MEET VIKKI LENOLA: MODEL & ACTIVIST

This is Vikki.

Vikki, tell us more about how you got started in modeling?

In 2014, I was a bridal accessories designer.

I made custom veils, headpieces, sashes and things like that. My brand was the exclusive supplier of accessories for a bridal boutique in Cambridge, ON.

Sometimes I’d help as a seamstress or pattern drafting. Business was good. Only a few months in, a new friend invited me to a fashion week she runs.

I attended because I was considering showing my work there one day.

When I got there, I kept getting mistaken for a model because of my height and ended up walking for a couple designers.

It all sort of unfolded from there. I guess I got caught up in the glitz and glam!

Meeting so many people in the industry has lead to a wide variety of opportunities besides walking down the catwalk.

What would you say has been most important in becoming a successful model?

You have to be willing to put yourself out there, travel a lot, work with a lot of different people and crowds, keep up with the fast pace, and keep track of so many different things.

It’s not like a 9 to 5 where you wake up and go to the same place everyday.

For social media you also can’t just post things and expect the world to discover you.

You have to put work into that too, so it’s good to have some marketing skills.

Personally, I love all of this! It’s like an adventure.

But it is nice to have some down time occasionally to have some balance.

Where is the furthest you've traveled as a model?

I had some work in Iceland years ago where I was photographed for the advertising of a European art gallery.

Another time, I modeled for a show for the Black Tape Project in Jamaica.

How did you get into becoming an animal rights activist?

I was the oddball of my friends and didn’t have internet growing up.

Once I was older, I finally got myself a computer so I could start my post-secondary education.

I saw a PETA ad that opened my eyes to animal cruelty being all around us.

I remember being shocked and angry that these things are hidden from us…from me, for my entire life.

I felt like everybody else deserved to know the truth too; and I feel the need to be part of the solution.

Because if not me, then who?

It’s like that saying, “I used to think somebody should do something about that. Then, I realized I am somebody."

Animals need us to be their voice.

What did you study in school and how has it helped with all your accomplishments?

Taking business in college has helped me understand how to serve brands better.

Taking environment, resources, and sustainability has helped me understand the connections between people, animals, and the