{"id":5362,"date":"2022-02-07T21:49:43","date_gmt":"2022-02-08T02:49:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blackfashioncanada.ca\/database\/?post_type=cpt_portfolio&p=5362"},"modified":"2026-06-14T11:14:27","modified_gmt":"2026-06-14T15:14:27","slug":"gerard-gentil","status":"publish","type":"cpt_portfolio","link":"https:\/\/blackfashioncanada.ca\/database\/profiles\/gerard-gentil\/","title":{"rendered":"G\u00e9rard Gentil"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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June 2023<\/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

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G\u00e9rard Gentil isn\u2019t one to ignore opportunities for adventure in both his personal and professional lives. The free-spirited sense of self and way of life he\u2019s embraced has led to an extraordinary career.<\/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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Marilyn Brooks (Photo courtesy of Ge\u0301rard Gentil)<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\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
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Photo: G\u00e9rard Gentil,\nHair: La Coupe, Fashion Coordination: Calvin French<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\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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Born in Fort de France, Martinique, Gentil was the only son of three children, with sisters Jocelyne and Ghisl\u00e8ne. Father, Guy, was a major nurse in the French Navy and his mother, Am\u00e9lie, worked in a bank. He received his high school education at Lyc\u00e9e Victor Schoelcher.<\/p>

At seven years old, Gentil remembers taking a photograph of his then five-year old sister, Jocelyne, and he refers to it as his first fashion photo. \u201cAs an adolescent I\u2019d carry a camera everywhere, taking pictures of everyone I saw, including family,\u201d he remembers.<\/p>

Growing up in Martinique, Gentil moved on his own into a house near a hotel where he says, \u201cI occasionally spent time having a drink, listening to music and meeting tourists.\u201d One night he met two men on vacation from Montreal and quickly became friends. \u201cI offered to drive them around the island, saving them the cost of taxis,\u201d he explains. They were so happy to have met him, that before leaving, they said to him, \u201cIf you ever want to come to Montreal, you can stay with us,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/p>

Gentil, who was 19, took them up on their offer, moving to Montreal in 1967 during the excitement of Expo 67 (International and Universal Exposition), honouring Canada\u2019s 100th anniversary celebrations.<\/p>

After moving there, Gentil arranged to have dinner with his new friends at their apartment. One of the guests was the model Ulla Moreland, who asked if he was interested in becoming a fashion photographer.<\/p>

She explained the Montreal fashion industry to him, advising him on potential contacts and came up with concepts he should explore. \u201cUnfortunately, despite networking with several influential contacts, I felt dismissed by the industry, not taken seriously,\u201d he explains. But those rejections fueled his determination to succeed as a photographer and he enrolled in a private photography school, SMP (School of Modern Photography).<\/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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This special section creates a spread of 2 photos that will jut out into the side margin.<\/p>\n

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Marie, Ad\u00e9lina\u2019s daughter, Gerard's grandmother \nborn in 1888.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\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
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Ade\u0301lina, Ge\u0301rard's great grandmother, Slave person\u2019s daughter.\n(Photo courtesy of Ge\u0301rard Gentil)<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\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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“It\u2019s like I\u2019m on a tightrope, not really falling on either side. Because I don\u2019t look Black,\u201d he explains. \u201cI’ve never encountered people who would have problems with my being biracial.”<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Breaking Barriers<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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After five years in Montreal, Gentil moved to Toronto in 1972, to pursue his dream of learning English. While working with Chatelaine Magazine in the late \u201870s, \u201cI was lucky enough to shoot with Patti Hanson (Mrs. Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones), which she enjoyed,”<\/span> says Gentil<\/span>. “She spoke to Wilhelmina Cooper, the Dutch-American model and founder of Wilhelmina Models. Those kind words convinced Cooper to bring me into the American market, where I travelled the country with her, as a beauty pageant judge,\u201d he explains.
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\u201cDuring the time I opened my studio on New York\u2019s Fifth Avenue, Cooper became ill and died, just a few weeks after battling lung cancer,\u201d Gentil shares. We could hear his voice trembling through the phone as he was saying how sorry he is. \u201cSome people you just can\u201dt forget.\u201d\u00a0 he adds. He is full of gratitude for Cooper, who he credits for having a wonderful impact on his career. \u201cMy time with her represents a real milestone in my career,\u201d he states, speaking softly.<\/p>

Not long after she passed, Gentil started working with Eileen Ford of Ford Models. In the early \u201880s, Ford was one of the most powerful agents in New York. \u201cFord was a really big influence in my professional life,” Gentil admits. “That\u2019s when I started working with some of the big guys.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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