Today we’d like to introduce you to Claire VanBeber.
Hi Claire, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My story started many years ago when I was 17 and I entered the Kim Dawson Model Search in Dallas, Texas. I became a finalist in the model search and ended up signing with the agency, which was my first time to be signed with a professional modeling agency. I was so happy about this as it had been my goal to sign with a professional modeling agency for a couple of years at this point.
I then proceeded to work locally as a model in the Dallas area for the jobs that Kim Dawson got me while I finished my senior year of high school and continued to model all four years of college, as I went to college only 40 minutes away from Dallas at TCU.
At TCU, I studied fashion merchandising and photography, so it was really cool to be studying about the industry while simultaneously working in it at the same time. I was very busy all four years of college with my studies, being involved on campus, and constantly driving back and forth from Fort Worth to Dallas for modeling jobs. I loved it all though and was having the time of my life.
After four years of modeling in Dallas and working for all the big clients there, such as shooting E-commerce for Neiman Marcus, doing catalog work for JC Penny, walking in runway shows at the malls, and shooting advertising work for the local designers there, I decided that if I wanted to keep modeling, I wanted to take it a step further and move to New York City.
Although this was quite a big step, I was up for the challenge, and three months after graduating college, I signed with a modeling agency in New York City and moved there full-time. I have now been in NYC for nine years and have modeled for over 200 brands since I’ve been here. It has been a ton of work, and there have been so many things to learn, but this journey has taught me that with hard work, determination, persistence, and a strong vision, you can truly make anything you want to come to life.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There have definitely been some struggles and challenges along the way. In the beginning, I would say moving so far away from Texas to NYC was harder than I thought it would be. I was starting a completely new life that was so different from the way things were back home. From cultural differences to cold weather to learning to take the subway everywhere to adapting to the constant grind of New York City, it was a whirlwind, but I love a challenge, and luckily, I was able to keep up and adapt to the new way of life here.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a professional fashion model signed with Elite Model Management in New York City.
Something that I love about my job is the range of modeling work that I am able to do. I do photo shoots for advertising and social media, E-commerce shoots, runway shows, and occasionally fitting and showroom jobs as well.
Having this range keeps me busy and never bored, and I truly feel like I get to see all aspects of the industry, from garment conception and design in a fitting job to the process where the buyers choose which pieces to buy for their stores in a showroom job, to the promotional and exposure part in an advertising shoot or a runway show. There is a lot more to the fashion industry than what meets the consumer’s eye.
I am also proud that I got to do so much international travel for my job. Throughout my modeling career, I lived abroad 5 different times for about two months each in order to grow my portfolio and get experience in different markets. I lived in Milan, Athens, Istanbul, Auckland, New Zealand, and Sydney, Australia. I have great memories from these experiences that I wouldn’t trade for anything.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @clairevanbeber
