Alicia Burke and Francine James are the ‘it’ girls on Pulse model agency’s roster.

They have graced the pages of the German, Spanish and French volumes of fashion ‘Bible’ Vogue, and their client list includes Harper’s’s Bazaar, Miu Miu, Gucci, H&M and L’Officiel.

The Jamaica Observer caught up with them recently, where they spoke of their experiences in the fashion capitals.

It has been over a year since James stepped into the spotlight and for Burke, mere months, but their first overseas assignments remain fresh in their minds.

“My first trip was to New York, and although I didn’t work, I did castings and created looks to build up my book,” said James. “It was lonely and I was sad leaving my family for the first time, since I was only 17. I didn’t know what to expect going into a strange country with a different culture. I was very nervous but just had to trust God that he would bring me through it.”

“My first trip was to London and I got signed the first day I landed, so that was amazing. But I was nervous. I cried for a whole week,” said Burke. “It was my first time in London; I didn’t know anybody. I didn’t know how to get around. It’s not as though they took you and said: ‘Use this train to get here and this is how you find this’… Nobody does that for you, so you have to fend for yourself. They give you the information and you have to do it for yourself.”

Homesickness aside, the jobs kept coming.

Burke’s face lights up when she speaks of her shoot for French Vogue. She describes the experience as being “absolutely amazing”.

“That day in particular, I was out at a casting when my booker called and told me I had a casting for French Vogue. I just said OK. The truth is I did not know that much about French Vogue as I had just started modelling. So I just showed up like any other casting and truthfully did not put any effort into it…then I was chosen and started shooting on that exact day…. It was amazing, the best thing that ever happened to me. When I saw my photos, I cried. I could not believe I had done that well,” Burke stated.

James was in London when the call came that she was chosen for German Vogue. She said she tries not to get too excited when booked. However, the cover of Vogue could possibly bring out her screaming side. She also admits to being excited to shoot in South Africa.

“I went to Cape Town to shoot for Elle UK; that was really amazing. That was one of my favourite moments in modelling. Being a Jamaican girl in South Africa was special.”

Both models said they’re guided by Christian beliefs and have a strong sense of self.

“Stay true to yourself. Don’t be easily led astray. Keep your head on your body and put God first in everything you do,” advises James. For Burke, the watchword is patience. “Maybe it’s not going to happen as soon as you go in like it happened for me. It takes time and it’s better to climb up that step than just jump from here to there. Be humble and trust God, like Francine said, because you can’t do anything without putting Him first.”