ADVERTISEMENT When two twins were born with unparalleled beauty, they took the internet by storm and we’ve got all the images that have captivated people around the world ever since. New borns In 2010, married couple Kevin and Jaqi Clements welcomed two twins into their lives. Jaqi gave birth to the twins a little earlier than her due date and luckily the girls, Ava Marie, and Leah Rose Clements were both very healthy. It was there that the married couples’ lives changed forever, and they never knew their twins would take this path.

A head start As soon as the girls were born, they enticed the nurses and doctors at the hospital with their beauty. And nothing has changed as they’ve got older. Obviously, their biggest supporters are their parents and with their mother’s help, they have become well known and sort after professional models.

Due date It was on July 7, 2010, that the twins were first welcomed into the world and Jaqi and Kevin knew exactly what their names were going to be. Ava Marie and Leah Rose arrived early, however, Jaqi understands now exactly why they did. As she went into labor four and a half weeks before her due date, Jaqi explained: “They came four and a half weeks early but knowing their personalities now it makes total sense that they would show up early, unannounced, and ready to take on anything.”

Everyone noticed Both parents knew their children were exceptionally gorgeous, as do all new parents but it quickly became apparent that it wasn’t just the hospital staff that were intrigued by the girls. As Jaqi began taking her children out with her, she couldn’t believe how complimentary complete strangers were about the twins.

The look of an angel Strangers were constantly telling Jaqi how striking Ava and Leah were. The girls were blessed with an undeniable natural beauty, and with their silky-smooth skin, glossy hair and perfectly symmetrical faces, the pair looked utterly angelic. Many people would tell Jaqi that her girls looked like they were something out of a magazine.

They gave her an idea Jaqi began to understand that she couldn’t go anywhere with the girls without people flooding them with compliments. Everyone who crossed paths with them seemed to have an urge to tell Jaqi exactly what they thought. “Wow they are so beautiful, you should really think about getting them into modeling.” And it gave Jaqi a thought.

Sending off their pictures With everyone flooding Jaqi with recommendations that she should get her girls into modeling, she finally thought she would try it. As Ava Marie and Leah Rose reached six months old, their images were sent into agencies and they were quickly signed to a Los Angeles modeling agency.

Too much too soon Aside from the twins, Jaqi and her husband also had a two-year-old son and with the girls joining the agency it added pressure to them both as parents. “It was hard enough to get out of the door most days, so my attempt back then was short lived and I decided it just wasn’t the time.”

Side by side Trying to juggle everything just became too much for Jaqi and so she decided it wasn’t the right time to launch the girls’ modeling careers. She understood the most important thing for her and her family was that her children were bought up alongside each other, without any added pressure. But later, something changed for Jaqi.

They got a taste for it As her exceptionally busy life as a mum of three young children unfolded, the idea of getting the twins into modeling drifted from her mind. But it seemed the girls had gotten a taste for it following their three-month stint and now they wanted more. Jaqi wanted to make sure she was keeping her girls happy.

What was the right thing to do? It had become a situation that Jaqi wasn’t sure how to deal with. She could see her girls wanted it, but as they were both only toddlers, could they really make their own decisions? Of course, at that age they weren’t truly aware of what life as a model would entail, so how would Jaqi and her husband ensure they were doing the right thing by their girls?

Her lucky number When a person can’t decide on what they should do in a certain situation many of them look for signs and this is exactly what Jaqi did. She always said her lucky number was seven and just to add to her belief in the number, Ava Marie and Leah Rose were both born on July 7. And so Jaqi had an idea for their seventh birthday.

Happy Birthday By the time the girls’ seventh birthday was approaching they had both flourished into their own personalities, still with those angelically stunning looks. Both of the twins had found a love for their own hobbies and they joined their local dance and swimming clubs. Not wanting them to leave these activities to one side, on their birthday, Jaqi told them “I presented my idea to the girls that, if they were up for it, in addition to their dance classes and swim team practices they had every week, they could give modeling a try.”

Sparkle in their eye Both of the twins were excited about what their mother had said to them and they knew it was something they would be good at. The girls had quickly become aware of how people reacted to their looks and that beautiful sparkle in their eyes.

Getting older Now that they were apart of a dance and swim group, they were regularly flooded with compliments from other parents, and this was where they flourished. Something inside of them stood out now and the girls were getting compliments for their fun personalities as well as their childhood star looks.

They had a lot of confidence The girls had grown up into confident seven-year-olds and they loved to dance, sing and perform for all of their friends and family. And not only that, but they had no reservations in showing strangers their performance pieces. It was funny to Jaqi as she had no idea where they had got it from, but she saw it in them as they got older, “I was not surprised at all when they started jumping up and down and couldn’t wait to begin!”

Their first opportunity The kid’s excitement for modeling grew exceptionally and they were more than ready to enter this stage of their life and Jaqi had the confidence that she could manage it much better now all her children were older. Their first shoot came easily to them as their neighbor had just opened her own children’s boutique and was looking for models.

The girls were back into the modelling world The twins jumped at the chance, and it was a good introduction into the industry for them, Jaqi explained, “Plus, I needed some new photos if I was going to get them an agent, so I figured this would be a great opportunity for all of us.” Knowing that the modeling world can be a difficult one, Jaqi wanted the girls to be eased in gently. “I dug out my 10-year-old Nikon camera from a bin in the garage, put a few waves in the girl’s hair, dabbed on a little blush, and out we went to take some pictures.”

Mother turned photographer Being blessed with gorgeous looks as the girls did, didn’t guarantee they were going to be successful models. They would need to learn exactly how to model. Jaqi didn’t find her first photo shoot with the girls as easy as she first expected, “Ava would look at the camera while Leah would stare off into space… Leah would accidentally bump into Ava who of course thought it was on purpose and would shove her back.”

Accepted by an agency After several amateur shoots, Jaqi and the girls felt they were ready to join an agency but worried it would be more difficult this time around. “I still had a handful of contacts, so I decided to start there,” she said. “To my surprise, I heard back from almost every single one asking to set up a time to meet the girls.” Ava Marie and Leah Rose joined two agencies, but problems would soon arise.

Two is better than one When the girls were signed by two agencies Jaqi believed this would open them up to more opportunities, but it wasn’t long before she received a call from one of them. “Hi, we wanted to let you know we were able to get the girls straight through to a callback for a Barbie Audition tomorrow” – in fact, the girls had only just been to that exact audition on behalf of the other agency.

The power of social media The power of social media has exploded over the past few years and it can lead many people into an exciting life. In July 2017, Jaqi opened the girls their own Instagram page, @clementstwins, with the idea of having an online portfolio for them. It wasn’t long until the page had hundreds of thousands of followers.

The whole family 2017 was a great year for Ava and Leah, and it wasn’t a surprise to Jaqi, “Aside from the fact that I’m a huge believer in signs and have been told by almost everyone that 7 is a lucky number, I just had a feeling that this year was going to be a fun and exciting year for them.” It wasn’t long until their big brother was also signed to the agency, as a model and actor, after appearing in a couple of tv commercials.

Unwanted negativity The girls continued to get booked onto shoots and were getting around six jobs a week, you would think this would tire them out, but the girls thrived. Although Jaqi did notice there was a negative side to the modeling industry and knew to keep a trusted eye on the twins.

Instagram comments Unbelievably, their Instagram page also opened them up to criticism. People also reacted negatively to the fact the girls wore make-up, Jaqi said, “ln almost every job the girls booked through their agency, or any professional photo shoot they attend, there is a hired hair and makeup artist on set. Why!? Because that’s how the industry works.”

An artistic approach As much as the girls loved doing their shoots for fashion boutiques, they also had a lot of fun when they got the opportunity to do more artistic shoots. On one particular shoot, the twins had their faces spray painted and Jaqi said they had a blast.

Family vacation The reason the girls are models is that they want to be. The most annoying comments Jaqi receives is, “Let them be kids”. Anyone who works with Ava and Leah can see how much fun they have doing it. The modeling also means the family spend more time together and look at each shoot as a mini vacay. And let’s not forget all the friends the girls are making on the way.

Playing dress up The more shoots the girls got booked onto the more they enjoyed it, and it was evident they really benefited from all of the quality time they were sharing with Jaqi. The shoots allowed the twins to have a lot of fun as many of them required the twins to dress up in outfits they wouldn’t normally wear.

Social media tips Their Instagram page quickly started to become a way for the family to make money, the girls would get sent items from a store and they would receive a payment once they posted it to their page. Jaqi, although she started out knowing little about Instagram, she grew to be an expert and recommends to not overpost to keep your followers and attract more. And don’t forget to hashtag!

How to build your page Jaqi recommended to build up your followers by following hundreds of similar accounts as your own, she spent some time following lots of kid models, stores and photographers. Another way is to engage on other pages by using the comments section, by sparking up a conversation with other similar pages almost guarantees a follow back and lots of likes.

Better than one Because the twins were identical, this resonated really well with the visions many fashion brands had. What better way to draw attention to your brand is there then having two of the same item in one picture. Both of the girls fitted this visualization perfectly.

Knowing what to do As time went on, the girls gained more confidence in front of the camera and they were receiving fantastic comments from photographers and their agency in regards to how quick they were managing to get the shot the brand had in mind.

Their happiness is the most important As the girls went from strength to strength in the industry the family learned that it is always best, to be honest, to ensure you are getting what you want and need. This also applied to their family, Jaqi and her husband made their children aware that as soon as they stopped enjoying themselves, they could walk away from modeling and acting. Their happiness is what always comes first.

Growing their friendship group Mom Jaqi loves to see how many new friends the twins make when they attend auditions or shoots, “[They] meet a new ‘friend’ for 10 minutes at an audition or a shoot and are already asking me if this new friend can be their cousin, because a simple friendship just doesn’t quite express the love they have for their new friend.”

It’s an investment Despite what people think, the girls’ success doesn’t at all mean the family is now rich, in fact, they spend so much money when attending shoots and have to cover costs for food, headshots, and gas. Jaqi and her husband see it as an investment though and see it as a means for the girls being able to earn their own money from the industry when they are older.

The downside of the industry Jaqi remains clear that you have to stay alert and on your toes in the industry, to ensure you are being treated well and as you deserve. Jaqi took to her blog to explain how she felt about this, “This by far has been one of the most stressful, upsetting, mind-boggling, and biggest lessons I’ve learned in this industry so far.”

They have a great time Even if you have to be more aware, both of the twins absolutely love what they do and see each shoot as an adventure. They know they live an exciting life and they love it. “They like the new adventures we go on every week, never knowing where we will end up but looking forward to a new experience,” Jaqi explained.

What is important As Jaqi took on the manager role, they all love the mother-daughter time that they get to spend with each other. As a whole, the family is all looking forward to the next step, wherever that may be upon the children’s decisions, but for now, they are very much enjoying their life as part of the modeling world.