PBN 2021 Business Women Awards
Achievement Honoree: Yemi Sekoni, Donahue Models & Talent LLC
YEMI SEKONI, owner and director of Donahue Models & Talent LLC in Cranston, is pulled in many different directions, driven by a love of fashion and engagement.
In addition to overseeing the modeling agency, Sekoni is president and creative director of Lights|Fashion|Philanthropy, the fashion-event production and entertainment arm of the agency; founder and creative director of Rhode Island Fashion Week; and publisher and editor-in-chief of Trade Secrets, an online magazine for the modeling industry.
It’s not unusual for Sekoni to be juggling multiple projects at once, all while she’s dreaming up ideas for new projects then acting quickly on them. “I am super organized and cannot function if there is too much disorder,” she said.
Her journey to becoming a small-business owner took a roundabout path. Sekoni worked in banking, mainly business development, in the early to mid-2000s, for the former FleetBoston Financial and for Citizens Bank N.A., before taking a role as special events manager at Homefront Health Care in Pawtucket from 2008 to 2010.
Along the way, Sekoni “fueled [her] soul” by auditioning for acting jobs. In about 2005, she sought to improve her articulation and stage presence, getting instruction at Donahue Models & Talent.
Little did she know that the agency’s founder, Annette Donahue, had other plans.
Sekoni joined the agency as a model in 2005, at age 30. But Donahue, who founded the business in 1973, was looking for someone to buy it and run it with the same care and passion she had.
“She kind of identified my enthusiasm and decided to start involving me behind the scenes to pull clothes for shows,” Sekoni said of Donahue. “She began to mentor me, asked me about my citizenship status, my background.”
It took Sekoni 18 months to put together the business plan to buy the agency 10 years ago. She now reflects on how incredible the relationship and experience has been for two women whose backgrounds had been so different.
The COVID-19 pandemic hurt business, but work has picked up lately. Photo shoots are now spread over days to prevent having too many people together on location, Sekoni said.
Sekoni launched Fashion Fete under the Lights|Fashion|Philanthropy umbrella, running YouTube virtual fashion shows with designers from all over the globe.
Sekoni said she believes the pandemic has also brought more of an eco-chic, bohemian vibe to fashion, with so many people taking time at home to clean out their closets and form outfits with clothing they already own.
