If you are like me, most of your knowledge about the fashion world might come from the classic movie Zoolander, which is full of stereotypes of dumb models and eccentric fashion designers. Talking to Jacqueline Biollo, who recently got to walk the runway in New York Fashion Week (NYFW), threw all those stereotypes out of the window. She’s a mature, full-figured model, actress, scholar, business owner and a former politician.
For 12 days in the middle of September, Biollo, a Communications Instructor at NAIT, taught classes online by day, and by night, walked the runway. In an interview with the Nugget, Biollo explained her experience.The process began seven years ago when an agent approached Biollo based on her social media presence. Her networking skills, acting credits, and positive attitude were crucial in getting the opportunity to apply for NYFW in early 2022, Biollo explained. She found out she was accepted in March; the following months were full of exchanging emails with potential designers who wanted her to showcase their outfits, attending some runway walking and branding classes, and getting schedules sorted out. Biollo recalls that her excitement continued to grow as the weeks got closer to the event.
While Hollywood typically portrays fashion designers as eccentric and dramatic, Biollo explained that they are actually quite authentic in their design. But people don’t typically buy clothes from a single designer, instead picking and choosing from multiple. Thus, every individual has their own style.
Biollo also emphasized the importance of adapting on the fly, especially during the fast-paced nature of New York Fashion Week. “Having to be good at time management or crisis management or being able to pivot if something goes wrong minutes before a runway show [are] real-life skills.“
Biollo describes herself as a social advocate by trade. Her love of people and desire to be a positive influencer and motivator certainly refutes the stereotype of the unintelligent models wrong. Biollo proves that we’re in a new diverse fashion world where all bodies are beautiful.
