Using the personal perspective of international fashion model Kai Newman, a Jamaican who was born in Kingston, Harper’s Bazaar magazine showcases the elements that make the island nation unique. The magazine notes that the small country of Jamaica has had a big influence on the world’s culture through its music, cuisine, and patois language. It is a place where people asking questions about art, freedom, and humanity are making an art form from their everyday lives.

During a fashion shoot in Jamaica, Harper’s Bazaar asked Newman to detail her experience as a Jamaican model doing a fashion shoot in her own country, and the first thing she mentioned was how nice it was to receive a positive response from the local people. Jamaica is frequently the site of fashion shoots, but it is rare for a shoot to feature a Jamaican model, and the crowds were excited to watch Newman at work. “It’s nice to work where people are rooting for you,” she said, adding that she felt more relaxed because she was home, doing the shoot in her own country and culture.

Jamaica Showcased as International Model Kai Newman Gives Tour of Kingston in Harpers Bazaar 2
Photographed by Philip-Daniel

Newman had taken time off from modeling to have her daughter, and then she faced the COVID-19 lockdown where she could not work. Afterward, her manager and modeling agent Deiwight Peters told her she should “get back in the game.” She was ready to do so and cited her new baby as her motivation. Realizing she had to work to support her daughter, Newman is studying to be a nurse as well as working as a model and being a mother.

The Kingston shoot was Newman’s first time working with her daughter, who displayed her readiness for the job by choosing her own options for clothing when they were made available. Newman says her daughter acted as “her own stylist.” Her mother’s advice for modeling? Just look into the camera. “She’s ready for it,” Newman said.

Newman, a top model with Saint International, made her comeback during Milan Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, on February 24, 2022. This was her first show since becoming a mother, and she succeed in making a “phenomenal fashion comeback,” according to Peters who noted the historic nature of taking nearly four years off, having her baby, and then returning to represent Prada, the iconic Italian fashion brand, in Milan.

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