I was given the opportunity to interview Caroline Coony, a sophomore at the University of Massachusetts Boston and one of the many models who walked the runway. She is currently enrolled in school for Criminal Justice and wants to eventually attend law school.
Q: Where are you from originally?
A: Mansfield, Massachusetts.
Q: How long have you been modeling for?
A: 3 years now. I began when I was 16.
Q: What made you begin to model?
A: People suggested to me that I should, and that sparked an interest in me. When I decided one day to send in my resume, I was responded to within 15 minutes asking for more photos of myself, and then was asked for an interview. From there on, I began my modeling career.
Q: What has been your favorite place or runway you’ve walked?
A: This church [Emmanuel Church of Boston] has definitely been the most beautiful.
Q: What is your favorite part of modeling?
A: It’s a lot of fun to dress up and get ready. I’ve always enjoyed singing, acting, and performing, so this is a great environment to be in.
Q: What has been your least favorite part of modeling?
A: This is tough. I love it so much. It’s honestly hard to say. I guess it would be the beauty standards you are held to. There have been many beautiful inside-and-out women I’ve known who have been turned away due to looks. The height and weight requirement can be tough to deal with.
I also interviewed Amber Lu, the event coordinator of the whole event, a past model and current iPhone case designer, with her own brand, AmberLu Design. Currently, she is selling these Italian leather cases at MegaMobile on Newbury Street.
Lu was first inspired to design phone cases because she was done with modeling, and she wanted to begin doing something else. Typically, most models will go into producing skincare, makeup, or fashion after they have finished their modeling career. Lu wanted to take a different, unique approach to this normality, and she used her love of gadgets to create a combination of the two. She has experience modeling on runways in Boston, New York, Milan, Paris, Los Angeles, and Hong Kong. Beyond this, she has experience in acting, making her way in each field, being featured in TV shows, commercials, and movies. Lu was featured in the well-known movies Grownups, The Heat, and Zookeeper. She thinks it’s extremely important to utilize her sense of humor, keeping things lighter in her life, because the fashion industry can be difficult to stay around since it is so harsh and competitive.