We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Camarri B.. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Camarri below.

Camarri, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear how you think where to draw the line in terms of asking friends and family to support your business – what’s okay and what’s over the line?

I’ve learned through experience that going into business with friends and family is often more complicated than it seems. The reality is, no one will care about your business as much as you do. When you involve close friends or family, there’s often an unspoken expectation of leniency—they feel like they won’t face the same level of accountability as an outside partner or employee. That can lead to a lack of professionalism, missed deadlines, or even tension in personal relationships.

Because of this, I now draw a clear line: I don’t mix close personal relationships with business. I collaborate with people who are equally invested and treat the work with the seriousness it deserves. That doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate support from my loved ones—I just don’t expect or require it.

As for asking for support, I rarely do so directly. Instead, I make public announcements, share my progress, and let those who genuinely want to support me step up on their own. I’ve found that organic support is the best kind—when people show up because they truly believe in what I’m doing, not because they feel obligated.

An important lesson I’ve learned is that you can’t force people to support you, and you shouldn’t take it personally when they don’t. True support will always come naturally, and I’d rather have a handful of genuine backers than a crowd of reluctant ones.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a powerhouse of resilience, creativity, and expertise, proudly hailing from the vibrant city of Detroit. With over a decade in the fashion industry, I’ve built a name for myself as a model, educator, entrepreneur, and devoted mother. My journey has brought me to the prestigious runways of Paris, LA and New York Fashion Weeks. My work has been featured in the pages of Vogue, Bazaar France, Hype Beast, Pause Magazine & more!

As the CEO of The Gold Standard Modeling School, I am deeply passionate about shaping the next generation of modeling talent, using my experience to inspire and elevate others. My skills span commercial, editorial, swim, and beauty modeling, making me a versatile and sought-after figure in the industry.

My story is one of perseverance and strength. As a burn survivor, I endured 3rd and 4th-degree burns over most of my body and relearned how to walk—all in the same year. This experience has shaped me into the determined, ambitious person I am today. I am passionate about everything I do, and I strive to leave a lasting impact in every space I enter.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

What helped me build my reputation within my market was consistency, collaboration, and continuously leveling up. My modeling journey started in 2013, back when Detroit’s modeling scene was still up and coming. I built myself up by staying consistent—working with photographers, designers, and productions all throughout the city. From there, I expanded to surrounding cities, and then I started traveling. I took my career to train with Super Model Coco Rocha in her NY Model Camp, then New York Fashion Week, LA Fashion Week, and beyond, making each opportunity a stepping stone to the next.

A huge part of my growth was also building my social media presence. I treated my platform as my digital portfolio, showcasing all the work I’ve done so that people could see my evolution in real time. Over time, as the saying goes, you can’t perfect something until you’ve put in 10,000 hours—and now, after 12 years of modeling, I’ve put in well over that. I’ve done the work, and I’m still practicing and improving every day.

What truly solidified my reputation wasn’t just my consistency, but my attitude through every challenge I faced. The obstacles in my career didn’t break me—they refined me. And at the end of the day, what speaks the loudest is the final product: the work I’ve put in, the results I’ve delivered, and the impact I’ve made in this industry.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Not many people know this, but 2024 was a bittersweet year for me. It started off on an incredible high—I had an amazing fashion week in February, where I walked major shows, created dope work with new creatives, and lined up some big opportunities for the months ahead. Detroit was buzzing with energy, especially with the NFL Draft coming to the city. In April, I even helped put on an NFL Draft fashion show to celebrate the moment. Everything was aligning, and I felt unstoppable.

Then, at the very end of April, everything changed. After a long weekend of events, I went home late one night, exhausted but hungry. Instead of waiting in the long lines downtown, I decided to fry some fish at home. What I didn’t factor in was that I had been running on empty, having pulled an all-nighter the night before. I turned on the oil and went to change my clothes. Somewhere in that moment, I drifted off to sleep.

I woke up to thick smoke filling my home, the smoke alarm blaring, and my eyes burning. Panicked, I ran to the kitchen and instinctively grabbed the pot of oil—without thinking to turn off the stove first. The pot was scorching hot. I dropped it, and the boiling oil spilled all over my arms and hands, then onto the floor. I wasn’t wearing pants, socks, or shoes—just a tank top and underwear. The frying grease covered my legs and feet. As I screamed in pain, trying to move, I slipped and fell backwards, burning even more of my body.

Through the sheer shock and agony, I managed to get to the bathroom and run cold water over my burns. That’s when my skin started peeling off. I knew I needed help, but my phone wasn’t nearby. I had to use Siri to call 911. When paramedics arrived, they insisted I walk out to the stretcher—despite my burned feet having no skin left. That walk outside on the concrete was unbearable.

At the hospital, the pain was relentless. I was hyperventilating, unable to stop screaming. I spent six weeks in the Burn ICU, underwent skin surgery, and had staples across my hands, arms, legs, and the soles of my feet. I couldn’t walk. I had to learn to do everything again—first with a walker, then crutches, then a cane, until finally, I could stand on my own. As a mother, the hardest part was being away from my daughter, especially on Mother’s Day. I was only allowed to see her for 45 minutes.

But through faith, prayer, physical therapy, and fresh aloe vera, I healed. I set a goal to walk again by September for New York Fashion Week, and by God’s grace, I did. Not only did I walk NYFW, but I also made my Paris Fashion Week debut that same month.

This experience taught me that I am limitless. If I could come back from this—if I could endure the worst pain of my life and still get back on that runway—there’s nothing I can’t do. My story is a testament to resilience, to faith, and to the power of never giving up.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.goldstandardmodeling.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/camarri.b?igsh=aTN1bG44YnY0dTd2&utm_source=qr

Image Credits

@voguerunway
@matthewPristley
@sophiagohart
@big_tunch
@mikedonphotography