Backstage is a whirlwind of activity and chaos, a place where months of hard work and artistry come to life. The models arrive hours before show time, familiarizing themselves with the runway, practicing their walks and running through their looks. Soon, they are whisked away for final outfit fittings, hair and makeup. Amidst the organized chaos, the atmosphere is filled with excitement and anticipation as everyone works hard to ensure the show is a success.

Sophomore Eva VonAllmen first stepped foot into the fashion industry after getting scouted while shopping at Splash Boutique at 13. Once she turned 14, she officially joined the St. Louis-based agency Mother Model. Since then, she has modeled for several photo shoots and runways, including a fashion show hosted by Washington University in St. Louis.

“I’ve always loved fashion even before I got scouted,” Eva said. “This is a really cool way for me to be involved in the fashion industry, but not necessarily needing to become this big name designer.”

Eva had her first big project in Nov. 2022, where she participated in the Tribute Runway Show, the biggest annual fashion event in St. Louis.

“Runway is just a surreal experience where you get to practice your walk, get hair and makeup done and then put [different] outfits on,” Eva said. “It’s just a really neat experience. I love that a lot.”

The Tribute show was an especially proud moment for her father, David VonAllmen. 

“[Eva] had recently turned 15, and it was a big event with agents from modeling agencies all over the world,” David said. “There were agents from New York, Los Angeles, Milan, Paris and Tokyo. It was a huge crowd, [but] she just went out there and did it like it was no big deal. I thought it was fantastic.”

As many would expect, being a part of the fashion industry as a teenager is something that can often attract the curiosity of her peers.

“For me, it’s not a big deal, I just see it as something that I do,” Eva said. “[However, there’s] just the pressure of trying to always look good and live up to these expectations.” 

David often expresses his support by showing up to Eva’s shoots and photographing her for fun. However, he initially had worries about her being able to maintain her education along with her modeling career. 

“I wasn’t really in favor of it at first, but she has always gotten good grades,” David said. “She picks good kids to be friends with and never gets in trouble. I [think] she’s earned the right to make her own decisions and this is something she wanted to do.” 

Josie Buescher, a fellow model at Mother Model, has worked with Eva in multiple projects, including Tribute. Three years older than her, Buescher offers Eva words of wisdom about  their agency and the industry.

“Mother [Model] is very welcoming and supportive,” Buescher said. “I know that between other agencies or when you go to bigger markets like New York, there can be a lot of competitiveness. But at Mother, they’ve always worked to make a really uplifting environment.”

Eva has only participated in three shows so far, but has one scheduled for November. During lunch or dinner breaks at fashion events, the models spend their free time hanging out and socializing with each other. 

“Eva has always been really sweet, and a nice face to see when you walk into a show,” Buescher said. “I think that she has a very promising future as a model and [is] very talented.”

Despite her love and dedication towards modeling, Eva still has many other interests and passions outside of the industry. She plans to further her education in college while pursuing modeling, but has some uncertainties regarding the future.

“I’m hard on myself about my grades,” Eva said. “It’s been pretty easy to balance so far, but that’s probably going to change as I get older and more modeling opportunities open up for me.”

Recently, she has started researching possible colleges and majors she’s interested in pursuing, specifically within the field of chemistry. Eva took her first chemistry class in middle school.

“Chemistry is one of those subjects that has really sparked my interest since eighth grade,” Eva said. “NYU definitely caught my eye because it has that major and obviously there’s New York Fashion Week. Many agencies have their home bases in New York.”

Modeling has served as a stepping stone that allows Eva to further explore her identity and connect with other girls her age. Along with her ambitions within science, she has many aspirations she hopes to accomplish within her career as a model. 

“It would be such a cool thing in the future to be able to model something for Vivienne Westwood or Miu Miu,” Eva said. “[And] I’d be honored to wear Coach and Dior among other designers, but that would be in the far future.”