F  L  A  U  N  T

 The world of fashion can be a daunting industry to break into, requiring tremendous commitment and hard work to become a staple in this evolving space. Many young girls aspire to be like their favorite fashion supermodels who are constantly seen on billboards, popular fashion magazines, runways, and commercials. The fame, lifestyle, and notoriety are attractive components that have massive appeal to those who strive to become a top model in such a cut-throat industry.
Rebecca Mardikes is currently working towards that same dream, but her path to success is vastly different than many other models seen today. A start in the modeling industry came fairly naturally to Mardikes, as the Kansas City native started for fun when she was 18 years old. Mardikes always had the requisite elements for being a model, and in her home town she was often encouraged to pursue the career. However, she never prioritized modeling, as she excelled in both academics and athletics during her high school and college years.
Mardikes was a highly recruited athlete in high school for track and field, garnering the attention of some of the best universities for her accolades in the high jump event. She had already amassed college credits when she was still in high school, and decided to focus on academics. At age 22, Mardikes already completed her bachelor's degree, as well as a Master's degree in journalism, both from the University of Missouri- Columbia, a highly ranked journalism program in the United States. Post-graduation, she decided it was time to leave the Midwest, and she landed a job at a top PR firm in New York City, working as a fashion publicist.
Her career as a fashion publicist propelled Mardikes to immerse herself in the fashion world, not just as a publicist, but as a model as well. She created strong relationships with big name brands during her time as a fashion publicist, and did private modeling for Rebecca Minkoff during her time as an intern for the famed designer. During her time in PR, Mardikes worked hard to help the brands she was representing secure their own fashion placements in some of the most famous fashion publications, like: Forbes 30 Under 30, Vogue, Harpers-Baazar, Vanity Fair, In Style, and ELLE Magazine. This signaled to Mardikes that it was time for her to fully immerse herself in the fashion industry but to transition from publicist to model, and she has never looked back.
Mardikes went on to work with brands like Drunk Elephant, Express, Lucky Jeans, Athleta, Lee Jeans, Edition Hotels, and many more. She was signed to agencies in multiple cities and Mardikes’ work can be seen at some of the biggest fashion events in the world, as she was featured in Miami Swim Week, New York Fashion Week, and Paris Fashion Week.
Even though Mardikes never aspired to be navigating a modeling career, destiny has an uncanny way of unfolding, and unrelenting passion and work ethic also plays an important role in this equation.
When Mardikes isn’t busy working towards her modeling dreams, she enjoys spending quality time with her family, cooking, baking, journaling, and writing different styles of poetry.
Mardikes also has a passion for philanthropy, as she was always involved with helping tutor and mentor young children during her college years. She has plans to start a charity for children after her modeling career, but for now she is working hard to ensure her career trajectory continues to be on the rise, and Mardikes dreams of leaving her footprint on the world of fashion for years to come.
To learn more about Rebecca Mardikes and see some of her work, please check out her Instagram page- @RebeccaMardikes