At age 15, most of us are far from camera-ready. But that’s not the case for sophomore Cypress Price, who has spent the last year of her life strutting down runways and working photo shoots.
Price was discovered during ninth grade while volunteering at a freelance modeling gig with her mom.
“A designer came up to me and asked me to model for her, and I was shocked,” she said. Since then, Price has modeled at Seattle Fashion Week, juggled freelance jobs, and worked with a Portland agency. She is currently represented by local agency Heffner Management, one of the largest direct booking agencies on the west coast.
But Price appreciates her career for more than just the publicity.
“My favorite thing is meeting people” Price said, “There are so many cool, interesting people, and a lot of them don’t treat me like a little kid or baby me, they’re professional.”
However, Price is also critical of the industry, as she mentions the hardships she has faced as a young black model.
“A lot of people don’t know how to do curly hair, so they just end up making it look worse,” Price said. She has also struggled with people urging her to smile more, even when she’s off-camera. Nevertheless, she commends the strides the industry has made in the past five years.
“It’s more diverse. A lot of black models used to straighten their hair and perm it or slick it back because people didn’t know what to do with it, but now you see black models with their natural hair out.”
Price is proud of her identity and sees modeling as an avenue to express herself and connect with others rather than just a way to sell products.
“A lot of models become just a mannequin, and that’s just how the industry wants them to be,” she said. Price hopes to combat this one-dimensionality by using her career to speak out on meaningful issues. Her favorite shoot was for a project in the Central District that combined activism, storytelling, and fashion.
“It was all about the black community and how Seattle is being gentrified,” Price said. “[It] was really fun because I got to meet a lot of cool people.”
Price plans on pursuing a fashion career in the future, but she recognizes the difficulty of making it as a model. Instead, she wants to be a fashion buyer, which would entail working with designers and sales representatives to select items for retail.
Both on and off camera, Price’s warmth and sincerity shines bright: “I love the Garfield community,” Price said with a smile. “I feel like people should spread love a little bit more here.”

Follow Cypress on instagram:
@cypressprice