Paris Runway Official sends their Model, Shay Duff, to London Fashion Week to walk for Jimmy Choo's JCA

Two Weeks In, Paris Runway Official Model Shay Duff Lands a London Fashion Week Show With Jimmy Choo’s JCA

Just weeks after joining Paris Runway Official’s model program, 19-year-old Irish model Shay Duff has secured a place in the JCA | London Fashion Academy MA Show on September 21... marking an early career milestone with the fashion academy founded by Professor Jimmy Choo OBE.

For a new model, the first few weeks with an agency can often be about preparation: building a portfolio, developing confidence, attending castings and waiting for the first significant booking.

For Shay Duff, that wait lasted approximately two weeks.

The 19-year-old Irish model, who recently joined Paris Runway Official’s model program, has been selected to model in the JCA | London Fashion Academy MA Show on September 21, giving Duff an early opportunity to step onto a London Fashion Week-season runway connected to one of fashion's most recognizable names.

Founded by Professor Jimmy Choo OBE, JCA | London Fashion Academy was established in London as both a fashion school and professional incubator, with an emphasis on developing emerging designers and fashion entrepreneurs. Its graduate showcases have become part of its London Fashion Week presence, providing MA designers with an opportunity to present their work to an industry audience.

From New Model to London Runway

Duff's booking is particularly notable for its timing.

He had been part of the Paris Runway Official model program for only a matter of weeks when confirmation arrived that he had been selected for the September 21 show.

For a model at the beginning of his career, it represents more than another addition to a portfolio. It puts Duff into a professional runway environment alongside emerging designers at a moment when London's international fashion community is gathered for Fashion Week.

JCA's previous MA showcases have been designed to introduce graduating designers and their brands to fashion media and industry professionals, combining the traditional graduate runway with the academy's focus on entrepreneurship and building commercially viable fashion businesses. 

And for Duff, it is precisely the kind of experience that can begin building a runway résumé.

A Fast Start for Shay Duff

Duff joined Paris Runway Official as an emerging male model with international ambitions. At 19, he is still at the beginning of that journey but his first weeks have already produced a significant opportunity.

Landing a JCA runway so quickly is also an encouraging introduction to the international direction Duff hopes to pursue. Rather than waiting months for his first major Fashion Week opportunity, he will now head into September with a London booking already confirmed.

There will be more castings, more introductions and undoubtedly more competition ahead. One booking cannot define a modeling career.

But first bookings have a way of becoming important ones.

For Shay Duff, two weeks inside the Paris Runway Official model program have already led to a London Fashion Week-season runway. Now comes the part that matters most: stepping onto it.