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Name:  Lavida Webbe

Instagram: @relahwinde

Agency/Management: Seeking Representation

Before she was arriving on sets looking for a chance to represent major beauty brands like Ouidad, 19-year-old Lavida Webbe was staging full-fledged photo shoots with her friends for fun.

Her location was her home, the island of St. Kitts where she developed her sun-kissed skin. Her camera was an iPhone 6, a gift from her mother that she put to use showing off her cheekbones every chance she got.

“I became absolutely addicted to taking pictures of everything including myself,” she told Hello Beautiful. “At first it was just a hobby, my high school friends and I would literally walk around neighborhoods searching for nice backdrops to have impromptu photoshoots with,” continued Webbe.

She and her friends were so committed to expressing themselves by creating an aesthetic that they logged hours trying to get it right. “At times it would be a bit tiring because we took pictures with our phones for hours, seriously,” she said.

The teens were just creating for the sake of creating, trying to nail that perfect pose in the perfect place to share with their friends on social media. Webbe had no idea she would one day be working towards turning her love of the camera into a career.

Despite her striking beauty she didn’t even see it as an option until she met Eusha Johnson. Once named one of the 40 Most Influential and Powerful Women in the Caribbean, Johnson had been presented with amazing opportunities and invaluable learning experiences during her time as a model and now she was returning home to offer them to others in St. Kitts.

Webbe explained, “There was a modeling workshop hosted by Eusha Johnson being promoted via Facebook. When I saw the ad I was intrigued. I felt as though that workshop is where I needed to be,” said Webbe.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BjhqHr5AXK3/

Today she credits that decision with expanding her world view. She said, “My attendance there has been one of the most important decisions I’ve made along this path, as that was my first form of exposure to the modeling industry that helped me to realize that I wanted to be a part of it, going to the workshop was truly an eye opener.”

Not long after she decided to leave the West Indies and move to South Florida to commit to giving it a shot. She signed with a boutique agency and moving to a model apartment while seeking work. Today she is still playing in front of the camera working with independent brands like Salone Monet, and talented photographers like Xavier D. Bryan to get the perfect shot but the stakes are much higher than they were when clowning around after school.

She’s trying to get noticed. “Moving forward with my career, being signed to multiple agencies…these are my life goals that I’m determined to achieve. I decided that’s what I want to do with my life.” A model on the grind. We’re not mad at it.

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