She smiles with her eyes. Her words affirm and can ring in anyone’s ears. She talks the talk and walks the walk. She is revered and feared in the industry for her no-nonsense mentality. She is Solitha Natasha Shortte.
Shortte is a business owner, mentor, coach, model, and talent scout. As the founder and CEO of The House of Soli, she has had to navigate an industry that on one side tokenizes her for the melanin in her skin, but also tries to tear her down because she is a Black female business owner in a white-dominated industry as she advocates for change.Shortte got her start in fashion on the beaches in her home country when she was 16.
“I found myself at Elite Model Management’s Toronto agency office about to get a year-long modelling contract with Colgate, but that was seized out of my hands because I did not have a work permit,” she said. That lit a fire inside her and she enrolled at Mount Saint Vincent University.“They saw my talent and that’s where my journey as a coach began under the guidance of Brindel & Bob.”Solitha Shortte, owner and creative director of Soli Productions Management Inc.
Shortte set out to disrupt, with the motto: “I will sign everybody with talent.” Shortte gave new models a platform with local shows, and took them globally to New York, Paris, Milan and the other fashion hubs.