At the young age of four, Renée Wilkins-Foster got her first gig as a model and it wasn’t long after when she started being featured in Farmers catalogues and children’s magazines. As a child Wilkins-Foster recalls her mother always being told to let her join a modelling agency, but was finally scouted years later in a supermarket when she was 14. A year later, after a lot of convincing from friends and family, she signed with Clyne Models in Auckland. Since signing she has been published in publications such as Fashion Quarterly, Girlfriend, Bride & Groom, New Zealand Weddings and more. Her biggest achievement so far is a tie between her LG TV commercial and her Wrangler campaign, “mostly because they were such fun jobs!” said Wilkins-Foster. However, the biggest shoot Wilkins-Foster has done was for a Chinese team called Coven Garden, as it was her first time shooting with a large international team.
Now signed with Priscilla’s Model Management in Australia, she plans to finish her degree and sign with more agencies around the globe. “Being a student means I haven’t been able to travel far as I can’t miss out on my studies,” explains Wilkins-Foster. After high school, Wilkins-Foster decided to pursue a degree instead of a full-time career in modelling as she said it was hard mentally and found she was not very happy at the time. Currently she is attending the University of Otago studying a Bachelors in Commerce. “I needed to be a student and act my own age for a while and will get back into it when I feel secure,” she said.
In the past she has modeled in Australia and thinks the New Zealand industry is very humble in comparison. Her biggest influence has been her mother and grandmother, “They are such strong independent women. They’ve brought me up knowing to expect nothing and work for everything,” said Wilkins-Foster.
