Iman Fandi Ahmad to follow in model mum's footsteps
Wendy Jacobs nudging daughter towards modelling career
English football icon David Beckham and his pop star wife Victoria have done it.
Now, Singapore football icon Fandi Ahmad and his model wife Ms Wendy Jacobs, are going to do it, too.
Encourage their child to take up modelling as a career, that is.
Just as the Beckhams have encouraged their children to join the profession, Ms Jacobs feels that one of their five children, school sprinter Iman Fandi Ahmad, 15, also has what it takes to strut her stuff down the runway and is ready.
"My heart will always be in the industry, but with all things we need to hand over to the young... so handing the baton to my daughter is wonderful because I can teach and guide her," said Ms Jacobs, 42, who has been a model for 29 years.
She lectures part-time on grooming and etiquette at the Institute of Technical Education's (ITE) College Central's School of Business & Services and was speaking to The New Paper on the sidelines of a fashion show on Wednesday that she had choreographed.
The 15-minute show at the school was held in conjunction with the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between ITE College Central and its long-time partner, Wing Tai Retail. It featured 34 students from various courses and schools in the ITE.
Ms Jacobs believes it is good that ITE is giving its students a more hands-on experience in their chosen fields.
She was pleased to see the event go smoothly, with the students looking professional on stage.
CONFIDENCE
The self-confidence they got from training for the show was gratifying for her.
That is one of the reasons she is encouraging her daughter to take up modelling as a career.
Iman, who studies at the Singapore Sports School, is the family's middle child, between her two older brothers, Irfan, 18, and Ikhsan, 16, and her two younger brothers, Ilhan, 13, and Iryan, nine.
Ms Jacobs said that even though modelling looks like an individual pursuit, there is a lot of teamwork involved.
It is important to learn to work with others.
"If one messes up on a runway, they all do," she added.
These are lessons she hopes her daughter can learn through experience.
Recalling her own experience, Ms Jacobs, who was also featured in the ION Orchard and Elle Singapore magazine SG50 Calendar, said that having poise and confidence are qualities important to a good model.
"Iman has always been interested (in modelling), but (has) waited for development, confidence and the drive.
"She is eager now and looking at what she can do only gets her more fired up to do more. The more shoots she does with me, the more she learns."
Last year, Iman took part in the TNP New Face 2014, winning the Miss Fashionista and Miss Popularity awards.
We can expect to see more of her daughter, Ms Jacobs said.
"Personally, I think she is a great high fashion girl and would also be able to do commercials," she said.
Iman could not be reached for comment, but she said in her New Face interview last year: "I've been interested in modelling since I was young because of my mum, and I just feel like it's my passion."
(Iman) is eager now and looking at what she can do only gets her more fired up to do more. The more shoots she does with me, the more she learns.
- Ms Wendy Jacobs
Wing Tai to offer students job stints
Students became models for a day at the ITE-Wing Tai Central Runway show on Wednesday. Four outstanding student models walked away with a total of $1,500 worth of prizes after modelling Wing Tai apparel.
The two top spots went to Mr Luqman Hakim, 20, and Ms Chloe Choong, 19, who were named the Overall Male and Female Winner, respectively.
Mr Lim Eden, 20, and Miss Syafiqa Sapari, 19, also won Mr and Miss Photogenic awards respectively.
Under a newly-inked collaboration, Wing Tai will offer separate internship and traineeship programmes, each accepting 10 students annually for three years, beginning this year.
The retail giant owns 16 key brands such as Uniqlo, G2000, Topshop, Topman, Dorothy Perkins and Warehouse.
The job attachments last 10 weeks for the Higher Nitec course in Retail Merchandising, and about four months for the Nitec course in Retail Services.
After completing their internships, students who perform to Wing Tai's standards will be offered part- or full-time employment upon graduation.
Wing Tai said the job attachments are to support the Government's SkillsFuture scheme.
Mrs Helen Khoo, director of Wing Tai Retail, said: "(We) recognised the importance of investing in skills and training. We are happy to provide students traineeship opportunities ... to support their capability development."
ITE College Central's principal Dr Ang Kiam Wee, said the partnership would benefit their students. He said: "(We want to) help our students gain real-life skills in real-life settings, and enable them to transition smoothly to work in their relevant industries when they graduate."
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