Meet Irene Kaia | Model & Aspiring Nurse

We had the good fortune of connecting with Irene Kaia and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Irene, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I have always been a creative soul, from when I was in Pre-K. I remember always loving art class, writing poetry, and anything that involved creating. As I grew up, that manifested into modeling. Whenever a brand trusts me to create an image for them, it is the biggest compliment. I get to paint the picture in my mind onto a digital photograph and have it shown to thousands of people, and get paid for it as well. I’ve always known I would be the happiest in a creative field, and it just happened to be modeling. I always make sure to put together a moodboard and prep for my shoots at least two weeks in advance to make sure everything gets executed the way I have it in my brain. Besides modeling, since 7th grade, I have always wanted to start my own fashion line. I received a scholarship to a fashion university which I regrettably turned down at the time due to a guidance counselor advising against it, convincing me I would never make a living in art (fast-forward to five years later, where creating content is my main source of income and I pull in five figures a month). I am now in the process of creating my own fashion line, which I owe to my past self.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
It took years of hard, consistent work to get to where I am today. Even now, I’m still hungry for more and am not even close to being satisfied. I was always the shy kid in high school with really bad anxiety from being bullied due to my appearance and race (I grew up in South Carolina). I was the kid that sat alone in the choir room eating lunch in the dark because I didn’t really have any friends. I always knew I was meant for something greater, I just could never figure out what. In 2015 when my dad passed away all of a sudden, I had nothing to lose. My mom and I left town, sold our house and cars, and moved to California. Every day was a reminder of how much we had to give up and lose to be here today. I worked hard networking, posting, auditioning for parts on TV while in high school and working at Jack-In-The-Box as well. The journey involved a lot of eating disorders, more bullying, and criticism from not just my classmates this time but from lots of people on the internet. I never stopped. My self confidence and identity were torn down many times, and my mentor (Rich Clark, father of Disney star Peyton Clark) misled me and is now being hunted by law enforcement for child grooming. Countless obstacles have tried to obstruct me, but my love for creating overcome it all. Because of everything I went through at such a young age, I feel like the universe humbled and blessed me. These obstacles have only made me stronger and realize that nothing could truly stop me from getting what I want out of life.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
LA is my home and happy place, I would take my out-of-town friend to all my favorite clubs in Hollywood (I’m a little biased since I’m a bottle service girl at Penthouse Day Club) since they really know how to get lit there. We would go do cheesy touristy stuff like the Walk of Fame and hike the Griffith Observatory to see the Hollywood Sign, because my out-of-town friends always ask to see these places anyway! I would definitely take them to Malibu to go surfing since that’s my second home. Shopping at Topanga and Rodeo in Beverly Hills is also a must!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I owe Norayr Mike everything, my photographer for mostly all of my brand deals and Instagram posts (@shantographie on IG). He has not only grown to be one of my best friends, but he is always dedicating many hours of his time to help me achieve the content I have in my mind. Norayr always goes out of his way to make sure everything is to my perfection, and is always down when we need to re-shoot a certain look even after a month. He’s always going the extra mile for me, scouting out locations to find the perfect mood for our shoot. He has always has my back as a friend and photographer, and I am extremely grateful to have him on my team.

Instagram: www.instagram.com/irenekaia/

Image Credits
Norayr Mike