{"id":16578,"date":"2022-02-11T17:05:29","date_gmt":"2022-02-11T22:05:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blackfashioncanada.ca\/database\/?post_type=cpt_portfolio&p=26"},"modified":"2026-02-18T02:11:20","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T07:11:20","slug":"hondo-flemming","status":"publish","type":"cpt_portfolio","link":"https:\/\/blackfashioncanada.ca\/database\/fr\/profiles\/hondo-flemming\/","title":{"rendered":"Hondo Flemming"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Picture it: the mid-1980s and 20-something Hondo Flemming is living in Montreal, looking for his breakthrough modelling gig. He travels back and forth between Montreal and Europe for modelling gigs in hopes of finding his big break. For two months, he traverses Europe, going from one audition to the next, until he arrives in France.<\/span><\/p>

At an agency in Paris, he picked up a casting list, and on it there were markings with the letters \u201cNB\u201d beside specific designers. \u201cThis didn\u2019t mean \u2018no blondes\u2019 or \u2018no brunettes\u2019, no, it meant \u2018no Blacks\u2019,\u201d he says matter-of-factly.<\/p>

In the corner of the agency room he remembers seeing a group of Black men \u201chuffing and puffing\u201d because they had been rejected before they were able to audition. Flemming didn\u2019t want to join them and he asked his agent,\u00a0 \u201cDo you know for a fact that they don\u2019t use Blacks or up until now they have not used Blacks in their show?\u201d<\/p>

Ignoring the “NB” markings, he waited in line and presented his portfolio when he got to the front. They gave him a jacket, made him walk and he got the show. A year later he was called in Montreal because they wanted him for the next season\u2019s show.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Early Life and Career<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Flemming, was born in Trinidad and Tobago to parents, Joyce and Joe. When he was young, he wasn\u2019t certain he wanted to be a model. It would take the convincing of friends and family to inspire him to attend recruitment opportunities.<\/p>

\u201cAs far as fashion is concerned, that came later because it was a cousin of mine and a couple of friends were putting that thought in my mind, saying \u2018Hondo, man, you look good. You should start modelling,\u2019 and I kind of dismissed it,\u201d he says.<\/p>

Yet, once he was involved, he couldn\u2019t imagine doing anything else, and he did it in a way that was unique. \u201cI developed my own style and my own way of working through fashion shows, and I learned as I went,\u201d he says.<\/p>

Len D. Henry<\/a>, founder and Chief Executive at Delecant Media, fondly remembers \u201chiring Hondo for GQ shows back in the [19]90s.\u201d He says Flemming was a \u201cpleasure to work with. Outstanding model and a gentleman.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

This is the attitude that propelled Flemming beyond his colleagues and landed him prestigious modelling jobs. From the cover of Vogue<\/em> magazine to runways in Paris and Milan, he credits his success to his faith in God and confidence in himself.<\/p>

Says Flemming, \u201cI\u2019m telling people to let your light shine and have faith. You go and you shine. People who are looking at you, people who have never even thought of using anybody Black before, may look at you and say \u2018Oh, this person\u2019s got something!”<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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\u201cBack then it was a whole era of white is always right and it always will be; white is beauty,\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Fashion and Diversity<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Flemming explains that when he was most involved in the fashion world, which would have been the 1980s and 90s, many agencies or recruiters had a very specific image in mind of what they wanted for a photoshoot or runway show. He talks about how people of colour were sometimes chosen only to fill a certain quota, and not because of their talent or ability.<\/p>

\u201cBack then it was a whole era of white is always right and it always will be; white is beauty,\u201d says Flemming. Although this attitude is shifting now and diversity is being embraced, it was not always the case. He explains that being Black made it harder to break into the industry, but it never deterred him from pursuing his next project.<\/p>

Anna-Marie Sutherland, a Canadian model and actress who worked with Flemming in Europe, recalls how she \u201cwitnessed his ability to rise above racism,\u201d focusing on the work and jobs where he was appreciated. \u201cIt was inspiring,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cIt\u2019s all about how you, as a person of colour, work through that and responds to it\u2026 yes, I\u2019ve had some adversities in the past, but at the end of the day it\u2019s their loss and I move on to the next one,\u201d he states.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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I\u2019m telling people to let your light shine and have faith. You go and you shine.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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People who are looking at you, people who have never even thought of using anybody Black before, may look at you and say \u2018Oh, this person\u2019s got something!\u2019<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Influence and Legacy<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Hans Koechling, founder, producer and artistic director of The Image Is<\/a>, worked with Flemming in the 1980s and 90s as a model and a client. They have both a professional relationship and a friendship. \u201c[Hondo] is the kindest, sweetest man that you could work with\u2014a real pro and wonderful personality,\u201d says Koechling. \u201cHe was able to go to Milan and take off with the excellent work offered to him. I was very happy for him,\u201d he adds.<\/p>

Not only was this work great for Flemming himself in his personal life, but being a Black Canadian model on the cover of big magazines and walking international runways was an inspiration to others looking to do the same thing.<\/p>

\u201cWhen I came back home, a lot of people on the streets — Black people especially — would come up and shake my hand and thank me,\u201d says Flemming. \u201cThey would ask me questions and be interested in getting involved because they saw I was successful.\u201d<\/p>

From Harper\u2019s Bazaar<\/em> to Vogue Italia<\/em>, Flemming has graced many covers and fashion spreads. He has met other influential creatives such as Elton John and Robert Plant during his modelling career and as Flemming puts it, \u201cIt\u2019s just champagne flowing in this life. Not many people get to enjoy it, but I had the pleasure of experiencing these things, and the basis of it all is that I had my faith in God.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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I\u2019ve had some adversities in the past, but at the end of the day, it\u2019s their loss \u2014 and I move on to the next one.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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About the authors:<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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