More than beauty: Lu Sierra says Jamaican models bring their ‘hunger’ to international markets

There is no shortage of beautiful women in the world. But after decades spent strutting across international runways and preparing beauty queens for some of pageantry’s biggest stages, former model and renowned runway coach Lu Sierra believes Jamaican women possess something beauty alone cannot provide — hunger. For Sierra, who was recently in the island as an international headliner for the inaugural Jamaica Beauty, Fashion & Wellness Week at AC Hotel Kingston, that hunger may very well be Jamaica’s secret weapon.

“The cheekbones, the jawlines and, most importantly, the hunger. I’m telling you right now that in this business, you’ve got to be hungry,” she said. “Modelling is not just something you show up to and say, ‘I thought I could do this because I’m tall.’ Your women come with a sense of ‘I’m hungry’,” she told the Jamaica Observer.

“They want it, and they get that from a generational kind of thing that if you want something, you’ve got to work for it. Your ladies come knowing that they’ve got to show up, look good, network, and ask questions. They come with a hunger as well as beauty.” It is high praise from a woman whose career has afforded her a front-row seat to the international fashion and pageant industries.

Known as Runway Lu, Sierra has modelled for the likes of Bill Blass, Escada, Byron Lars, Bob Mackie, B Michael, Cesar Galindo, and Yves Saint Laurent. She has also worked as a muse fit model for fashion houses and designers including Oscar de la Renta, Givenchy, and Patrick Kelly. Her career eventually expanded beyond walking the runway to teaching other women how to command it.

Named Best Coach by the Global Beauty Awards, Sierra has become a runway expert, confidence mentor, and pageant coach whose work has extended to both the Miss USA and Miss Universe competitions. It is against that international backdrop that Sierra has developed an appreciation for what Jamaican models bring to the table. “Let’s face it, there are beautiful women everywhere in the world — Ukraine, Russia, Brazil — but Jamaica gives us some beautiful women who are hungry,” she said.

Long before becoming the coach helping other women navigate rejection, Sierra had to manoeuvre her own struggles. She recalled arriving in New York only to have modelling agents repeatedly point out the things they believed she needed to change.