Caramel Models

Caramel Model Management is the brainchild of Hajira Ahmad and Sadia Siddiqui. They're the most exciting event management and fashion modelling agency in the UK. They epitomise the spirit of young, tenacious, enterprising British Asians and their breathing new life into the industry

Faced with mounting frustration conjured up by a curtain of exclusion and disapproval from within their own community and the petit unwritten rules of the status quo of the modelling world, they decided to go it alone. As an associate of The Royal Photographic Society, Hajira earned an Honours Degree in Photography and Digital Arts. She has conducted major shoots for leading magazines and broadcasters and exhibited in London and beyond with her work renowned the world over.

The other half of this buxom duo is Sadia, who combines, beauty with tenacity and business acumen. They have now evolved the business to include a complete catwalk production company after realising that in order to become a brand it had to branch out from being just a model management business. On first appearance Sadia looks almost feline, tall and slender she has a statuesque sensibility that is astute and engaging. You can tell this was a natural progression for her, she's an ex-model who's picked copious academic awards including the Charles Wallace Award for outstanding academic achievement.

She also has an MBA from the University of London, so this was no accident. Three years ago they decided to combine fashion modelling with Hajira's expertise as a photographer and make-up artist, it made perfect sense. "We used to go to all these wedding fairs and lifestyle shows and see a lot of Caucasian models modelling for Asian fashion houses and just thought that we should have some more Asian models being represented in Asian Fashion magazines" she says.

Fashion houses and photographers don't have a source for Asian models. Or people don't know there are any, either way there's a market there," protests Sadia in disbelief.

Surprisingly, her excellent education was not her main foundation for going into business; "To be honest, before I did the MBA I was introduced to the world of business from the age of ten. My father used to run an international transport and removal business and he was of the opinion that kids should get a lot of exposure to different cultures, and different people. I used to travel with him and go to conferences. I used to take time out of school and go with him all over the world and that was an amazing learning experience for myself because at a very young age I met people from all across the spectrum and at 22 I was running the business. Sadly, my father passed away. It's a young age to be running a business at 22. There were a lot of problems I had to face, a lot of things I had to learn fast. I did that for three years, took a break and went for my MBA. I think the MBA smoothened out the rough edges, if you know what I mean! I also feel that people respect you more once you have a good qualification to back you up, not sure if that's right or wrong but it makes a difference."

Sadia, is wise beyond her years and that seems to be quite typical among people who have managed their own business at such a young age. "Be very, very persistent and always take advice. I made a lot of mistakes because I was young and it's a learning curve. I didn't have anyone to tell me what to do. When you're your own boss it's difficult, because you make mistakes and you learn from your own mistakes. It was a tough year. I mean it looks glamorous that at 22 I was running my own business but it was very difficult. After a year it got better, in the second year I was enjoying it and by the third year, I was loving it! The reason Caramel has succeeded is because we are a team. Hajira being a photographer and a make-up artist and myself having a modelling background and being a businesswoman, we had the right skill set and together with our combined skills, we provided everything that an agency like Caramel can need. Do it if you have a real passion for it. To be honest, we are not just a modelling agency anymore. When we started our core competency was modelling, but we expanded. We became a modelling and events agency. From there we further expanded and started doing Caramel make up and Caramel portfolios, because we had the right team. We had the best photographers, the best make-up artists and the best stylists. We had people calling and asking us to do portfolios for us, saying 'I'm not a model but I'd like to look like one.' So we have expanded as a business.

Modelling alone is a very competitive market, and the profit margin is not that high, so if we wanted our business to succeed we could not just focus on modelling. It had to be a little more than that. That's why Caramel is now growing as a brand. When we did the Asiana Bridal Show, they didn't just use Caramel models, they used Caramel events. They asked us to put together an entire fashion show with our make-up team, models, choreographers, DJ, the entire Caramel events package and that's what we did!"

Their business is in a niche market and dealing with just an Asian market could have different implications, so I ask what the differences are: "It's really different for someone to do because here in London Asians were predominantly using Caucasian models, so that's what we had to compete with. We had to change their mindset. We didn't say 'please use our models', we had to say, 'stop this, you have to start recruiting Asian models' and to change that, took a long time. It wasn't easy at all. I know it looks glamorous. Young girls reading this will probably think; 'wow! modelling agency' but it was really difficult when Hajira and I were getting into this. We did not expect it to be this tough to be honest. We were extremely persistent. Every time someone said no, we were actually hearing a 'yes'. But you just have to keep at it and sooner or later someone will give you a break." Hajira's enthusiasm is infectious; "You can't just be disappointed by the first no, or you will not succeed in business. I think the turning point was when we decided to do the event ourselves. So we booked Café de Paris. It was a difficult time because my business partner had just lost her father. We were working under a lot of stress and we really wanted Caramel to work. We created a fashion show, choreographed it ourselves, got all the designers on board, had all our models, trained them, booked the venue and called everyone in the industry."

Sadia was a former model in Dubai and Pakistan as well as London and there are clear differences in the market here to abroad. "I find modelling to be more professional in London than it was in Pakistan. I said no to a lot of work in Pakistan," she says. "To be honest, I think what Pakistan lacks is a proper modelling agency. The roles differ over there, most of the photographers decide which model they will use for which campaign, so it's the photographers who rule the modelling world. Thy need modelling agencies out there who groom models. Also, there are a few models who have been dominating the modelling scene for ever and ever. I mean, there's some models we have been seeing for fifteen years! You don't see that many fresh faces. That really needs to change in Pakistan, also modelling is still something that is seen as a taboo. Educated and respectable families are hesitant in letting their girls go into the sphere of modelling. My parents had concerns too, and I wasn't allowed to model when I was in Pakistan. I only did it later in my life. So I think attitudes need to change but they only change when there's an organisation out there that people and parents can trust." There seems to be a distinct difference to modelling agencies here and abroad. "We were very welcomed in Dubai. We really wanted to tap into the Middle Eastern market. It is a very lucrative market and a lot of businesses want to go into the Middle East and have done so."

What they want to do, primarily, is have a Caramel model be the face of a mainstream British brand. "At this point we are not saying Armani, Gucci. We are saying Marks & Spencer. It's a brand that everybody in England can relate to, it epitomises Britishness. We are the largest ethnic minority in the UK and it's sad that we are not being represented in mainstream adverts. I think we need to see more Asian faces on the billboards, on mainstream brands, and on M&S – if you're reading!"

There's a positive statement behind them though and again it's clear here that an ideology does not damage your brand. "Caramel, comes in different shades. We have all kinds of models and every one has their own appeal, their own X factor. But a Caramel model is confident, she can walk the walk; she has great skin, great hair, nice attitude and a healthy outlook towards modelling. We tell all our models to have a good attitude at work and be professional."
As a niche modelling agency it must have been easy to gain publicity, yet Hajira has another story. "It was difficult to generate PR, but you have to be very persistent. When we did an event we had to keep calling all the media networks, give them free VIP passes, you just keep at it. When we did our first event at Café de Paris, we had both Indian and Pakistani press covering it which is a big deal, especially if it's your first event. So we worked really hard, but for any new business good PR is essential. How is the public going to find out what you are and what you can deliver if there's no one reporting it?"

They're a very grassroots level company too, in the sense that their inclusive of the community and have a high emphasis on training. "We haven't opened a school yet, but already do train and groom models. Most of our models are girls who have never modelled before, like one of our models Gina. I was at a tube station and I saw her walking by. She didn't know how to walk, so we taught her how to walk and how to have confidence in herself. There are a lot of pretty girls out there who are amazing to look at, yet they don't feel that they are pretty. Confidence comes from within. You don't necessarily have to be the most good looking girl to be extremely confident." she says. "It is our job to make sure they have confidence, to teach them how to walk, how to carry themselves and how to have the right attitude to go to clients, to make sure they do the job well."

No doubt there high profile backing from James Caan has helped no-end, they're also not the first young hot totties he's been investing in lately, D4M another events company headed by Julia Charles is another. So how did it come about? "We went to James before he was a Dragon, three years ago, then when we felt we were not generating enough interest in the market so we thought we should do an event of our own. We started doing our research for all the affluent Pakistani men out there who would want to help us because at this time we were young girls from Pakistan starting a business and we thought maybe they would want to support us. James was one of the people we wrote a letter to and he responded and said can we have a meeting. So we told him about Caramel and the brand and asked him if he would like to sponsor it. Surprisingly, he said I'm not interested in sponsoring but I really like the idea and I like what you girls want to do and you could create a platform to value and promote young British-Asians. He said he would like to invest in the business, so that's how it came about. So we didn't have to go to Dragon's Den."

So what's the real James Caan like and how involved is he as an investor? "He did invest in us initially, but I think it's more his mentorship that has really helped us. We meet him regularly and he's given us useful insight into expanding the business, into how to make the business grow. His words of wisdom have really helped Caramel and continue to do so." What does the future hold for Caramel models? "We want to break into the mainstream. It's sad to be living in England, to have a business in England, and to only cater to a certain segment of the demographic here.
Yes, we want to cater to the British-Asian market, but we also want to cater to the mainstream market. We want our models out there doing mainstream TV commercials; we want them on billboards; we want Virgin to use a Caramel model. So the whole aim is to crack into the mainstream. I think once we've done that, then we've truly made
our mark!"