Canadian model and Instagram influencer Ashley Smouter aptly combines modeling with a social media presence. “I like where we are now with social media. I think it gives models the opportunity to showcase more of their personalities, interests, and other skills,” speaks Ashley of the advantages of social media today. She certainly knows what she is talking about, given that her Instagram follower count is close to a whopping 600K.
Born in Toronto, the youngest of three siblings, Ashley got a degree in psychology and sociology after high school. She later took a break from modeling to get her bachelor’s degree, before returning to the fashion world full time. Ashley got an early start in the modeling business, when she was scouted at the age of 12—quite early by industry standards. Her parents wisely were cautious thinking she was too young to get started back then. Having eventually signed with Elite Model Management in 2008, Ashley has worked as a professional model full time since then.
Ashley sees her determination as her primary asset and driver. Despite being very fortunate early in her career and getting a lot of bookings and positive feedback from clients, she bravely coped with the obstacles on the way to success. Obstacles were coming in the shape and form of a continuous line of new models coming in the door. Through hard work and determination, Ashley got over those hurdles, clearly seeing her goals and ready to work hard towards that end.
“I’m a chameleon,” discloses Ashley the secret behind her success. “Fashion is always moving and I move with it. I’ve never been stuck in a single place, or with a narrow thought of who I am. I’m constantly moving and finding new ways to build my brand,” she adds. The adaptability and an unrelenting drive for self-perfection in the best sense of the word have been the prerequisites for her ascent in the modeling business. She also genuinely enjoys what she is doing. “It’s such a creative space and sharing that space with other creative minds is lots of fun,” shares Ashley. “I also really love the feeling of doing something ‘new’ every day. Whether it’s a new location, a new style (editorial, beauty, castings, etc), a new team, there’s quite a variety and change each day.” There are perks that come with the profession, and the most pleasant one for her has been the extensive travel to places she would have never visited had it not been for the job.
Being an animal lover, Ashley uses her social media platform to promote the cause and help various animal charities. In fact, her dream job is to collaborate with a designer and create a line of faux fur coats, and then model them. Her other desire is to go back to work with Vogue, which she did early in her career in Milan. In a bid to expand her online presence and promote her cause, she is launching a YouTube channel in mid-December. So follow Ashley on Instagram for the news about the upcoming launch which she promises will have “a lot of fun stuff.”