Camille Bavera of New York, formerly of Mathews, has launched a modeling career in New York City, finding that the work requires long hours but is fun and fulfilling.
The 19-year-old granddaughter of Beth Lewis of North signed on last summer with Modeling for Women Management and had her first job in October, modeling for Ralph Lauren’s spring Polo campaign.
Bavera said she and several other models traveled to a plantation-style home in upstate New York for the daylong shoot, leaving at 4 a.m. and returning at 10 p.m. The theme was “garden party,” she said, so it involved wearing a lot of long, feminine dresses that were introduced in March on numerous platforms, including in stores and on Ralph Lauren’s website and social media apps.
Since then, she has shot a campaign for Rebecca Taylor’s ready-to-wear brand, for a multi-product display in Harper’s Bazaar, and for a tribute to the late model Stella Tennant by South China Outpost that ran in Vogue.
The Stella Tennant tribute was special for Bavera because, as a design student and model herself, she was a fan of Tennant.
“I felt very lucky to pay tribute to her because she was such a phenomenal model,” said Bavera. “She was the face of Chanel for many years, and I had followed her career.”
During that shoot, which was held at Pier 59 Studios, Bavera said she had fun modeling a range of high-fashion brands, including Chanel, Dior, and others. She said her favorite piece was a voluminous tulle ball gown.
Bavera is a junior at the Pratt Institute in New York, majoring in fashion design and minoring in creative writing. As part of her education, she has interned with a different fashion house each semester while in college. She said her favorite was Proenza Schouler, a ready-to-wear firm that had her making technical photographs and documenting the details of each garment that was designed. She said she was able to see the design process from beginning to end, including how a minor 1/8 inch adjustment in a specific place would make a difference in whether a design worked.
But modeling clothing is the thing that has given her the most insight into how to design clothes.
“I love modeling so much,” she said. “I try on all these clothes from great brands and see how they fit and move. I use them as inspiration to take back to school with me.”
Homeschooled by her mother, former Mathews resident Pamela Thompson, Bavera said she completed her senior year of high school by taking classes at Rappahannock Community College. After graduating, she went straight to college at Pratt.