SERVING STYLE An Interview with Elizabeth Isiorho Director of Beth Model Management @bethmodelafrica
Can you please tell us who you are and what you do? My name is Elizabeth Isiorho. I am the director of Beth Model Management, the first and foremost modeling agency in Nigeria. I am also the CEO of Prive Luxury Events. I manage, scout, empower, develop and launch the careers of young individuals whose aims are to pursue careers in modeling. How did you get into the modelling industry? I relocated from London, about 14 years ago and when I arrived in Nigeria, I began receiving a lot of modeling offers so I embarked on a search for modeling agencies in Nigeria. I found out there weren’t any standard modeling agencies here. I decided to start up one and here we are today. Beth Modeling Agency has been around for over 10 years. That is a real achievement. What has it been like running the business? It’s been an amazing run. Of course, there have been challenges but we have overcome them and today we are stronger. What have been the big successes and what have been the challenges? We’ve had various big achievements. To mention a few: gaining the franchise to organise Elite Model Look in Nigeria; my models being the first to walk for international designers and shoot campaigns; having the first black model to ever win Elite Model Look Worldwide and my model being only the second Nigerian to ever be selected for Victoria’s Secret. I feel fulfilled for a lot of things. It’s been a beautiful journey. My major challenge is visas. We’ve lost so many opportunities because of this. I know it’s a general issue for Nigerians, but I feel these models are going out there to represent us. Some kind of agreement should be made with embassies. How do you find models? And are the models on your books all local to Nigeria? We scout and we accept online submissions. We have local models and we have international models. We’d obviously love for all of them to be international but being honest with ourselves, it’s really not meant for everyone.
lostinlagosmagazine
Concerns about the fashion industry’s promotion of extreme thinness are nothing new, and unhealthy weight-control practices are a serious problem in the industry. How does your agency deal with this issue? We don’t encourage anorexia or extreme thinness. We have different categories of models who are comfortable and are perfect in their respective sizes. We never push a model to lose weight, rather we advise them to always be in shape. Are there other issues that you have found that are peculiar to Nigeria? I am proud of where we are right now in the Nigerian fashion industry but I believe a lot more can be done. How have you managed to juggle the number of outfits, businesses and projects you run and work on? This might sound cliché, but it’s actually the grace of God, a great support system and an amazing team. How do you stay healthy and fit with everything that you do? [Laughs] I eat healthy and try to workout. How would you describe your style? Classy, sophisticated and simple. Who and/or what influences you in fashion, beauty, business and in life? In Business, Oprah and Richard Branson. In Fashion, Tom Ford and Victoria Beckham. What's next for Elizabeth Elohor Aisien? I have a lot of project lined up for both Beth and Prive and I’ll wait to share.