Modeling to Creative Direction
Being in a creative environment has always been so important to me, being around creative people helps me and my craft develop. I had the opportunity to participate in a lookbook photoshoot for my portfolio class. This was to help fashion design students and fashion merchandising students build their portfolios. As a fashion merchandising student, this experience allowed me to work closely with the design students and photography students to build connections, and share creativity of how to execute the photoshoot.
Malak Elhaddad Fashion Design student with me and Gabe the Photographer looking at all the photos. November 2025
My key takeaways from this experience was how could I support visual presentation of the designer’s collection. I worked with Malak Elhaddad and helped bring her garments to life. We collaborated on set preparation, garment coordination, model direction, and overall storytelling of her garments.
Malak brought her vision on what poses she wants the models to pose, what aesthetic we wanted to execute for her lookbook, and really tell her story through the pictures.
VCU Fashion show 2023
VCU Fashion show 2024 wearing Connor Sims Designs
Overall this project provided me with hands on insight into how creative teams brings fashion concepts to life and affirmed my passion for incorporating creative direction and merchandising with storytelling. Being present during fittings allowed me to see firsthand how consumers think about comfort, movement, proportion, and quality—insights that translate directly into understanding what real customers look for when shopping. By providing feedback on how garments fit and feel, I learned to view products through the lens of consumer expectations and market appeal. Additionally, participating in lookbook development and photoshoots helped me understand the creative direction behind visual storytelling. Observing how designers style pieces, build concepts, and execute imagery taught me how merchandising and creativity work together to shape brand identity and influence consumer perception. Altogether, my modeling experience has given me a unique dual perspective—one rooted in design collaboration and the other in strategic merchandising—making me a stronger, more well-rounded fashion professional.
