1. It's the first interview I've ever done,
2. And it's with someone famous who is a fashion idol to me and has been for years.
Curious to know who? Let me give you some clues:
- She's a model
- She's modeled for widely respected fashion designers like Hermés, Oscar de la Renta, and Erin Featherton
- She's also modeled for popular stores like Target and TJ Maxx
- She's gorgeous (duh!) and has her signature freckles
- Her sister goes to our high school still (she's a senior)!
Any guesses?
Drum roll, please.
Did you guess Cam Corrigan? If you did, you're right! If not...sorry, better luck next time.
Cam's amazing. I decided weeks ago that it would be awesome to interview her for my fashion blog; who better to represent someone from Medfield that actually made it into the fashion world?
I didn't get the chance to interview her in person over Thanksgiving break, so we actually conducted the question-asking and question-answering over facebook (thank God for technology). She gave the best answers to my very broad questions, more than I could ever dream of! Not only that, but she was in West Palm Beach, Florida at a photo shoot and still took the time to thoroughly respond to all my questions in the sweetest manner possible. A huge thank you to Cam, and without further ado, let's talk fashion!
Cameron Corrigan's mother brought her into a modeling agency in Boston called Model Club Inc when Cam was fourteen. She wasn't sure what to expect when she walked in, especially since her mom had taken her to the agency unexpectedly. Despite feeling sure that she wouldn't be signed, Cameron was surprised to find that the agency decided to bring her on board and she started working just a short time afterwards. On getting "discovered," Cam says, "I never really thought about modeling at all before that 'cause I wasn't very girly or even that confident. I was pretty awkward actually." It's an impressive transition she's made from an awkward teenager into a beautiful, confident model! And there to help her during that transition was Click Models New York, her current modeling agency, who "discovered" her a year after she was first signed with Model Club Inc. At fifteen, Cam took a train out to the Big Apple and signed on. For her, it was a surprise, being first signed by Model Club Inc., then discovered by Click Models, and later signed with them. She notes, "Everything is always so unexpected in this industry."
Despite spending the summers in NYC to work, Cameron decided not to live there full time, even when her agency wanted her to make modeling a full time career when she was signed at age fifteen. She was "determined to finish high school." As determined as she was, she recognizes how hard it was to be a senior in MHS not going to college. She talks about how there is so much pressure in todays society to go to college right away, as well as an insane amount of competition when it comes to higher education. Even though she did feel the pressure to go to school, she realized that she had such an amazing opportunity that if she didn't take the chance she would regret it. She points out, "You only have a certain amount of time to model [because you're] not young forever. College will always be there." She can always choose to go to college after her career in modeling is over. After all, Tyra Banks did just graduate from Harvard Law, right?
Since graduating and moving to New York City full time, Cam has been busy with a multitude of modeling jobs. She says her favorite are those where she gets to travel. For example, when she shot for Amazon.com she flew to Seattle and shot there for a week. Her goal is to go overseas and work in Europe in the future. Becoming an international model is definitely the next step in her already immensely successful career. Also, she says she enjoys shooting with Target because the people there are "like family." She does high fashion, like MBFW, where she walked 17 shows this season, as well as commercial work, like Abercrombie. She mentions the fact that she likes Abercrombie because her all time favorite photographer Bruce Webber shoots it. I'm going to take a quick step back from the interview and geek out for a second, because Bruce Webber has been my all time favorite photographer for a few years now. His work is amazing; I would highly recommend checking some of it out. I'm so jealous that Cam has had the opportunity to work with him! I totally understand why he would be her favorite.
Luckily for Cameron, her family is behind her in everything she does. She gushes, "I love my family. They support me on everything I do which is amazing. They want me to be successful, but also being happy is most important...My parents collect all my print work. They find it all, I don't." Too sweet! She's also exceptionally grateful for her friends. She tells how even though they see all her modeling work, they still see her as the "same old Cam." She emphasizes that this is how she wants to be seen. Even though she's becoming a recognized model, she's still the same girl. She also touches upon her life away from home. She feels that even though she lives in NYC she has grown closer to many of her friends from high school. Unfortunately, it "gets lonely traveling alone and living in the big city," but she is eternally appreciative to have great friends who support her.
The last question I asked Cameron was if she had "any words of advice or encouragement for young Medfieldians who are considering a career in fashion/modeling?" She was extremely supportive and encouraging, and I'd like to pass her message on to you. She remarks that fashion is oftentimes forgotten in high school, especially the business and learning aspect of it. But, she argues, "Fashion is everywhere...It's interesting and creative." Her words of advice? "If you love fashion, pursue it. If you want a career in the fashion industry, do it. If you love it, why stop?" On her own experience she notes, "I went for it [and] I don't regret it...I wasn't promised anything going into this. I worked hard to be where I am today and I'm not stopping yet. It's all about hard work, dedication, and passion." Clearly her intensive labor has paid off! Her last note: "Even though Meddy is a small place, you can do big things!" She definitely has a point. To all you fashion hopefuls out there, don't be afraid to go after what you want but realize, like Cam did, that you have to put in effort yourself.
Cameron has made it big in one of the toughest, if not the toughest, industry in the world. And she's "not stopping yet." We can expect to see great things from Cam in the future...I'll keep you all updated!
To finish off, I thought I'd share some of Cameron's pictures with all of you.
Seventeen Magazine, 2009
Behind the scenes, Abercrombie, 2009
Fashion Boston magazine, December 2010
Photo shoot, 2010
Photo shoot, 2011
Photo shoots, 2012
Project Runway
Zang Toi
Just 4 of the 17!
Platinum Weddings New England
(Oscar de la Renta!)
Target
TJ Maxx
Another huge thank you to Cam for letting me interview her and make her the subject of one of my posts!
And, of course, CONGRATS! You're inspiration for a lot of people, and will continue to be.
:)
