It's hard to believe Alyssah Ali once thought of herself as an ugly duckling. However, she says at 13, that's exactly the view she had of herself. So when, at that age she entertained thoughts about modelling, she dared not reveal it to anyone, lest she be laughed at. Today, Ali's modelling career is no laughing matter. Now 20, she has blossomed into a strikingly beautiful woman whose bronzed skin and piercing eyes have landed her spreads in Marie Claire (France and US), Elle, Flare and Vogue India and the covers of Anokhi, Lush and Verve magazines. More recently, she landed a campaign with Ralph Lauren. The 5 ft 10 inch beauty, who has been nicknamed Pocahontas, was born in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, to Trinidadian parents. She has tons of family here, she said, and last visited three years ago. Ali is very proud of her Caribbean heritage even though many think she is from India.
"It was because someone wrote an article about me being Indian. Ever since, I have been trying to prove to people that my background is Trinidad. Even then, some do not know where it is and assume it is somewhere in Asia. I am very proud of where my family is from. I would love to celebrate my Trinbagonian heritage if given the chance," she said. Modelling at Fashion Week Trinidad and Tobago (FWTT) would give her that chance. "Even though I am Canadian and proud, it would feel like an honour to walk on the catwalk in Trinidad. I would finally be able to represent myself as a Trini and not as an Indian. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against anything. It would just be nice for once to do something I am familiar with and to represent my background country," she said via email, admitting that she was excited to be highlighted in a local newspaper. Ali grew up in a very conservative home where she and her sister weren't even allowed to wear bikinis or short shorts. Therefore, when a model called Kareema spotted her in the mall and told her she should be a model, her mother was against it.
"My mother would never have let me because she was so strict. A couple years later when I turned 18, I went anyway without her knowing because I could legally do what I wanted," said Ali, who just last weekend modelled in Jamaica at Dulce de Leche, a swimwear and lingerie fashion show. Now I can wear whatever I want and half the world has seen me in lingerie. My mom is very proud of me now." The model that spotted Ali was represented by the Norwayne Anderson Models (NAM) Agency in Canada. Founder, Anderson reportedly said that from the moment he saw Ali it was yes without a question. "She has a face to launch a thousand ships. There are beauties, but then there is Alyssah Ali." In 2008, a few months after she signed with NAM, international powerhouse agency IMG signed her up too. Her job has since taken her to exotic locales all over the world. She has lived in Munich, New York, Paris and London. "Some of the most amazing places I have been were Mexico, Indonesia, India, Switzerland, South Africa to name a few," she says, listing her favourite countries. "There are so many great experiences. The travelling is always amazing.
Alyssah AliThe most exciting thing for me when I travelled did not have anything to do with modelling except for that I was coming home from a job. I was on the plane home from Spain and I sat beside someone from NASA. I got to ask him so many questions I had about space and he answered them. Some, he said, he was not allowed to talk about, so I felt special. The only bad experience I have is when I am super late for my flights; I get nervous and freak out. Everything else has been a learning experience and I would not call them bad." Ali started modelling at a time when she was trying to figure out what she wanted to study at university. She hasn't abandoned hopes of furthering her education but says modelling gives her time to figure out what she wants to do with her life while making money. "I applied to universities for many different subjects not knowing what I wanted to do in life. I knew going to university is always an option but with modelling, you have a lifespan. So I figured I would give modelling a try and save up the money for university," she explained, stating that astronomy, teaching and geology are among her career options.
Told there are many people in Trinidad who aspire to a successful modelling career as hers, Ali, who dreams of one day working with Valentino, advised those people to always keep a positive attitude. "Even though you may have the worst shoot, it has always worked in my favour to not let the little things bug you. Another thing some models do forget is to be themselves. "I see some models getting lost in this world because they take things too personally. The most important advice someone gave me was when you were not picked for the job, it was not because they did not like you or you did not have what it takes. You just were not what they were looking for and you keep doing you."
