Francine James is setting off fireworks in New York. The Pulse ModelSearch winner, who we were first to feature on one of our summer covers, is setting the Big Apple alight with her beautiful bright eyes and rich dark skin. Already the talk of the town, Francine has photographers lining up to do photo shoots as news of her arrival spread through the city. And while several agents are still clamouring to get her signature a contract, the major agency of the moment in New York is edging closer to inking a deal with her. So big is her impact that, before even leaving Jamaica, there was a highly influential fashion insider propositioning for Francine's face to grace a major French fashion house's cosmetics campaign. Gag orders are in place, although her French work visa has already been acquired.
Seventeen-year-old James hails from Manley Meadows in Kingston. But she is not just an extraordinary beauty, she is also a study in discipline and academic application. A graduate of the Camperdown High School, James earned nine subjects at the CSEC level and, in fact, had plans for sixth form. However, having spent two years completing her high-schooldiploma after Pulse's pioneer model maker, Kingsley Cooper, discovered her, the fashion world could not wait. According to Cooper, "I have always been confident of Francine's potential. I knew that she had the capacity to be a huge star from the day I saw her. The decision to have her successfully complete high school before we launched her international modelling career was easy."
So remarkable was the feedback that simple test shots done by Luca Khouri had agents from Milan and Paris standing up to take note of this stunning fresh face from Jamaica. Major magazines wanted to shoot her even before she left the country, and one savvy British glossy, SUITCASEmagazine, got the first look and made her their cover model, as did theFlair. We too are excited to be part of Francine's journey into the world of high fashion, and will be keeping you updated on the progress of her career.
