Coco Velvet International Fashion Management
Coco Velvet model Crystal Noreiga made her international debut at New York Fashion Week in Manhattan from September 09-15, 2011. The 5ft 11 T&T model was booked for four major catwalk collections during fashion week’s Spring 2012 Ready-to-Wear Collections including A-list designer Marc Jacobs collection, Tracy Reese and St. John’s fashion shows; she was the only black model to walk for the Theyskens’ Theory RTW Collection on September 13th.
CRYSTAL NOREIGA
Crystal won the Top Model Trinidad & Tobago 2010 contest at the Hyatt Regency Trinidad and earned the right to represent T&T at the Elite Model Look World Finals in Shanghai, China in October 2010. She was awarded a modeling contract with Elite Latin & South America and subsequently signed by DNA Model Management in New York where she is now based.
Christopher Nathan, founder of Coco Velvet International Fashion Management believes that Crystal’s international success will help to distinguish Port-of-Spain as an international fashion centre. The fashion world is eyeballing Trinidad & Tobago at this time due to Anya Ayoung-Chee’s success on Project Runway; Port-of-Spain is playing host to the Caribbean Next Top Model and the Elite Model Look Caribbean contest on November 12th. Nicky Minaj is also flying T&T’s fashion flag high. He believes that this is an opportune time for the government to position Port-of-Spain as the fashion capital of the Caribbean.
Coco Velvet has developed other internationally successful models including New York and Paris based model/actor Paul-Robert Pryce, winner of the Oprah Winfrey’s Sexy Island Man contest in 1998, Dominique Armorer, T&T Top Model 1999 who has done many high profile campaigns during the eight years she was represented by Elite Model Management New York, Marsha Alexander created history by walking for A-list designer Oscar de la Renta at his 2000 Ready-to-Wear collection in Miami’s South Beach; while just 15 years old she represented T&T at the Elite Model Look International finals in Geneva, Switzerland in 2000. IMG New York model Michelene Auguste, now based in London received her initial training from Coco Velvet’s Training Academy in 2005 and 2008. Miss Universe 1998, Wendy Fitzwilliam was the principal model at Coco Velvet International in the early years; the agency was launched in October 1997 at 54 Gallus Street, Woodbrook.
Christopher Nathan
Photo Credits
1. Tracy Reese Spring 2012 Ready-to-Wear Collection
New York Fashion Week Sep 11, 2011
Photo by Yannis Vlamos
2. Marc Jacobs Spring 2012 Ready-to-Wear Collection
New York Fashion Week Sep 15, 2011
Photo by Monica Feudi
3. Theyskens’ Theory Spring 2012 Ready-to-Wear Collection
New York Fashion Week Sep 13, 2011
Photo by Gianni Pucci
4. St John Spring 2012 Ready-to-Wear Collection
New York Sep 09, 2011
Photo by Amanda de Simone
