Yuma native inks contract with Ford modeling agency

One of the world's biggest modeling agencies recently signed a Yuma native, welcoming Dallas Hernandez into the ranks of such big-name alumni as Cheryl Tiggs, Ali McGraw, Candace Bergen, Linsday Lohan and Kirsten Dunst.

Ford Models in New York City has certainly produced some big names in modeling and beyond and that's exactly the kind of magic Hernandez, 15, hopes to see the company work on her career.

"I want this to go as far as it can take me," Hernandez told The Sun. "I would love to walk for designers like Chanel and Versace. I would also love to do Vogue. I feel like I am living my dreams right now."

Hernandez, who now lives in Denver, was born in Yuma and lived here until four years ago. She's the daughter of Sandra and Thomas Gordy.

The young model and her family recently traveled to Manhattan, where she signed a three-year contract with Ford Models, a powerhouse in modeling that boasts offices everywhere from Paris to Rio de Janeiro.

The next step for Hernandez is spending her spring break in New York City, living in Ford's "models' apartment" and working on photos for her portfolio.

"It's one of the biggest modeling companies in the world," enthused mother Sandra Gordy. "They have a lot of the world's top models there."

For Hernandez, this big step in her modeling career is actually her first. She's been singing and dancing for years, but modeling is a new adventure.

"She has no experience," Gordy said. "Usually they ask girls who are just starting out to go home and gather some experience, do some shows. For Dallas just to walk into this is just amazing. It's been a bit of a whirlwind for us!"

Hernandez's introduction to Ford Models truly did happen quickly. Gordy sent some photos of her daughter to Ford back in late March, expecting at best to hear back sometime down the road. Well, that call from Ashley in the Chicago office came the very next day.

"Ashley told us 'Dallas is perfect for New York.' We were asked for photos of Dallas without makeup and a video of her walking in swimsuit," Gordy recalled. "From the time Ashley (e-mailed) those things to New York, it was only 45 minutes later that she was calling saying 'The people in New York want to see her.'"

The folks at Ford Models said this about Hernandez: "They said she is very edgy and very New York."

The contract was signed in September.

"I was excited," Hernandez said, "but it didn't really hit me until the next day when I went to my first photo shoot. The photographer had shot Rihanna and just finished a spread in Cosmopolitan. It hit me then that I was really going to do this."

Since then, Hernandez has been booked for her first big modeling show. It's the Max Holiday Fashion Show, where front-row seats will be going for $300.

"The owner and director of the show usually asks that he not be sent girls who haven't walked (the runways)," Gordy said. "But his people told him 'No, you have got to see this girl. She's just fabulous.'"

Hernandez had been asking for several years to get involved in modeling, but her mother always said to wait until she was 15. So in the meantime, Hernandez performed in Yuma with Jazz of Yuma and Yuma Ballet Theatre.

Now that the modeling career has begun - and in such a big way - Gordy admits that it's been a lot to handle all at once.

"It's been a bit scary, I guess. I feel I need to keep her grounded, make sure she keeps up on her studies. She does well in school, thankfully. I feel as long as I am with her over the next couple years as much as I can, everything should be OK. If I sense something is amiss, I will rein her in."

Gordy and her husband are trying to move back to Yuma but are open to the fact that Hernandez may have to move to New York sometime soon.

"I hope we can balance everything with her being here or there and modeling," the mother said. "We're just going to take it as it comes."

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Darin Fenger can be reached at
dfenger@yumasun.com or 539-6860.