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January 09, 2008
Another Trench Town Success Story...
By: Joseph Cunningham
She attended Denham Town High School, based in close proximity to warring factions, which have taken the lives of students who attended her school.
Nevertheless, Sosheba Griffiths was "bound for higher ground" and so her dreams and aspirations for escape from humble beginnings led her to the 2006 Fashion Face of the Caribbean model search. Sosheba won the competition, and Deiwght Peters, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of
Saint International, launched her modeling career. Saint International hosted the model search.
Sosheba completed High School studies that same year, and in a short period since then, has been featured in a Victoria Secrets catalogue.
Additionally, she has already been featured in several overseas publications and campaigns. Moschino, Vogue Knitting, Luire, Ibiza Style, Chinese Bazaar, Teen Vogue, Trace Magazine, Vogue Gioella, The Guardian, Seventeen Magazine and WIG Magazine have all been privileged to host the young Jamaican goddess.
The trim model's meteoric rise has also been characterized by her the high-profile campaign for Erin Fetherston and her introduction to the runways of New York, London, Paris and Milan. She has also made appearances for leading clients including Chloe, Van Cleef and Arpels (London), Sportsmax and MAC (Milan) and is featured in a 12-page spread in France's Jalouse Magazine.
She says her appearance in the Victoria Secrets catalogue came within two months of winning Saint International Fashion Face of the Caribbean and it has been her favorite experience to date.
"The Victoria Secret catalogue had lots of girls and I, the only black girl in the competition, won it. It went well with the photographer and I liked it. It's tough for black girls 'cause only one or two will burst out. So you have to work hard for it to come true," she said.
She says her greatest challenge has been the reality of racism. "I have to work harder than the other models to get jobs in some of the magazines or modeling agencies that traditionally employ Caucasian models."
"I have to wake up really early in the mornings to go to castings and photo shoots from eight in the mornings to 10 in the night. For the Erin Fetherson campaign, I started photo shoots from two in the day and go 'til the following morning but I don't complain like the other girls," she said.
She says the other girls complain about the long photo shoots but she loves what she is doing and remembers her humble beginnings.
Diewight Peters, her mentor, says, "All the clients also report on her warmth. She is also very personable and has a great spirit. In the pressuring world of fashion, sometimes it's hard for girls to remain personable and friendly under pressure, not Sosheba."
The 18 year old, says she has at least another 12 years in the industry, however, Peters says he believes she has more than 15 years left. He believes she has a 'timeless' look that can almost guarantee her a place in the industry for decades like Lauren Hutton, Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer, Kate Moss, Iman, Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista and Tyra Banks.
Sosheba has had a liking for the job for a long time, and today she is still saying, "I want to be like Naomi Campbell. She is a supermodel. She has been in music videos and she has given to charity," she said.
Sosheba intends to follow suit, and give back to charities and to kids' hospitals and her alma mater, Denham Town High. Her aspirations for modeling are high, but she is aware that they are not guaranteed as she intends to pursue a career in midwifery when her modeling career ends.
Regardless, she is enjoying the opportunities, which will take her to London within three weeks, and to New York for castings, photo shoots, shows and fittings. In February Sosheba will be in Milan and then Paris by March to engage in a 'Ready to Wear' fashion show.