We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lea Caprice a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Lea, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.
I studied fashion very closely from a young age and learned a lot about the industry through magazines, books, television shows and movies. I studied videos on YouTube and learned the walk and how to pose. I practiced all the time. Each shoot taught me more about my craft and I learned more from every job that I booked, every client that I met and every place that I’ve traveled to. It’s not an easy industry. I faced rejection countless times. If I didn’t have thick skin, I would probably have given up on this career early on.
As a professional model, it’s essential to know your angles and what the client wants. It’s so important to be professional, timely, easy to work with, but most of all, adaptable. The industry is always changing and moving. It’s not always as glamorous as people think but it’s definitely an exciting job!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers?
I was born and raised in the fashion capital of NYC. From a very young age, I dreamed of working in the fashion industry. At 14, I entered my first modeling competition where I won awards in many different categories. Shortly after that, I met my manager and started working in the business as an extra on commercials, music videos and movie sets. I was testing all the time with as many photographers as possible, building my portfolio and experience. After a few years, I was booking bigger jobs including runway and print work. I think having tenacity and the power to fight through rejection are key in this kind of work.
Some of my favorite work include runway shows during New York Fashion Week, magazines such as WWD, Seventeen, Elle and a feature on the cover of The New York Post. I’ve worked for brands including Saks Fifth Ave, Barneys New York, Macy’s, T-Mobile, Baby Phat, New York Couture, Annie S Intimates, W Hotels and Zales. In my spare time, I enjoy teaching classes at modeling schools, horseback riding, practicing yoga and traveling internationally. I am also an advocate for many children’s non-profit organizations, including Prevent Child Abuse America and national Children’s Advocacy Centers.
Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?
I love NFTs. I think, especially for artists, it’s such a great way to express ourselves with this new digital medium. I actually just minted my first NFTs!
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
I built my social media audience by posting photos and videos of my work and travels. I think a lot of my followers follow me because they don’t necessarily work in the same industry and are intrigued by my career and lifestyle. I try to post a lot of behind the scenes stuff to give them that glimpse of my job and my personality so it may be more relatable to them.
Try not to focus on how much you post, but the quality of each post. Sharing your fabulous and successful life but still being relatable to some degree. I think people just like to follow inspirational and beautiful people, whether it’s their career, style or hobbies. So it’s important to be authentic and engaging.
Contact Info:
- Website: leacaprice.com
- Instagram: leacaprice
- Facebook: theleacaprice
- Other: opensea.io/misspinkbarbie
Image Credits
Steve Ellinger Maria Webster Justin Hyde Michael Biondi