'Working for Kim Kardashian was an incredible experience,' says SA model

Summer Zoe Thompson taught herself to walk in high heels when she was 11 by watching the FashionTV channel.

Ten years later, the Cape Town beauty is working with some of the world's biggest celebs and designers, including reality-TV star Kim Kardashian and British designer Vivienne Westwood.

Thompson, who is based in Los Angeles, was selected in June as one of the models for KKW's Sooo Fire Collection, which features a range of eye-shadow shades and glosses.

"Working for KKW [Kim Kardashian West] was an incredible experience. Something that

I will cherish forever. The team creatively as a whole was so overwhelmingly strong and I'm incredibly grateful to have been a

part of it," she said.

The shoot was directed by Kanye West's creative director for Yeezy, Kim Schraub.

"Being able to see everyone really give it their all to create has been the most rewarding part of my job," Thompson said. "I thrive in creative spaces, and being exposed to such creatives, people who I have respected and admired for years, is a true privilege."

In 2015, a few months after completing matric, she modelled for New York Fashion Week and she regularly does shoots for Nike.

She rates being booked to model for Westwood in 2016 as one of the top jobs of her career. "It was a major turning point. Seeing someone like Vivienne Westwood so involved throughout fittings and the show, and how incredibly uplifting she is towards her girls, was absolutely astounding."

Thompson, who was scouted when she was in grade 9, said she had always been passionate about fashion. "I started watching FashionTV when I was 11 years old. I would see girls run in and out of casting, walking then running, and go to pre-show fittings. This is how I learnt to walk in a pair of heels."

Even though her mother was wary when she was first recruited, Thompson says her family have been her biggest fans and support system. "My dad thought it was the coolest thing, but my mom was a bit more apprehensive. However, she quickly turned around and too became my no 1 support system. From driving me to castings, to waiting at shoots, my mother has always been there for me."