Today we’d like to introduce you to Elena Chenguayen.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My career journey started all the way back in my hometown. I was born and raised in Lima – Perú. In my country, the fashion industry wasn’t too big or popular to consider modeling as a career. I was 12 years old when I had my first interaction with modeling, this was after receiving a modeling offer that I initially rejected. I never had an interest in modeling, at that age I was fully into sports and wanted to become an athlete or study marine biology but I always like to try new things so I decided to give it a try and see how it goes.
After going to a small modeling academy, I started meeting people in the industry and building my portfolio. Months passed by, and I got scouted to participate in Elite Model Look Perú. EML is known as the biggest modeling competition in the world and for have discovered so many great models that are now big in the industry. I didn’t win but I got to be one of the 12 finalists which gave me huge exposure and a name in the industry in Perú. After that, my career as a Model in Perú went upwards. I did lots of campaigns for the most important designers and brands in Perú, participated in many runway shows, did editorials for fashion magazines inside and outside my country, etc. It was there when I realized that this was not a hobby for me anymore, I genuinely liked it as a serious job and wanted to challenge myself to get as far as I could. So I set my goals clear and went for it. I knew at some point I would have to leave Perú to go find more opportunities to keep growing, I would have to leave my family, friends, and life there, but I was aware of it and understood it is part of growing in this career.
During the years I had left to finish high school, I divided my time between photoshoots, runway shows, and school. I became more responsible than I was in order to keep my grades good. I got to work with the most important brands and designers in my country. I was lucky enough to be selected as the image of Lima Fashion Week and I was nomínated twice for best Model of the year in one of the most recognizable newspapers of Perú. When I finished high school, I went to university to study Marketing and at the same time, I got a contract with a great modeling agency to Model abroad. I decided to take both opportunities and divided my year between modeling and studying. It wasn’t easy but it was definitely worth it.
After a couple of years, I decided to move to Los Angeles to dedicate my time just to modeling. I got signed in LA and developed my career there. Also got signed in Miami so now I divide my time between those cities.
Modeling is not an easy career. In order to become successful and build a personal brand, you have to take it seriously because YOU are your own business. Thanks to modeling, I’ve got to live and work in so many places like Paris, Barcelona, India, Malaysia, Venezuela, Los Ángeles and Miami. There’s a lot of ups and downs that I’ve been through but it has made me who I am today.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Honestly, it has not been a smooth road. It takes time, consistency, compromise and patience to become successful in this industry. There’s a lot of competition and you have to learn to stand out and differentiate yourself from others.
People think that modeling it’s just fun and “easy” but this is an actual job. There’s a lot of hard work and difficult situations that they don’t see it involves. We deal with rejection, comparison and being judged by the way you look almost everyday. I know, it sounds horrible haha but don’t take me wrong, it’s just what involves going to castings for different jobs and getting rejected for some of them and booking other ones. As long as you understand that there’s nothing wrong with the way you look, it’s just that the client is looking for something different on this occasion and that there will be something else out there for you, it will be ok. But of course, we are still humans and sometimes it can be hard to digest. You know, I even apply this in my daily life and relationships. When one door closes, there’s always another one who will open, and if you don’t find it right away means you have to look for options, adjust some stuff and keep working on it until you accomplish what you want.
I feel the most difficult part of my journey has been being far from the ones I love. Modeling is a very lonely career. I’ve always been a very independent person so I adapted well to the lifestyle, but of course drastic changes are never easy. I left my family, friends and life when I first got signed with a modeling agency. I have missed holidays, family/friends birthdays, spending my own birthdays far from them, significant events where I would have loved to be there for the people I love, etc.
I moved out of Perú for the first time when I was 17 years old. I knew no one over there, I started from scratch and figured to manage a whole new life alone.
You can find everything in this industry, and if you don’t make the right decisions, you can get lost, especially because most of the girls start at a young age, but thankfully I knew since the beginning what I wanted for my life and what I didn’t so I took the right choices and stayed focused on my path.
I have made so many sacrifices for this job, I have found myself doubting if it was the right decision, but every time I accomplish one more thing I promised to myself I would do, it confirms that it was 100% worth it, and I have to thank my family for being my biggest emotional support, for believe in me and support me in every decision I have made, even the hard ones.
These experiences have teached me so much, not just for a better development in my job but for life in general. There will be great days and not so great ones but we have to remember why we started and enjoy the process while doing what it takes to get there.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a fashion model so my work consists in modeling clothes and products for different designers and brands. I’m in charged of representing the brand identity in a visual form by transmitting what they are looking for. Depending of the type of shoot you are working on, it goes far more than just posing for a photo. You have to be constantly thinking of every single part of your body and make sure it’s in the correct position for what the camera will capture. Also, and most important I think, make sure that the clothes or products that you are using look their best, because at the end of the day that the main character and not yourself.
I have also done runway shows and fashion weeks which are always different. Depending on the season every brand/designer changes their collection and with that, the whole production of the runway. Usually the runway has a specific design or shape, they can ask you to walk in a specific way, etc. I really enjoy the process of it. I find the whole production that comes with it fascinating, the preparation and all the details that make this a form of live art performance.
There’s different categories of modeling but I mainly focus on fashion and commercial. Personally, what I enjoy the most is the fashion market. I like being able to create art through my body, transmit emotions and stories.
I’m very dedicated to everything I do. I like things done well so I always try to give my best at everything. One of the things I’m proud of is that I get to represent my country everywhere I go. In every job, my nationality is an outstanding factor because there’s not so many Peruvian models out here. I’m very proud of my roots and all the hard work I’ve done to be here, and there’s still so much more I want to accomplish.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
Absolutely. I think we all have learned something due to the crisis. This situation was definitely a shock of reality and an eye-opener about how things can flip from day to night. I learned that life is so unexpected we should be able to change and adapt to anything in order to evolve with it. Also, to appreciate time more. Everything that we have can be gone by tomorrow, including people we love, goals we have and opportunities. We should show love more often and let your family and friends know how much they mean to you. That “special occasion” for which you are saving something to use/do is now, life by itself is a special occasion and we should fully live to make it remarkable.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.selectmodel.com/miami/model/elena-chenguayen
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elena_chenguayen/?hl=en
Image Credits
Yukimi Moromisato Leyla Stefani Amanda Yanez Prince Jon Jorge Anaya
