model Lineisy Montero says, “Sometimes we don’t accept ourselves as we are. We have to learn how to take care of our hair,” she observes.
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Esta Noche con Mariasela — Esta Noche con Mariasela
17 April 2020