In Toronto, Rhiannon Higgins is making a name for herself as a model.

She moved to the Canadian city for university in 2021 and signed with Dulcedo Management, a “renowned” agency with offices there and in Montreal.

Work quickly followed. The 19-year-old has modelled for Ana Koi Bridal and other wedding companies; she’s been in magazines and is also on the websites of clothing stores Bluenotes and Aéropostale.

Rhiannon got her start here, in the 2019 Bermuda Fashion Festival, while still a student at Bermuda High School.

“At first I was pretty bad and I didn't have a lot of experience — but that's how we all start,” she said. “I have to shout out Brandon Morrison, a great photographer in Bermuda. He literally taught me everything. He helped me build my portfolio and get a lot of experience in Bermuda.”

Hired by local brands 1609, BDA Watersports and Factor Bermuda, she “started to really enjoy it”.

“I just started reaching out to people and then from that local photographers and brands started reaching out to me, and then I just kept up with it. But it was hard to do because modelling is not that popular [in Bermuda]. I tried to take every opportunity I could and then I finally felt like I outgrew that.”

A year later, as she prepared to head to Humber College to study commerce, she “took it upon [herself] to reach out to agencies in Toronto”.

“I did a lot of research — reviews about the agency, the work they do, how diverse they are — and I narrowed it down to a couple that I knew would be close to where I was going to school.

“There's not a lot of agencies in Toronto. I just went with the top three I found that were more suitable for me and just applied online. I filled out a form and sent them my Polaroid photos, which are basically casting photos. And then I got into two of them,” Rhiannon said.

Just as she was ready to sign with an agency, Covid-19 hit and closed everything down.

“I was online my whole first year of school because of Covid and it delayed my timing with agencies. So then, when I got a new opportunity, I just went with that.”

The chance came in the summer of 2021. Malika Serrar, the owner of Front Street salon Pull My Hair, connected her with the agency she scouts for, Dulceda Management.

“It worked out because I was coming up for [the start of the school year]. I met with the agency and for the past six months I've just been working on my portfolio. I've been in a magazine so far, I've worked with Aéropostale and Bluenotes and a couple big bridal companies here in Toronto,” Rhiannon said.

“And just over time, because it's been like three years now, I've gotten way more confident in knowing angles and knowing how the camera works. I've gotten a lot better — but it definitely took a lot of practice and experience.”

At 5ft 9in she isn’t limited to any particular type of work.

“It depends on the shoot. It changes. I’m not in any specific category, which I like because I'm still experimenting, but a lot of e-commerce and high fashion is what I'm doing right now.”

As for the long term, she doesn’t really have a plan other than to complete her degree.

“Honestly, I don't know. I'm going to continue my education and get my degree as a back-up but I'm going to stick with modelling because it's just what I really want to do — and I've already made it pretty far just by myself. On my own. So I just want to see how far I can go and how far it would take me because I have so much love for modelling. It's a really great experience for me and I just enjoy it a lot.”

Visit Dulcedo Management at www.dulcedo.com/. Follow RhiannonHiggins on Instagram