MODEL & MUSICIAN TO KNOW: TORRAINE FUTURUM
TORRAINE FUTURUM
Torraine Futurum has undoubtedly paved her own way in the fashion, beauty, and music industries as a multi-hyphenate creative. With modeling campaigns for mainstream brands like H&M and Milk Makeup while also gracing the pages of CR Fashion Book, Paper Magazine, and OUT to name a few, her versatility is unmatched. Torraine is an advocate for individuality and strengthening your foundation in who you are as your best pathway to success.
SHEER: Tell us a little bit about yourself and where you're from.
TORRAINE FUTURUM: Well, I’m a model and musician. A lover and a fighter. My love and freedom are most important to me so my loving nature drops when my freedom is threatened. I try to produce work that works toward my goal of getting even more free and in turn, hopefully, I’ll free some others as well.
SHEER: Did you decide you wanted to pursue modeling or did it organically happen for you?
TF: Honestly, modeling happened by accident. I had already worked in the industry for a while, behind the camera before modeling, so I already had a great deal of respect the the industry and a love for clothing as expression. But I do not love the business aspect of it. But I knew from working on photo sets that models seemed to have a better, more leisurely time and stood to make a good piece of change doing so. In the right circumstances. So I knew I would be down for it. I reached out to Ethan James Green to be shot for the portrait series he was doing back in 2015 and my modeling career took off from there.
SHEER: What has been your most memorable experience as a model?
TF: I have had some incredibly rewarding and exciting experiences. My face was on the digital billboard at the Times Square H&M. That felt so mainstream. I love those moments when I feel like I’ve broken through. The H&M campaign, the Alexander McQueen campaign, Proenza Schouler, Adidas, Shiseido, Mac, the Candy Magazine cover, the ‘Boy Problems’ video. There’s so many things in my modeling career that have made me feel great. But I still have a long way to go to get where I need to be. I would love to be on a tv show or a movie. Something that, if I can be crass, would make me a lot of money and take my career to the next level. I’m getting married to the love of my life next year, and owning property in New York is not cheap!
SHEER: How do you stay grounded as a black woman working in the beauty and fashion industries?
TF: You know, I think it’s really important to be grounded. It’s the most obvious and cliché thing, but you really have to know who you are, and love who you are. You have to know that no matter how much the industry may not understand you, no matter how much they may fumble on the road to making the industry hospitable and equitable, you have to trust that your instincts and sense of self are always right. If someone doesn’t want to cast you, or pay you fairly, just remind yourself, it’s their loss. I think the worst thing someone in this industry can do is internalize mistreatment and rejection. You can never blame yourself for losing out on something. Know you deserve it, and know they were wrong for not seeing it.
“It’s the most obvious and cliché thing, but you really have to know who you are, and love who you are. You have to know that no matter how much the industry may not understand you, no matter how much they may fumble on the road to making the industry hospitable and equitable, you have to trust that your instincts and sense of self are always right. If someone doesn’t want to cast you, or pay you fairly, just remind yourself, it’s their loss.”
SHEER: You're also an incredible musician. When did you begin recording music and what inspired that path?
TF: Well, thank you for saying that. I appreciate it. I started recording music fairly recently. It started in the fall of 2016. It started because at the time I was doing subversive art photography. I thought I was gonna be Mapplethorpe or something. I was working on presenting some new work and planning the presentation. I decided to make a soundtrack just for the room, for ambiance. And I wanted the music to tie into the presentation for a fully immersive experience. During that process, I realized that I enjoyed working on music much more than photography. I’d bounced around through so many creative outlets, looking for the one that felt most expressive, most cathartic. I bounced from designing, to fashion journalism, to styling, to art photography, to finally finding the medium that could fully contain my vision of the world. And here we are. Music is definitely that medium. When I write, I feel understood. I understand myself more.
SHEER: How has creating music been therapeutic for you?
TF: Music is just the most unfiltered, unobstructed way for me to get my thoughts and emotions and world views out into the world. Everything else is an approximation.
SHEER: What do you envision for the future of your music?
TF: My goal is to just keep growing and challenging myself. To be more technically skilled. To stay curious. I also want to reach a lot more people and to inspire people and make them feel something. I’m currently working on two projects and plotting on a third. So I have the next three years loosely planned out.
“Music is just the most unfiltered, unobstructed way for me to get my thoughts and emotions and world views out into the world. Everything else is an approximation.
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SHEER: What advice do you have for women of color looking to break into the modeling and music industries without losing themselves?
TF: I think what I said before about knowing yourself works. Don't be defined by anyone outside of yourself. You have to have a vision for yourself and stick to it.