Porte Agency Black Business SPOTLIGHT

By Abdi Mohamed Contributing Writer

When Liberian-born entrepreneur and designer Vanessa Lawson looked at the state’s landscape of modeling talent and agencies, she found little representation of Black and Brown models, who she felt were an underserved community in the Twin Cities.

A native of Brooklyn Park, Lawson founded Porte Agency, a model and talent agency, in 2018. The company is dedicated to leveling the playing field for those from marginalized communities in terms of visibility and representation.

Shortly after the launch, Lawson was sent on a 13-month deployment to Kuwait and Iraq as a paralegal by the U.S. Army.

Upon her return to the United States, Lawson’s goal of launching Porte was sidetracked once again by the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.

Nearly four years later, Lawson held a fashion exhibit at the state capitol in February, where the work of several Black clothing designers was on display in the rotunda, followed by a discussion panel that included all of the designers.

“I’m really happy that we were able to bring it together this year and do it during Black History Month. We were the first people ever to host something like that at the Minnesota state capitol,” she stated.

Lawson is a designer herself, having created the swimsuit brand Porte Celestial. The fash-