Most of us will never have the chance to witness first-hand, all the buzz and excitement that goes on behind the scenes at New York Fashion Week.

But for 24-year-old model Lillian Lightbourn, it’s been one of the perks of her job since 2011.

Miss Lightbourn, recently named Miss Bermuda 2014, was able to model next season’s hottest wears from some of her favourite designers at last week’s extravaganza. She took time to share some of her photos from the event with The Royal Gazette’s Lifestyle section — and talked about some of the highs and lows from the thrilling experience.

Was this your first time taking part in New York Fashion Week?

I’ve wanted to take part in New York Fashion Week ever since I moved to New York City in September 2010. That next year, I was given the chance to take part in Fashion Week for the first time, so I’ve taken part regularly since then.

How did the opportunity come about to model on the international stage?

I came to modelling here just by taking that step and finding an agency. My older sisters helped me so much with that by letting me make phone calls to New York on their phones. And to be honest my entire family’s support is what really helped me to be where I am today as a model in the big city.

What’s your favourite part of being in this industry?

The best part of fashion is everything — it is all about the designers and the models. Fashion seems to be taking a turn right now where designers are interested in getting to know their models again like they did when there used to be ‘super models’, so I love it! I always have fun and I always look forward to taking part in Fashion Week every year. One of the high points that came about from this year’s event has been getting to do shows with all my friends, meeting the casting directors, booking jobs, and just being busy.

Have there been any challenges?

Fashion is hard because we have so many castings every day. My first Fashion Week was the hardest because it was my first winter in the city. I didn’t have the correct snow boots to handle the harsh winters and I didn’t know that much about the industry. It comes by learning about things like what to wear or what not to say. This industry is nothing like what you see on shows like America’s Next Top Model, but it’s still lots of fun. The best part is that New York becomes a huge global market, you meet models from every part of the world. For now I am the only Bermudian model people say they’ve met during Fashion Week, but I can tell that will change soon and I can’t wait. Models always have their crews — whether it’s the Brazilians, the Caribbeans, Europeans — so to have a Bermudian crew would be nice. One other thing I’ve found hard since entering the industry is getting people to believe you are the ‘one’ for their brand during Fashion Week. There are thousands of models and only ten to 30 spots for each show. It all depends on how well your bookers believe in you and how well you believe in yourself. Casting directors can tell when a girl is or isn’t ready for Fashion Week.

Which designers did you model for?

One of my favourites was when I got to model for my friend BruceGlen’s show. They preached at The Rock Church that I attend. They are so talented and had an amazing show [that] night.

What’s next in your career?

I am looking forward to so much this year, especially with Miss World coming up [in London in December]. I am also beginning to be a lot more interested in being behind the camera and directing so we will see where this takes me. I am just excited for all the great things God has in store for me! My pastors and leaders pray for me at church and continue to encourage me. There are difficult moments for sure, but I am happy that whenever I go somewhere there is someone from my church behind the scenes, taking photos, holding the castings — Jesus is really taking over. I am still looking forward to modelling in London, Milan and Paris!