Jordan Claire Robbins lives model life
When Jordan Claire Robbins first moved to Toronto from Bermuda, she was surprised to be scouted several times on the street by representatives from various modelling agencies. At the time, she didn’t know much about the industry. She was an aspiring actress with a promising career. Now, millions of people have seen her face in various successful campaigns.
Although she is a dedicated actress, Robbins has been modelling for over seven years since being approached. Originally, she was hesitant to work as a model, but she was fortunate to connect with her mother agent Chantale Nadeau, who has a placement agency. Nadeau selected Robbins as her Model Search winner for the year, helped her build her career and placed her with Sutherland Models, as well as other agencies around the world. She went on to be featured on the cover of the first English-printed issue of the esteemed Dress to Kill magazine, a highlight of her modelling career, which has since featured such models and actors such as Heather Marks, Jessica Stam, Coco Rocha, Jared Leto, and Rachelle Lefevre.
During the last seven years in the industry, Robbins has gained a lot of experience in the modelling world, and appreciates the artistry that comes along with it.
“I have been lucky enough to work with some extremely talented photographers, makeup and hair artists, stylists, and art directors, and it can be exciting to see the final product,” she said. “It is rewarding to have my part in creating something beautiful, especially when there is a degree of freedom and the team is allowed to play and try different things.”
Throughout her career, Robbins has worked with a variety of well-known people in the industry, such as hairstylist Sam McKnight (who is known for his work for such figures as Kate Moss and Cara DeLevigne, and publications like Harpers Bazaar and Vogue), and makeup artists Beau Nelson (Schon, W Magazine, faces such as Diane Kruger and Sienna Miller) and Sabrina Rinaldi (Glow, Harpers Bazaar, Chatelaine). She has had the opportunity to shoot with a wide range of talented photographers such as Rayan Ayash (Schon, Guess, L’Officiel; Gigi Ahad, Coco Rocha, and Nicola Peltz) and Owen Bruce (Vogue, Elle Canada).
Robbins has had success working on campaigns and advertisements all around the world such as Air Canada, Boutique Marie Claire, German clothing company Ernsting’s Family and Sears. She has been featured in and on the cover of magazines such as Globe and Mail Style Advisor, Elevate Magazine, Best Health, Canadian Living and has shot for many bridal magazines and campaigns, as well as walked the runway for designers such as Ramona Keveza and Ula Zukowska. She was even featured in the online edition of Vogue Italia.
“Modelling has afforded me the opportunity to travel within and outside of Canada, and I have made many good friends in the industry over the years. I have enjoyed some amazing days of creating art with talented people I love, blasting music and getting excited over our work,” Robbins described.
One of her most recognized campaigns was for Sears, for whom Robbins has modelled for the last five years. She has shot for their in-store posters, lingerie, catalogues, swimwear, online shopping, and print campaigns. During this time, she worked with such talents as makeup artist Nina Farrauto.
“Jordan is an artist’s dream to work with. She always comes in with a smile and a positive attitude, which is the prettiest thing a model can walk through the door with. She is always able find an optimistic outlook on the challenges we face working on set, and off set as well. I can genuinely attest that Jordan is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside,” said Farrauto. The two have worked together on various jobs outside of Sears, covering a variety of concepts, from outerwear and beauty products to swimsuit campaigns. “Jordan is always open and invested in the outcome of whatever project we are working in. She asks questions and makes sure she knows what the team is after so she can deliver her part,” Farrauto continued. “Jordan also knows how to work her hair like a dream and for me, that makes her a real gem.”
Despite the accolades and success, Robbins still struggled originally with the physically demanding aspects of the job.
“Modelling is an industry built on appearance, so it takes a very strong person to not let their confidence get shaken. I will admit it has made me very hard on myself in the past, as it is easy to compare yourself to other girls and criticize your body for every little thing,” she said. “I was fortunate in a sense that I entered into modelling when I was almost in my 20s, when I knew myself and my identity was not centered on how my looks were evaluated by the industry.”
One thing that Robbins believes helped her was to set realistic fitness goals, and to focus on being healthy rather than skinny. Health and fitness have become passions of hers, and she was able to talk about her views in an issue of Best Health magazine, for which she was on the cover.
“I think having a good sense of humour is a necessity in the modelling industry, because the truth is you are never going to be what everyone finds attractive, nor are you going to ever be perfect, so you have to laugh at yourself and remember there are much more important things in life. I am grateful for how strong and self-aware my years of modelling have made me,” she said. This confidence is, no doubt, key to Robbins’ success
“I like that with modelling every day is completely different depending on what job I am on, and that this has made me adaptable and used to being out of my comfort zone, Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable is a useful skill in work and life” Robbins concluded. “It has also allowed me to work with many diverse people, which has helped me to grow and practice being easygoing as things don’t always go as planned.”
