The Next big thing

Clementine George relaxes in the Octagon last week. Photo by Linda Robertson.
Clementine George relaxes in the Octagon last week. Photo by Linda Robertson.
A sample of Clementine's work. Photos supplied.
A sample of Clementine's work. Photos supplied.
A sample of Clementine's work.
A sample of Clementine's work.
Clementine George arrives at the Beverly Centre while in Los Angeles to meet Next Model Management.
Clementine George arrives at the Beverly Centre while in Los Angeles to meet Next Model Management.
A sample of Clementine's work.
A sample of Clementine's work.

Dunedin's next top model is taking great strides towards the international catwalk, writes Amy Parsons-King.

For such a small city it's remarkable the number of international models Dunedin has turned out in recent years, and it's all thanks to model scout Aliana McDaniel, of Ali McD Agency, who knows a beautiful face when she sees one.

Stella Maxwell, Tristan Barnett and Tommy Spence are just three young locals Ms McDaniel has discovered who have gone on to enjoy successful international modelling careers.

However, Ms McDaniel's latest find, Clementine George, could just be her greatest discovery yet, having recently signed a worldwide contract with Los Angeles-based Next Model Management.

At just 15 years old, Clementine stands a towering 1.8m tall, with long honey-blonde hair, porcelain skin and striking green almond-shaped eyes.

She looks as though she was born to feature in high-fashion editorials and grace the world's top runways.

Clementine is your typical teenage girl. She attends St Hilda's Collegiate and is involved in numerous active pursuits, such as jazz and hip-hop dancing, water polo, basketball, swimming and netball.

However, it was while out on a shopping trip at the age of 11 that her fate was changed when Ms McDaniel spotted her in George St.

''I remember I was with my brother, in my Balmacewen Intermediate PE gear when this woman [Ms McDaniel] came running up to me with her business card, asking if I had ever thought about doing modelling.

"Back then it wasn't really something I was interested in. I didn't even really like getting my photo taken, because I had a horrible fringe.''

Despite Clementine's extraordinary beauty being hidden behind an awkward fringe, Ms McDaniel immediately recognised her potential, with her distinctive features, height and slender figure.

''I found her beautifully androgynous and unusual-looking. I saw the markings of someone quite splendid despite her young age. I asked her to call me when she got a bit older,'' Ms McDaniel said.

Three years later, when Clementine was 14, she stumbled across Aliana's business card (which she'd held on to) and decided to get in contact to find out more about what a career in modelling would entail.

''Ali was really pleased to hear from me and still remembered me, so Mum and I met her at The Good Oil to catch up.''

After that initial meeting Ms McDaniel took Clementine to St Clair Beach for a test shoot so she would have professional images and could be added to the Ali McD Agency books.

At about the same time, Ms McDaniel heard that Alexis Borges, of Next Model Management and America's Next Top Model, was on the hunt for new faces throughout Australasia, and because she already had a good working relationship with him, she decided to send him Clementine's book.

''Alexis signed Tristan and Tommy so I have worked with him before. I think he's a wonderful man, whose agency takes care of their models, especially with the young ones who are still in development,'' Ms McDaniel said.

Alexis was immediately intrigued by Clementine and wanted to know more about the southern schoolgirl, so regular Skype meetings were arranged so he could see how she walked and gain an insight into her personality, which Clementine laughingly admits can sometimes be a bit ''goofy''.

Goofy or not, Next was hooked and wanted to meet Clementine in person, so flew her (and Ms McDaniel as chaperone) to meet them in Los Angeles.

For someone who had only travelled to Australia before, the down-to-earth teen wasn't fazed in the slightest by going to the US to meet the executives of one of the world's elite modelling agencies.

''I wasn't nervous at all. I was just really excited to get in there and meet them,'' Clementine explained.

After a three-week whirlwind trip of test shoots with some of LA's top photographers and meeting various people in the industry, Clementine was given a coveted worldwide contract with Next and is on their LA books as a ''new face''.

''Being offered a worldwide contract is something most models only ever dream of. It means Clementine can work for Next all over the world. It's an extremely exciting and unique opportunity,'' Ms McDaniel said.

During the summer break, Clementine and the new director of Ali McD Agency, Darryl McNamara, will travel to LA, where she will continue to develop her modelling skills and build relationships with key people in the fashion industry.

Clementine will then return to school to finish her high-school education.

However, with this much potential, it shouldn't be long before we see this beautiful teen on the cover of our favourite fashion magazines.

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