To my colleagues and those that know me personally I am known as Benjamin Taylor, but for this particular fashion show I attended under a new guise… Benajmin Taylor. No, this wasn’t an attempt at trying pass off as some eccentric wanna-be; it was merely a printing error on my backstage pass… great. I was skeptical as to what reaction Benajmin would receive seeing as I sounded like a distant cousin of R’n’B starlet Nicki Minaj.

Well, I can safely report that my origins weren’t even questioned and I was able to descend into the lion’s pit without trouble. Now, when you enter the backstage environment of a Dolce&Gabbana fashion show one of the most important things that someone can have is spatial awareness. If you want makeup smeared on your white shirt, toes trodden on by panicked models or hairspray whipped into your coffee, then standing still will serve you well.  You have to be alert, calm, quick and, unless you want to get kicked out, stay out of the way of hair and makeup.

 Alejandra Alonso getting her nails prepped.

It was time for me to get me some girls. Emily Baker was on my list and wow… Meeting such a fresh face with bright blue eyes and shy smile is heartwarming enough but when the young lady in front of you is matched with a New Zealand accent it is easy to be left speechless. Yes, these girls are used to the eyes of thousands and the hands-on attention of many backstage crews, but that doesn’t mean their confident walks and fierce looks always transpose in to their interviews and Emily Baker was a prime example of this. She was very apologetic even before we had got going and so I tried to make her feel as relaxed as possible and… job done. Ms. Baker was a triumph and it was I who was left red faced and flustered, as seen below. 

 Emily Baker and a red faced interviewer.

Then, the Canadian beauty Kate King walked past. I got her attention. I asked her for an interview. She said, ‘No. Later.’

Moving on... 

I was dying to catch a few words with Alejandra Alonso; she’s Spanish, exudes sexiness and is bound to give me the interview that I am expecting. I find her having her nails painted in a shade of deep plum whilst scrolling her phone contacts in search of someone to remind her that the outside world still exists. I introduce myself. I like this girl. Her gaze is intense and focused, her face young but with flickers of experience and she is in the mood to do an interview.  She rushes off on an errand and returns with a full strength coffee, a fistful of sugar and not enough hands. We divide her belongings amongst and attempt to get rolling. After a truck load of issues with the camera and some much appreciated patience from the Spanish lovely we get rolling. The interview is like a conversation; she warms up to it instantly, telling me how it is and identifies herself as having that stereotyped feistiness that the Spaniards are stamped with. She made it heard that she tries to leave negativity at the door and that her outlook is one that is constantly positive and feeds off energies. It is safe to say that I love Alonso.

 It is safe to say that I love Alejandra Alonso. 

Kate King walks past. She finally agrees. We find a decent space and get going. I realise that I am actually really nervous about interviewing her. My alter ego, Benajmin, wasn’t working his magic and so Benjamin Taylor had to take over. I always like to have a chat whilst the camera crew are preparing as I find that it helps the flow of the interview. I quickly found a common ground with her, she is from Toronto, and I traveled Canada when I was 19, yada yada yada… and when we got going she was electrifying. Her attitude, her choice of words and how she remained calm in this environment. What struck me about the interview, apart from the above, was her reflection on what being Canadian has given her, but to see what she says, like the other two models, you are going to have to wait for us to release them.

 The Canadian beauty, Kate King, on the catwalk.  

I was done… whom am I kidding. I turned my attention to other tasks but I was happy with the profiles that I had scored. Emily Baker, Alejandra Alonso and Kate King were an utter pleasure to interview and I highly recommend that you stayed tuned as Swide will be giving you the chance to get the down low on these young talents very soon.

And with that, I hang my backstage pass up and say goodbye to Benajmin.

Written by Ben Taylor