She is undoubtedly the brightest star out of the Pulse model agency in Jamaica at this time.

Since 2016 Alicia Burke has been making a name for herself in the world of modelling, booking clients on both sides of the Atlantic, and being one of Jamaica’s most in-demand models on the circuit.

She is currently in Jamaica for Caribbean Fashionweek (CFW) which closes tonight with the showcasing of collections at Villa Ronai in St Andrew, but that almost didn’t happen. Burke had come home a week in advance and was preparing herself for the event when she was called away for a job in Spain. It took clever scheduling to get her back to Jamaica on Friday and once the shows finish she leaves immediately, heading back to Europe for an appointment with an undisclosed client on Tuesday.

Her list of clients includes Ralph Lauren, Tom Ford beauty, Brandon Maxwell, Dolce and Gabbana, and she has appeared in the French and Italian versions of the style bible Vogue, but Burke feels a sense of duty when it comes to the local and regional designers who share their collections at CFW.

“Coming home for Caribbean Fashionweek means a lot to me because that’s where it all started for me. So having the opportunity to be back home and doing these shows brings me back to where it all started and makes me appreciate how far I am, what I am doing and makes me appreciate the people that helped me to get to where I’m at now. Just being here with these people that were here from the beginning and all these younger models who are now looking up to me, reminds me that anything is possible.”

She doesn’t really have a dream client as she has worked with such an impressive slate. However, like any model who is serious about her work, Burke is focused on getting a cosmetic campaign contract. She names L’oreal and Maybelline as the two cosmetic giants she has her sights set on. On the runway side of the business, she described herself as being obsess with the Victoria Secret show and hopes one day to walk for the lingerie leader. As campaigns go for fragrances, the Jamaican beauty would love to represent the Dior brand one day.

“My two treasured moments would be Italian Vogue and French Vogue. They stand out because I did them when I just started my international career. I was so surprised. When I did the Italian Vogue cover it wasn’t a cover shoot, it was just to be a normal shoot and then I realised that I got the cover — It was amazing. I screamed, I cried, at one point I was doing both. I really treasure these moments because again it makes me realise that I can accomplish anything. It doesn’t matter how long or how short it takes, it can happen,” Burke told the Jamaica Observer.

A self-described control freak, Burke says the modelling industry has forced her to let go and allow the forces to take control.

“One of the best things about fashion and modelling is being able to travel the world and not knowing where you will be next. I like scheduled and being able to plan out my life. Modelling has really changed me a lot. I’m more relaxed. I enjoy each day as it comes and I live in the moment. Being able to travel and not know what you will be doing tomorrow is really a nice thing, and then having the opportunity to meet all these amazing people and work with them is another [one] of the things I love about the industry.”