In Bloom: Mirte Maas

Did I ever explain the differentiation between "Fresh Faced" and "In Bloom?" I don't believe that I actually did. Well, basically those that are "Fresh Faced" have not been signed international, those that are "In Bloom" have. Get it? It's really just some trite way to continue the 'fresh' motif, and a wonderful homage to one of my favorite Nirvana songs of all time.

Now back in January or February of this year, before O2W was made public via MDC, I was talking with my friend Julio about Mirte Maas. There wasn't much to share about this 17 year old Dutch girl (from MTA models) at the time, but when I realized that she'd been signed with Supreme in NYC, I figured it was time to profile her. That being said, meet Mirte:


(all images courtesy of MTA for O2W)

Mirte has that rare kind of clean, strong and unusual beauty that always resonates with me (and hopefully the casting directors for CK and Jil Sander). Not to mention that she has some of the most sensational eyes I have seen in a long time. Topped off of course with those Mariya Markina-esque brows. Sure there is a slight Malin Ones comparison to be made, but Mirte succeeds in not appearing dead behind the eyes.



Honestly, how incredible is this girl? Plus with her 5'10" frame and 31.5-24-35 measurement, Mirte could be a wonderful addition to the Supreme board in time for the S/S 09 show season. I love it when the communicative aspect of fashion, which equally entices and informs, leads to such beautiful personal discoveries. Thanks to the entire team at O2W for providing me with more information on this truly sensational face.

Edited To Add: After all the craziness since profiling Mirte, it remains to be seen if she's actually signed with Supreme. That piece of information was taken off of her O2W profile an hour after this post was made. Either way, I stand behind Mirte's potential and hope that someone will sign this girl soon enough in NYC.

Supreme Shifts

Do I really need to preface this post with another explanation of why I appreciate the branding and concise image of the models at Supreme Management? I thought not. Anyhow, the first part of this post is more of an update where Joice Maria Monback is concerned. I've been anxiously awaiting the chance to see how she photographs under Paul Rowland's direction, and I could not be happier with the results:


(all images courtesy of Supreme)

Joice comes across beautifully serene and emotive, and yet those bright amber colored eyes give her an unforeseen feline twist.What's more surprising to me are the recent shifts occurring on their board. It's always disappointing when a girl is dropped, and today five faces disappeared from the website (though I would highly doubt that any of their careers are close to over). However, in more surprising news, one of last season's breakout stars, Martha Streck made her debut on the Supreme board. I for one had always imagined that she would go to Women, but after seeing her polaroids, I completely understand the decision. It's all about the intensity in her eyes and the way Martha embraces her fiery locks.



Long live the unique Brazilian girl. Years after Gisele came and invented the Brazilian bombshell, and the Supreme triplets of Carolina, Caroline and Daiane challenged that concept to its very core, I find it refreshing to see that Brazil still has plenty of new takes on beauty to present to the world. And with the new vacancies on the Supreme board, its only a matter of time until even more intelligent takes on beauty will be presented (Willamijn Koppelman for one, and perhaps Dasha Bichevina?). More than anything, I look forward to even more polamania on the Supreme front. Cheers!

ETA: I stand somewhat corrected. Or at least I'm hypothesizing that something different happened. First off, the point of this blog is not to gossip. However, I did make mention that five girls were "dropped" by Supreme, by which I meant they were no longer on the website. After some sleuthing with Vicky, I came to discover that they all shared the same booker. Given the buzz about this new super-agency looming, I suppose we'll be seeing them soon?

Fresh Faced: Joice Monback

I would be a horrible liar if I ever claimed to be anything less than a devotee of the work that Paul Rowland and his entire team have done in creating the Supreme brand. And yes, at this point it is a brand. When a casting director books a girl from Supreme there is a certain lifestyle and unspoken 'cool' that comes attached with that girl, and in turn with the designer's brand. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not a simple blind follower. Actually, I have a deep seeded appreciation for the manner in which their models have challenged my ideas of beauty ever since Autumn Hyle and the late Heather Bratton (and yes, I am well aware that the history dates back before those two girls). Whether or not the Supreme girls are your particular taste, you must hand it to that entire team for marketing interesting, intelligent beauty and art so purposefully (and so fucking consistently too), throughout the modeling industry.

That declaration aside, after the strong, harsh beauty of past, a majority of their new signings possess an understated beauty with a twist, and Joice Maria Monback is no exception. Hot on the heels of breakout star Natalia Schueroff and doe-eyed Thaysse Ricci, fellow Brazilian Joice has a serene appeal which makes her somewhat alien features all the more appealing.


(all images courtesy of Supreme)

Hailing from the new redesigned Ten Management in Brazil, I have hopes that Joice will eventually make a strong debut on the runways come September. Until then, she has plenty of time to develop, and in that process I cannot wait to see what her polaroids for Supreme will look like.

Joice may be a bit short, for my personal tastes, at only 5'9.5", but that didn't hinder Natalia from appearing at quite an enviable list of shows this past season. Combine the uncanny management capabilities of Supreme with Joice's intrinsic ethereal appeal, and she could do quite well in the future.