From chopping coconuts in Portland to the catwalk of Paris
If, like many, you doubt the existence of fairy tales, and perhaps have never even won a raffle, then this mind-boggling tale out of Clear Springs in the lush parish of Portland may just change your mind.
Twenty-one-year-old Tevin Steele, photographed last year March by the Jamaica Observer North & East crew diligently chopping jelly coconuts for his customers at his stall, was scouted by Saint International boss Deiwght Peters in December 2016, and last Tuesday was booked exclusively for the Yves Saint Laurent show in Paris, France.
Now that, in the super competitive, billion-dollar industry of fashion, is a debut worthy of note!
Steele follows in the footsteps of fellow Saint model Jenese Roper, who also made her international debut last September for Saint Laurent.
“I felt really amazing and just loved the look and feel of the clothes, especially how I looked in the suit… it all felt like a dream,” Steele told the Observer from Paris, minutes after the show. “I always wanted to do something special in my life, but this is amazing. My mom told me to do my best and I know I did.”
Pretty amazing indeed for the former Manchioneal All-Age School, Bath Junior High and Seaforth High School student who has, for the past four years, worked alongside his mother Magarieta Belafonte at the jelly shop.
A telephone call to his mom early yesterday afternoon was met with much elation. “I’m looking at my son in the Observer and feel so proud,” shared the soft-spoken Belafonte, who is related on her father’s (Rudolph George Belafonte) side to the iconic humanitarian, singer, actor and political activist Harry Belafonte.
What’s next for Steele?
“Well, I return home today from Paris and will leave the rest in God’s hands,” he shared.
Peters, who has demonstrated an uncanny knack for spotting talent, reckons that Steele has “what it takes to make it to the top”.
Peters, we suspect, has other plans. If leaving Jamaica for the very first time to land a spot on the coveted Saint Laurent runway is anything to go by, Steele’s dream is likely to continue.
