"It has been the most whirlwind, amazing year and a half of my life," says Holly Rose Emery, the 17-year-old Auckland model who is shining on the international fashion stage.
Now based in New York, the baby-faced teen is the latest - and youngest - addition to the group of New Zealand models succeeding overseas, with the likes of Karl Lagerfeld muse Ashleigh Good, 21, and agency-mates Anmari Botha, 20 and Lili Sumner (the 19-year-old who booked an exclusive with Saint Laurent in September).
It has been a swift rise for Emery, who signed to Auckland model agency Red11 last year, appearing in local fashion shows and campaigns (she's the current face of Kate Sylvester) before heading overseas. Her international runway debut is in June, for Prada, no less.
Earlier this month, Emery completed her first full ready-to-wear season, travelling to New York, London, Milan and Paris and appearing in shows for Chanel, Miu Miu, Nina Ricci, Dries van Noten, Marni, Valentino and Marc Jacobs. British Harper's Bazaar chose her as one of their models of the season, commenting on her maturity, professionalism and stamina "far beyond her years".
That may all sound very sophisticated and grown-up - and Emery does acknowledge that she has had to learn to be more self-sufficient than most girls her age - but she is still young at heart. She loves dungarees, is obsessed with fellow successful teen Lorde, and her Instagram is full of Emojis and funny selfies. And the best thing about being 17? "You never appreciate the age you are until you are a year older. But if I had to pick, being old enough to see R16 movies was a big deal!"
