Life & Work with Allisah Kalen

Today we’d like to introduce you to Allisah Kalen.

Hi Allisah, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
It has been quite the whirlwind since the last time we spoke! For those just tuning in, modeling & fashion is something I have always been passionate about. I graduated from Auburn University with B.S. in Apparel Design, and halfway through college I took modeling from a hobby to a career – and haven’t looked back since!

I’m very proud of how far I’ve come – booking multiple campaigns, traveling the United States, and helping others along the way through V MGMT. In 2021 I had the honor to attend Coco Rocha’s Modeling Camp, not once, but twice after she personally invited me back for a second time on scholarship. Being completely honest with you, before this was a time I was really struggling. Imposter syndrome and the pandemic blues were kicking my a**, and to top it off I had an agent that was telling me I needed to lose 15-20 pounds to “be a good model”. Then I went to CRMC & it changed my life, Coco told me “Allisah this is your element!” and now no one else can tell me any different, haha.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The fashion and entertainment industries are no joke. There are literally people out there who make a living off exploiting others’ dreams. Avoiding scams has constantly been a struggle and continues to be today. If every “job” I’ve been offered was legit, I would be a millionaire by now. The scary part is if I went through with said scams, I’d end up with a drained bank account, or worse – sold into human trafficking. It’s a scary world out there, and without the right head on your shoulders, it can go downhill really fast. That’s a big reason I started The V MGMT Group – to help other models & creatives kickstart & grow their careers while avoiding the hardships I had to face. With that being said, let’s also not forget the fact I started my business in 2019, then got whacked with a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic almost immediately after … so if that doesn’t tell anything about my luck, I don’t know what will!! All jokes aside though, I know now if I could make it through that – I can make it through anything.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I do a bit of everything! I’ve dabbled in the likes of modeling, design, styling, hair & makeup, creative direction, photography- all of the above! I’ve even been a dj since 2012 (I’m old school and mixed live though, don’t try to get me to figure out how to do the electronic stuff haha – I haven’t had enough time in the day to learn that yet). That’s actually where my agency’s name came from – the “V” stands for “Vogue” since my dj name is DJ Vogue because vogue means “to dance in a way that mimics a model on a catwalk”. As a model/dj, I couldn’t think of anything more perfect!!

I’d say my specialty though is modeling/management and creative direction, I love more than anything helping others bring their dream career, or their vision for their brand, to life. I’m proud to be only 26 and a full-time creative entrepreneur guiding people to appreciate the beauty in both themselves and others.

Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
When I was in like Kindergarten, or somewhere around then, my best friend’s mom worked at Dillard’s. I remember she would ask me to do the kid’s fashion shows, and when I tell you I had the time of my life… I mean it. I wanna say I was playing a Bratz game or something at the time where they had a runway show in it and the characters posed at the end – so when I got to the end of that “runway” I posed my little butt off, and the crowd loved it. I knew from there on out this was meant for me. I loved every minute of it.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.vmgmtgroup.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allisahkalen
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@allisahkalen?_t=8X8QAShgQgs&_r=1

Image Credits
Feature Photo – Matthew Tyler Priestly Headshot Photo – Portraits by Rainbow