“As an agency, we have to pivot, and we have to innovate;
we evolve and lead, but our talent also evolves and inspires us.”
Words by Christiana Alexakis. Portraits by Charles Cave.
Sometimes, our determination to transform dreams into reality is so dogged – so fierce – that it becomes our most potent antidote to the fear of failure. When the thought of never achieving those soaring goals stings harder than the thought of rejection, we are galvanized into action. Paula Karaiskos is qualified to give this advice because she’s lived it. It's what turned her childhood dream of working in fashion into a dazzling reality – her career leading the press team at one of the world’s most influential model agencies, Storm Management.
Greek–Cypriot Karaiskos grew up in London, where she found solace in the arts of storytelling, writing and style. Fashion was the perfect space for Karaiskos to marry all of these obsessions. Being one of the only Greek students at her school, the diversity in the industry was another draw-card, “I always felt like the outsider at school, I looked different, I was always curvier and had this wild curly hair... and that’s why I felt at home in fashion… because you can thrive as an outsider.”
The seed had been planted. Karaiskos earned a place to study Fashion Journalism at the London College of Fashion, where she excelled, before setting her sights on the job market. That’s when her dedication and confidence came into play, “I sent out over 50 letters, and I didn’t get one response, so I just thought, ‘Right, I’m going to stop counting and I’m just going to keep going. If you knock on enough doors, eventually, one will open.’”
The door that swung open was for an internship as Fashion Editor’s Assistant at a magazine. Karaiskos learnt quickly, helping wherever needed – styling shoots, writing copy, posting returns and liaising with PR accounts. A three-month internship became a year-long engagement, and through the contacts she’d built up there, Karaiskos landed a paid position at a Fashion PR agency. After a few years honing her skills, the Greek go-getter was ready for a new challenge – when she saw an advert for a job to work as Storm’s in-house PR, she decided to throw her hat in the ring.
It’s a testament to Karaiskos’s business acumen and charisma that she was offered the job during her interview. Of course, she had no way of knowing that that would happen when she began the meeting, but Karaiskos was the perfect fit for an agency run by the visionary and dynamic Sarah Doukas and her brother Simon Chambers, both of whom possessed the same winning combination – a creative vision married with a strong commercial focus.
Storm was founded by Doukas in 1987, with her brother joining one year later, and she famously discovered Kate Moss and many others, including Anya Taylor-Joy and Cara Delevingne. It was Doukas’s original backer, Richard Branson, who suggested that Storm build its own in-house PR team, something no one was doing at the time, and she agreed. Karaiskos would go on to prove the power of PR in crafting the rise and rise of the supermodel during the glory days of the nineties, “In-house PR was a new thing for a modelling agency, but Sarah and Simon have always been ahead of everyone else… And it was great for me because the media were looking for stars, and we had this golden era of really clever and really exciting women to present. The supermodel era was one of the most dynamic times to work in.”
Karaiskos has been with Storm ever since. But don’t be mistaken – a long tenure does not equate to monotony, “I have had six different careers at Storm because the industry evolves so regularly. I started as Storm’s Head of Press and evolved into an agent, booking advertising campaigns, magazine editorials and building brand partnerships. But PR still informs every conversation and decision."
“From the very beginning, Storm has never just been a model agency. This is not what Sarah planned; she always had a bigger picture in mind. Storm has always been the creator and provider of bold careers for talent, for impactful, creative and commercial collaborations in Fashion, Sport, Art and Entertainment.” The privately-owned business has carved out a niche for itself as a place where the mould has been shattered, time and time again. It’s natural territory for an agency that refuses to be defined by industry standards. There’s a legacy of rebellion that lives on today, “Sarah has always encouraged us to scout whoever we feel excites us. We’re able to give opportunities to people who perhaps wouldn’t have been an obvious candidate for a big model agency.”
It’s clear that Karaiskos is energized by this facet of her work – she bestows life-changing moments on others, helping to carve out careers for people where they thought there wasn’t one. As we speak, it becomes apparent she adores what she does because she struggles to settle on her favourite aspect of the job. For one, there’s the fulfilment of putting a deal together which ticks all the boxes, “not just commercially but creatively too” – the beauty that comes with shaping the services, defining the landscape of a deal and sprinkling on “a little bit of something unique and maverick that hasn’t been done before for your talent.”
Some of Karaiskos’s proudest moments are not her own awards and accolades but rather the quiet joy of booking a model’s first cover shoot, “They don’t believe it’s ever going to happen. But when they see themselves in a beautiful editorial shoot, it’s so elevated and prized… It’s an incredible moment.”
This philosophy of extending a hand outward to others goes to the heart of Karaiskos’s Greek roots, “As a consequence of my heritage I feel a huge sense of responsibility and I'm very active with everyone in my life that I care about… I have a responsibility for my children, obviously my family, but I feel I have the same level of commitment to the talent I work with.”
It’s no surprise that Karaiskos credits her Greek upbringing with making her the woman she is today. It’s provided her with a rock-solid foundation of values that she applies to her personal and professional life. “Greek people are survivors and inherently optimistic. We’re passionate. We’re also very strong and resilient, and we place huge value on family and loyalty. A lot of us believe in the impossible.” This quality – an almost relentless ability to dream in the face of adversity – has been a motif throughout Karaiskos’s life. That belief in the seemingly impossible led her to knock down hundreds of doors as a wide-eyed graduate, earning a job in one of the most competitive industries. Alongside that determination, humour is never too far away – I’m reminded of this as Karaiskos chuckles, “Sometimes that tendency means we think we are always right!”
Although she grew up in London, that nation of headstrong dreamers was never too far away. Karaiskos’s mother hailed from a tiny village in Cyprus, Psematismenos, nestled between Limassol and Larnaca, whilst her father came from the slightly larger village of Strovolos, near Nicosia. Karaiskos’s country has played a monumental role in crafting her identity, but what about her own role in shaping the talent she works with? Her ethos is simple, “I will never try to change anyone’s identity. I will use every skill I have to bring out their full potential.” Perhaps this is the key to her success as an agent – it’s not about turning someone into something they’re not; it’s about giving them the skills to flourish just as they are. “I try to give perspective and confidence to everyone I work with. Long careers have many highs and lows; very successful people fail regularly. The trick is to learn from that; park the failure inside a box and move on.”
It’s a philosophy that has served Karaiskos and her talent well. In a hypercompetitive industry where everyone has their own platform to curate a success story they share with the world, Karaiskos’s holistic approach is all about comparing less. She’s been in the fashion world long enough to know that you can’t look too hard at what anyone else is doing. “Comparison is the thief of joy. Stay in your lane, keep your foot on the accelerator and break when necessary. Work hard and don’t be afraid to dream big.”
Restrictive labels aren’t backing her or her talent into narrow corners. She may be known as a PR whiz, but Paula Karaiskos is also a keen sustainability advocate. When we ask what she’s most excited about in the future, she tells me it’s, “the move towards buying less but buying better; and more local manufacturing happening worldwide. Climate change is happening, and the impact is serious. I’d like to see more official infrastructures in place that support and reward fashion companies that want to be more sustainable so that this becomes the norm.”
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