Rooted in Grace: Jenna’s Journey Through Fashion with Purpose and Heart

PHOTO BY: LIZ ROSA

Jenna stands as a rare, steady presence - quietly powerful, deeply intentional, and undeniably human. Her journey began in childhood, modeling under South African skies without yet knowing she was stepping into a global industry. What started as an innocent escape from school quickly became a lifelong calling shaped by a love of beauty, art, and human connection. Today, based in Vancouver, Canada, Jenna is more than a model or agent…she’s a mentor, a visionary, and a fierce advocate for change within an industry that too often overlooks the soul beneath the surface.

What makes Jenna’s story captivating isn’t just her success, but how she defines it: through care over control, through empathy over ego. With a soft strength that resonates through her words, she speaks with equal clarity about ambition and compassion, and about the power of simply being seen. In this conversation, she opens up about the evolution of Canadian fashion, the quiet injustices still woven into the seams of the industry, and the deeper truths she’s learned along the way about herself, about others, and about what really lasts.

This is Jenna, soft-spoken, fiercely aligned, and gently reshaping the fashion world from the inside out.

Models of Canada: Jenna, can you take us back to the moment you decided to pursue a career in the fashion industry? What was that defining moment for you? 

Jenna: I was a child when I started modeling in South Africa, so I had no idea I was stepping into the fashion industry, I just thought it was fun and I got paid to miss school. I didn’t have a specific interest in fashion, but I’ve always been drawn to beauty and art in all forms, and the fashion industry is home to some of the most creative minds on the planet. As I grew up and my career became more serious, I developed an interest in the business side of things.

Models of Canada: The fashion industry has seen a lot of changes over the years. From your perspective, how has the landscape of modeling and fashion shifted, especially in Canada?

Jenna: I moved from Hong Kong to Canada about 12 years ago, and within that time I’ve noticed significant shifts in the industry - some social, some technological. 

Technologically, tablets have largely replaced physical portfolios and digital advertising has taken over. Social media has also exploded, giving models greater agency in managing their image and personal brand. Self expression and showcasing personality can help build that brand, but I’ve also seen models lose jobs over their social media presence, so it cuts both ways.

Socially, the shift towards more inclusive representation was long overdue. Still, there is much work to be done when it comes to accurately reflecting the complexity and nuance of the identities many Canadian models hold.

Models of Canada: What are some of the most important lessons you’ve learned in your journey within the fashion world, and how have those lessons shaped your approach to working with models today?

Jenna: My belief is that modeling should be a positive addition to your life; if it’s harming you, it isn’t worth doing. Modeling can be incredibly rewarding, but at the end of the day, we’re selling fashion, not saving lives. It will never be worth sacrificing your health. I have always cared about my models as people first, not products, and I think that kind of personal connection leads to a more successful business relationship as well. 

Models of Canada: As a leading agent, what motivates you every day to keep pushing forward, even when facing challenges or setbacks in the industry?

Jenna: I’m driven by the moment I recognize something in someone that they haven’t yet seen in themselves. I find it very rewarding to support a model through that evolution and help them step into their own potential. When I see a model’s career and life take off after investing my personal energy into them, it really pays off. 

Models of Canada: The fashion industry can sometimes be seen as cutthroat and highly competitive. How do you maintain a balance between ambition and compassion when managing your models and your team?

Jenna: I don’t believe ambition and compassion are opposing forces, but rather that they go hand in hand. I am fully transparent with my models about industry feedback and expectations, but I’m just as honest about how unrealistic and harmful some of it can be. Ambition without well-being doesn’t lead to a sustainable, long term career, and I want my models to position themselves for lasting success. By encouraging them to be the best version of themselves, prioritizing both mental and physical health, I trust that the right clients will naturally be drawn to them.

Models of Canada: What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve encountered in your career, and how have you overcome them while still staying true to your values and vision for Canadian fashion?

Jenna: One of my biggest frustrations is signing a model who I find to be striking but who might challenge traditional categories, and subsequently not being able to give them the opportunities they deserve. Maybe they’re not tall enough, or fall between sample sizes - whatever it may be, it’s hard because ultimately agents don’t get to decide who gets booked. 

The flip side is that clients will always hire models that sell clothes. That puts much of the power into the hands of the public, and it’s frustrating that this part of the conversation is often excluded, probably because it shifts some responsibility onto consumers. As a society, we talk about wanting inclusivity, but when a magazine features a curve model on the cover and it doesn’t sell as well, that speaks volumes and impacts future cover model choices. The marketing we respond to shapes what we will see more of in the future. Fashion is a business, so pay attention to where your money goes. You have more power than you think.

Models of Canada: What role do you believe diversity and inclusivity should play in the future of fashion, and how are you actively fostering that change within the models you represent and the industry as a whole?

Jenna: Diversity and inclusivity should and will inevitably play a significant role in the future of fashion as our global collective becomes increasingly mixed and blended with every generation. There’s a lot of catch up to do and it’s a work in progress within the fashion industry as a whole. There are layers to that work - for example, layer 1 might simply be signing more Black models, while layer 2 might be ensuring representation reflects the wider range of African and Afro-Caribbean ancestry and beauty. Too often, the industry favours Black models with Eurocentric features, who will then have access to a broader client base due to this narrow cultural idea of beauty. 

I sign whoever I am inspired by. Sometimes that’s aligned with what traditionally brings in easy bookings and sometimes it isn’t. I tend to naturally approach things from a place of orthogonal thinking that allows me a certain freedom in how I interpret client briefs. If they ask for brunettes, I will include my Black models with brown hair, even though this hasn’t historically been what they’re looking for when they use the word ‘brunette’. If they ask for athletic girls, I will include my curve girls, who are athletic even if they aren’t the size the client has historically booked when asking for athletic models. I like to ignore implicit norms if they are unfair or don’t make sense to me. By separating a client’s brief from historical bias it gives them a richer pool of models to choose from, and they might book someone unexpected. Sometimes all someone needs is to be seen, and the rest is up to the client. Every part of the industry needs to evolve together to expand our visual vocabulary. 

Models of Canada: Behind every successful individual is a supportive team. Can you share who is on your team and what qualities you look for in the people you work with?

Jenna: Being shaped by my own experiences at agencies with massive rosters, I’ve intentionally kept my roster small with a personal focus, so I mostly work alone which is how I work best. I also work full time as a photographer, so if I need new material on a model I can just shoot it. That said, I do need to highlight that my life would fall apart without my assistant, Tahlia. She is incredibly forward thinking and takes initiative so naturally that often by the time I ask her to do something, she’s already done it. I look for integrity in everybody I work with in any capacity. 

Models of Canada: If there’s one change you could make to improve the fashion industry in Canada, what would it be and why? How do you believe it would shape the future of the industry?

Jenna: I would love to see the creation of a union for models. Modeling is completely non-unionized and unregulated in Canada. I’ve seen too many promising models leave the industry because their rights and interests weren’t adequately protected, reflecting an industry-wide culture where most models hold very little power. Beyond the essentials (fair compensation, labour regulations etc.) I think a union could also address some of the smaller common practices that go unchallenged. For instance, it’s common practice for agencies to charge models an annual fee to be listed on the their website. I’ve always questioned things like this. In my opinion, a website is a basic business expense that should be covered by the business and not passed down to the model. Other industries, like film/TV, have unions in place to prevent those types of fees from being offloaded onto the talent and I think models deserve the same protections - both big and small. 

Models of Canada: In your opinion, where do you see the Canadian fashion industry heading in the next 5 to 10 years? What trends do you think will define its evolution, and how will models and agents be adapting to that shift?

Jenna: This industry is constantly changing and what works today will not work tomorrow, so I’ve learned that there is no reliable way to predict the next trend, be that in fashion or in which models are booking. I do think that with the ongoing conversation surrounding diversity and inclusion, our rosters will continue to evolve and reflect that, with more submissions coming in from people who might not have previously seen themselves as models. 

The current global climate has sparked a renewed sense of Canadian pride, with people making a conscious effort to support local products, and I’m hopeful that this shift will extend into our industry. Over time, I’d love to see Canada become a more self-sustaining market where Canadian models don’t need international recognition before being valued at home. We have amazing local talent and I’d love to see our industry independently investing in our own models with fair consideration and compensation rather than waiting for validation from elsewhere first.

Models of Canada: Has there ever been something you’ve wanted to share with the public about your role in fashion, your models, or the industry itself that you feel has been misunderstood or under appreciated?

Jenna: I think there is a misconception amongst newer models that they are something akin to an employee of the agency. They often don’t realize they’re independent business contractors who hire an agency to work for them, not the other way around. I think the system as a whole is misunderstood and warped due to historic power imbalances between models and agents. When models are empowered with a clear outline of what their job is and what our job is, everything is a lot simpler to navigate. 

Models of Canada: For those aspiring to follow in your footsteps, whether they want to become a top model, agent, or industry professional… What advice would you give them that goes beyond just technical skills, but rather focuses on their mindset and personal growth?

Jenna: Trust yourself with ruthless self alignment.

Written by: Models of Canada

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