EXCLUSIVE Video: 'My Fashion Story' With Victoria's Secret Model Jasmine Tookes

As we first reported a few weeks back, the Victoria’s Secret fashion show was lit and had more than 20 Black models slaying the runway! Yet, as the world awaits the big television event this weekend, ESSENCE is already on-hand to bring you exclusive content from the show with behind-the-scenes footage and video interviews with some of the VS Angels- starting with supermodel Jasmine Tookes. Hailing from Huntington Beach, California, Tookes has modeled around the world for major companies such as Burberry, Moschino, Balmain, Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton, and is one of the very few Black models to have worked for Prada; she’s also one of three Black models to have worn the million-dollar Victoria’s Secret Fantasy Bra. Of her experiences she says, “Even though I may have been the only girl of color on the runway, it’s good for young girls to see that I can do it, and that they can do it too.” We caught up with Tookes in New York, before she hit the stage for the annual VS fashion show and she gave us some gems for young, Black girls trying to break into the fashion and modeling industry, “Own your body type, own your skin color, own your hair- because that’s what really shines through,” she says. Watch our exclusive ‘My Fashion Story’ video to find out more about Tookes becoming a Victoria’s Secret model, her moving to New York when she was 18, and being signed to top modeling agency IMG. Stay tuned on ESSENCE.com for more exclusive Victoria’s Secret fashion show coverage this week, leading up to the big show airing on Sunday, December 2nd, at 10:00 PM (ET), on ABC.