Miss J Alexander: Exclusive interview with the SCAD ambassador

The legendary runway coach, Miss J Alexander started as a model for Jean Paul Gaultier and went on to give runway tips to models backstage but little did he know that this would launch his career into what it is now. Moving on to become a runway coach and judge on the popular reality television series, ‘America’s Next Top Model’, Miss J immediately became the dominant figure for casting fashion shows and teaching models how to rule the runway with poise and confidence.

“Creep before you walk.” No, that’s not the advice Miss J had for working the catwalk but just a brilliant nugget of wisdom he threw out during our rather animated interview at SCAD Hong Kong.

Miss J attended SCAD Hong Kong’s inaugural fashion showcase as an ambassador where we got to pick his fabulous mind on Asia’s fashion scene, modelling, fashion’s influences and even his childhood dreams. Trust us, with his combined level of sass and wit, no second went by that didn’t leave us blinking in awe. Like us you’ll take away a thing or two about living life by asking questions, taking risks, staying humble and having needle-like observational skills – all sprinkled with a huge dose of creativity of course.

MFA: What was your childhood dream when you were growing up?

Miss J: Living in South Bronx, number 7 of 10 kids… I think I probably wanted to be a white woman. Oh I always wanted my parents to get a divorce and I’ll tell you why. White people always say, ‘you’re not my mother, you can’t tell me what to do!’ and I always wanted to say that but of course that never happened [laughs].

I was really in my own world then and had no boundaries. I remembered just wanting to do things that I like. Then I thought I would become an accountant because I had a sister (who’s now deceased) and she’s an accountant – I really looked up to her. But I still always went back to the department stores, looking at the things I couldn’t afford.

As I became older, left the Bronx and moved to Manhattan – I just wanted to be a part of any and everything.

My father used to tell me, ‘you’re funny, if I had money, I’ll put you on TV,’ so I wanted to be on TV. When Tyra Banks called me to be on the show [ANTM], she said Miss J is going to be huge and I thought, okay. I went into it thinking it’s a job, just teaching people how to walk. Tyra knew the show was going to be big but I had no idea so she had a vision that I never had.

Marie France Asia: How did you learn about SCAD and how did this collaboration come about?

Miss J Alexander: I learned about SCAD through Andre Leon Talley who told me to come down and help cast the school’s fashion show. The students were going to be used as models in the fashion show and I was supposed to teach them how to walk – that was 14 years ago. SCAD is of course an incredible school with an incredible faculty. I didn’t realise how big SCAD was – a school that can bring in Oscar de la Renta, Tom Ford, John Galliano, Marc Jacobs, Manolo Blahnik, Vera Wang is just incredible.

MFA: What was the greatest moment about SCAD HK’s showcase?

Miss J: The greatest moment was just watching the people support the show and I think that’s very very important. Watching the models and watching the crowd come in and support the clothing makes me certain that SCAD HK is going to become bigger. And I met some of the students here who I know from Savannah – it’s always great to see them smile, develop and prosper into something great.

MFA: What are your thoughts on Hong Kong or Asia’s fashion scene? Is there anything that inspires you?

Miss J: People on the street are very inspiring because there’s where the fashion is. Fashion comes from the people on the streets but they don’t realise how inspiring they are. To me, fashion is simply putting things together and about breaking the rules, which the younger people are doing.

If I never broke the rules, I would never be where I am right now. Just a little about me, I went into school to be an accountant. But at that time I thought I was a white woman and I would walk up and down Madison Avenue, looking into the stores, thinking when could I afford to buy that. Thank God for Commes des Garcons’s Rei Kawakubo because she allowed me to cut a hole in her top, put a sash on it and call it an outfit. She then told me it would be great to go to Jean Paul Gaultier’s show in New York.

Essentially, I think going to a formal school is important but so is learning from the streets. I call it ‘listening with my eyes’ because you can learn a lot from looking. There are all types of beauty around you from which you can be inspired to create beautiful things.

I think design is about taking risks and putting yourself out there because everyone is not going to like what you do. Not everyone has the same taste as you and so I think you’ll just have to work a little bit harder on that creative front.

MFA: What annoys you the most when you coach amateur models?

Miss J: There was one student I remember having – a beautiful girl – and I remember asking her to do the same thing over and over again. I give the same direction I give a regular model but sometimes I walk them through it.

When you’re in this business, you may think you’re supposed to be perfect but well you’re not. So all I need is for them to open up and make mistakes. What annoys me is when you don’t pay attention and whine and cry. With one girl I finally yelled at her and made her do just something simple 5 more times – I just thought she wasn’t into it.

And there was another who told me that she didn’t like to be told what to do in front of people. You came to the casting voluntarily to be in the show, I’m explaining things to you and you’re not getting it but you say you don’t like to be criticized in front of people. Then I think she shouldn’t be alive at that point.

MFA: What are some of the positive and negative influences that fashion can have?

Miss J: The positive influence that fashion can have is that it allows you to travel the world. It allows you in to places where possibly none of you would otherwise be able to you. I mean would you be able to go into the workrooms of Dior of Saint Laurent? You may be starving for a little bite of that as an outsider but as a model, you’re in. You get to meet great people and you get to become a little secure with who you are. The downside is you become a little insecure because you may be great for Milan but horrible for Paris.

It’s very simple, the great thing about modelling is you get paid a good deal of money for your job. You get to do things you never thought you could do. Anorexia does exist for some girls but a lot of girls are just naturally thin. They’re doing 20 shows in New York, 17 shows in Milan and 18 shows in Paris so they’re constantly moving and constantly burning.

The downside of it is that you’re always in demand and you’re always pushing yourself.

Tarandip Kaur

Read more:

Cream of the Crop: SCAD Hong Kong’s inaugural fashion showcase