Former Indulge fashion models on the rise to stardom

Since the very beginning, Indulge has been known for its beautiful fashion photography. We’ve always hired professional models booked through local agencies to showcase the latest trends and styles of the season. But not all of our fabulous faces have stayed local — or even remained in modeling. Here are 10 of the incredibly talented (and incredibly nice) men and women who have worked with us and then moved on — to other cities, other countries and even other creative endeavors — to achieve an exciting level of professional success. We’ve caught up with all of them, and we’re happy to share their accomplishments, along with the personal notes they penned to congratulate us on our 10th anniversary.

January 2014

Agency: The Campbell Agency. Vanessa’s Indulge moment: The photo at left is from a winter coat feature that we shot for the January 2014 issue. It was one of Vanessa’s last before she left DFW for New York City — she was finishing high school a semester early to get a jump on her chosen career. What’s happened since then: What hasn’t happened? Watching Vanessa’s career take off has been thrilling. After being nominated for Model.com’s coveted “Breakout Star” of the year in 2014, she walked the Spring/Summer 2016 runway for nearly every top fashion house during every fashion week — think Chanel, Balenciaga, Ralph Lauren, Stella McCartney — and was the opening and closing model at many of these shows. She has appeared in the W magazine spread above, along with features in Harper’s Bazaar and appearances in Vogue and on vogue.com. She’s also graced the covers of Vogue Japan, Vogue Germany, Harper’s Bazaar Spain and Self Service. She’s currently featured in ad campaigns for Valentino, Alexander Wang, Ferragamo and more and has been photographed by Mario Sorrenti, Stephen Klein and the legendary Karl Lagerfeld.

November 2014

Agency: The Campbell Agency. Sophie’s Indulge moment: When we shot with Sophie last October, she couldn’t wait to move to Paris to model — and to complete her junior year of high school. We were a bit nervous when we learned how young she was, but once she stepped on set, she was amazing, as you can see from this look that we featured, where she’s rocking a Valentino dress and pearl-studded Chanel demi boots. What’s happened since then: Now back in Austin for her senior year, Sophie has put together quite an impressive portfolio, including editorial in WWD, Elle Japan and other magazines. She has walked Paris Haute Couture and ready-to-wear shows for such designers as Alexander McQueen and Viktor & Rolf. This fall, she was one of nine new models booked as an exclusive to the Calvin Klein Collection show (that’s her on the runway, above) and she was profiled on Vogue.com as one of the new faces “set to take over the industry” — which she hopes to do after she graduates in May.

September 2012

October 2013

March 2015

Agency: Wallflower Management. Lexi’s first Indulge moment: A Tarrant County native, Lexi made her Indulge debut in 2012 on the cover of our fall fashion issue (above) wearing a fall runway look from the then-still-emerging designer Wes Gordon. It was a long shoot — we were on location shooting from late afternoon to early morning — but we had so much fun, we knew we wanted to work with Lexi again. What’s happened since then: Lexi has divided her time between Europe, New York and DFW. She walked in the Fall/Winter 2013 shows in London, including shows for Christopher Kane, L’Wren Scott and Roksanda Ilincic, and her print and online advertising work includes Neiman Marcus Last Call, Earthbound Trading Co., Kendra Scott and Nha Khanh. She appeared on the cover of a recent issue of FD Love and in the cover feature (below), and she’s also the face of Fort Worth boutique Esther Penn. Recently she’s been mentoring young girls, helping them develop poise and self-esteem.

December 2009/January 2010

August 2010

November 2012

October 2014

Agency: The Campbell Agency. Roxanna’s first Indulge moment: Roxanna had just started modeling when she appeared on our cover at the close of 2009. She was so new to the business, in fact, that she was still working full time at her day job at a sandwich shop. We enjoyed working with her so much that we booked her three more times — more than any other model. This fun leopard coat shot was from our most recent collaboration, in 2014. What’s happened since then: It didn’t take long before Roxanna was able to leave the restaurant industry behind. Since then, she has appeared in national print, television and online advertising for Francesca’s, J.C. Penney, Dillard’s, Belk, Neiman Marcus, Mary Kay and Famous Footwear. She’s also modeled for Lucky (below) and Glamour magazines in Greece. This year, she starred in the debut episode of Murder Made Me Famous, a true-crime series that airs on the REELZ channel.

June-July 2012

Agency: Kim Dawson Agency. Claire’s Indulge moment: When Claire modeled for the Summer issue in 2012, it didn’t take her long to drive to our Fort Worth studio — she was a TCU student at the time, studying fashion merchandising and modeling as time permitted. What’s happened since then: After graduating in 2014, the Arlington native moved to New York City to model full time. Since then, she has walked the runway for Carolina Herrera Bridal and Giorgio Armani, along with many designers during this year’s New York Fashion Week fall and spring collections. (In the photos above, she’s working the runway for New York City-based designer Zang Toi.) Recently, she spent time in Istanbul, where she appeared in advertising for the Turkish online shopping portal Markafoni and soon will be featured in Harper’s Bazaar Turkey. Claire, currently in Milan, will return to New York City permanently in the new year — after stopping home for the holidays, of course.

September 2013

Agency: Kim Dawson Agency. Makayla’s Indulge moment: Makayla’s career was already heating up when she appeared in our Texas Fashion-focused editorial in September of 2013. What’s happened since then: Makayla has appeared in print advertising for Francesca’s, Sally Beauty Supply, J.C. Penney and Mary Kay, and also stars in this season’s Cover swimwear advertising campaign and lookbook. This stunning photo, featuring Makayla and a spectacular pair of strappy Louboutins, is from editorial work she did for Women’s Wear Daily. She’s currently based in Paris, France and works across Europe. This year, she has appeared in a Calvin Klein Jeans presentation in Milan, walked in SS16 fashion week shows in Paris and Milan and was photographed for a forthcoming editorial in Liverpool magazine.

September 2013

Agency: Wallflower Management. Rebecca’s Indulge moment: Shortly after modeling fall fashion in our September ’13 issue, Rebecca made the move to New York City. She was a trooper when we worked with her for our shoot — for every frame, she was confined to standing on top of a small wooden cylinder, with a bright light shining over her shoulder. But the clothes were incredible (including straight-from-the-runway Michael Kors Collection samples) and we got wonderful photos like the one pictured here. What’s happened since then: Since landing in Brooklyn, Rebecca has walked in fashion week shows, and appeared in Tatler Singapore and in print advertising for Ann Taylor and Wella. She regularly books Neiman Marcus Last Call and Neiman Marcus Online and Net-a-Porter. Most recently, she has been the face of the Dallas boutique Elements, appearing in an advertising campaign (above) that’s running in magazines (including the September 2015 issue of Vogue) and on billboards around DFW.

October 2013

February 2015

Agency: Kim Dawson Agency. Kaylin’s first Indulge moment: The first time we shot with Kaylin, we didn’t have anything for her to wear. That’s because we booked her for a makeup trend story, so all she had to do was put on a tank top and endure a camera extremely close to her face. We finally got the chance to work with Kaylin for a full-fledged fashion shoot when she was back in town this year. She starred in our bridal cover shoot for the February issue and got to show off not only a full wardrobe of amazing dresses and gowns, but also shared a few frames with a champion standard poodle. What’s happened since then: Just two months after Kaylin appeared in our October 2013 issue, she was in China, representing the USA in the Elite Model Look world competition — the same competition that launched the careers of Cindy Crawford and Gisele Bundchen — where she placed among the top 15. Since then, she has walked numerous runways (a shot of her in action is above, right), and has appeared in Cosmopolitan Mexico and in Vanity Fair Italy in a fashion editorial shot by Kelly Klein (at left). She starred in Lafayette 148 New York’s Spring 2015 lookbook and has been featured in a print advertisement for Isaac Mizrahi True cosmetics, in Neiman Marcus’ The Book and in the 2015 Stanley Korshak jewelry lookbook (below).

June 2008

Agency: Kim Dawson Agency. Donny’s Indulge moment: Donny was definitely game for anything — which might explain why he was able to look so cool, calm and, well, cute, on a moving boat on what appeared to be quite a windy day when we shot with him back in 2008. What’s happened since then: Donny still models, but mostly he has been focused on acting. His latest role was on the recent reboot of the legendary television show Dallas, where he played Bo McCabe, a Southfork ranch hand-slash-drug dealer. This month, he will appear on the big screen opposite Aaron Eckhart in a new biographical football drama, My All-American, and he’ll also appear in the new television drama Queen of the South, set to debut on the USA network in the new year.

May 2014

Agency: Kim Dawson Agency. Jackson’s Indulge moment: Spending the day shooting by a hotel pool sounds more glamorous than it is, but Jackson made it fun — which was no surprise, since at the time, he had been taking improv classes and was even teaching them at his home. What’s happened since then: A few months after that shoot, Jackson moved to Los Angeles to pursue his love of comedy. He also booked several national advertising campaigns following his move, including television commercials and print advertisements for The Men’s Wearhouse (pictured here) and television commercials for Starbucks. He also appeared in a print advertisement for Q Clothiers that ran in GQ magazine. In October, Jackson enrolled in the Second City Hollywood conservatory program, and he’s on track to complete the last of the five levels of training shortly. This summer, he was accepted onto its sketch ensemble team — watch the marquee for the team name “Bullshark,” and then get ready to watch Jackson’s comedy career take off.

This story was originally published November 5, 2015 at 11:03 AM with the headline "Former Indulge fashion models on the rise to stardom."