The next time you pass by the store The Secret of Victoria Stop and look at the display cases and there you will see a variety of photos, but focus on that of a young woman with blonde hair and a smile that expresses a lot of joy. The Model It is the Puerto Rican Mía Blakeman who is part of the Christmas campaign for Pink, the latest subdivision of the prestigious lingerie line.
“I’m so excited I still can’t believe it. But I want this to serve as an inspiration for other people who want to achieve it. I’m not the biggest model, I live on a small island and have no representation outside of Puerto Rico and none of that was a hindrance. I think that with consistency, work and demonstration you can achieve what you dream of,” he mentions.
Mía is part of the modeling group of the Element Model & Talent Management agency, which is headed by businesswoman Ann La Place. It was the model who also told her that those responsible for Pink’s Christmas campaign had contacted her to find out more about the Puerto Rican talent and that this was how they reached the young woman. There was no call for auditions, but she was chosen directly by simply seeing her work.
“It’s an opportunity that doesn’t come along every day. Working from Puerto Rico is an achievement for the agency and for modeling in Puerto Rico. Because the models who do these campaigns and are Puerto Rican are regularly based in the United States and have agencies in New York and Miami. There are Puerto Rican models like Ann Marie Kortright and Joan Smalls who have created Victoria’s Secret catalogs and run their campaigns, but they have never been a model “booked” directly by an agency in Puerto Rico and based here , “There is no representation in the United States,” La Place points out.
After receiving the message, Mía remembers crying with happiness like she rarely did. She told her mother, her boyfriend and her closest friends.
She waited several months until she received the call to meet in New York, where the photo shoot was to take place.
“I had never gone to New York to model before and it was a big dream. We had a day of “adjusting” and a full day of photos. The day of photos was long, I never had a break, but the emotions I had were so great that there was no room to think about being tired. The studio had a beautiful view. “Every detail of that day was very special,” remembers the young woman, who was always supported by Element.
For Mía, this is a dream come true, and seeing herself in the window and in the store brings back many memories. For example, “pajama parties” to see the brand’s fashion show, and even the time he came to Plaza Las Américas to meet Adriana Lima, one of the Victoria’s Secret Angels, when the brand introduced her in 2013 The first store on the island was the Plaza Las Américas shopping center.
“I can speak for almost every model of my generation who grew up watching the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show and say that this is our big dream,” she says with emotion.
While in New York City, the same Victoria’s Secret team arranged a meeting between Mía and a prestigious international modeling agency. For now, she hopes this opportunity opens more doors for her in the world of modeling, but in the meantime, she continues her busy schedule.
Between his two passions
As a model, Mía took part in the catwalks of the most famous local designers. Additionally, he has worked on advertising campaigns for clients such as designer Paola Baella, Herbal Essences, Gatsby, Leonardo Fifth Avenue, Ruedo Vintage and Valija Gitana.
But Mía’s passions are divided between modeling and acting. Earlier this year, the graduate of the Televisa Center for Artistic Education (CEA) in Mexico demonstrated her qualities as an actress in the first Puerto Rican series for Disney Plus, “Gina Yei,” in which she played the character “Amy.”
Before the photo shoot for the Victoria’s Secret campaign and He was involved in the shooting of a film, is now filming a series and will later join the cast of another film.
For the young woman, who will get married next January, 2023 has been a year full of work that will push her to realize her goals and dreams and, moreover, to achieve her goal, which has always been “to reach Puerto Rico outside the island represent”. “.