Local Model Appears on Naomi Campbell’s “The Face”

MTM’s Khadisha Gray is a contestant on Oxygen’s new hit TV show, “The Face”

Scouted in Senegal, Africa, at age 16, MTM model Khadisha Gaye always knew she wanted to be a model. “You get to travel, meet new people, learn about the fashion industry and it’s a fun job,” she says.

Gaye’s journey began when she was scouted by Elite Model at a hotel in Senegal at age 16. She won the Elite Model Competition in Senegal and from there signed with Elite in Paris. Shortly after she went to the International Model Look Competition in Czech Reupublic she moved back to Senegal to attend college and model for Elite Senegal. In 2012 she moved to the U.S. to pursue her modeling dreams.

“I came into John Casablancas [MTM] for open call because I knew the name John Casablancas, founder of Elite. I met with the owner, Deborah Cameron, who referred me to meet with Lori Colwell, Director of MTM Agency, for representation because I was already at a professional level,” Gaye explains. “I was also hired to be a runway coach. I decided to sign with MTM because everyone was nice and cool and I knew they were looking out for my best interests and could help me with my career in the U.S.”

MTM encouraged Gaye to submit an application to “The Face,” a TV series on Oxygen that follows three supermodel coaches as they compete with each other to find “the face” of major brands. Once Gaye submitted her application, she was asked to do a Skype interview for the show. Shortly after that, she was invited to LA for the 3rd round of casting. To her surprise, she was then asked to go to NYC to start filming the show in September.

Colwell, however, wasn’t surprised one bit by Gaye’s exciting opportunity. “She already had an amazing walk and a beautiful face. I told her that she deserved this and its ok to fight for what you want,” Colwell says. “This has always been her dream, and she shouldn’t let anyone or anything stand in her way.”

While Gaye can’t yet reveal who won the modeling opportunity on the show, she says being on “The Face” is her greatest career accomplishment thus far.

“On the first episode, Naomi Campbell said I had the best walk out of any of the models on the show. That made me feel so special coming from her because she is the queen of the runway,” she explains. “Being on Anne V’s team was amazing because she taught me so much.”

Gaye has appeared in many magazines, including Elle, numerous runway shows including Paris Fashion Week, and modeled for John Galliano in the Czech Republic. “The obvious things that make her stand out is her one of kind walk and gorgeous face with strong bone structure,” Colwell says. “I think the most important thing that makes her stand out is that she is a really sweet, humble and genuine person. She is passionate about modeling and understands it takes hard work to follow your dreams. She works hard by focusing on her strengths, not weakness of other models, as you can see on ‘The Face.'”

In addition to modeling, Gaye is currently teaching runway classes to new models at John Casablancas and continuing college at Cincinnati State University. Gaye plans on moving to NYC in May. 

“I want to continue to grow my career in modeling for a few years and then eventually move back to Senegal to open my own agency,” Gaye says. “There are so many beautiful girls in Senegal but not a lot of opportunities and I want to help them.”

Gaye is just one success story coming out of MTM, Colwell says. “MTM continues to breed success, currently signing models with Ford and Vision LA,” she adds. “In April, MTM will have a scout from NYC coming to audition our talent and will also be taking some of our top models to meet with agencies in larger markets.”

To learn more, visit www.mtmcincinnati.com.