Catwalking into a new industry…
Heatherlee, as a creative who loves photography, media, and creative storytelling, stepped into new territory when she signed with Caryn Models in Minneapolis in 2025. She’s learning the ins and outs of “getting the shot” and the business of helping clients sell products in an increasingly visual, digital world. Her pursuit goes deeper than fashion, she wants to model freedom, and she intentionally works with mission based brands who are community-minded.
Under the misnomer, “Heatherlee Petite,” she is a 5-foot, mixed-race mother who can play up or down 15-20 years in age, depending on wardrobe, and makeup. She is the perfect talent for your commercial product shoots, voice over campaigns, and couture runway shows. She’s a versatile, yogi, artist, and social media collaborator. She’s connected within the grassroots (modeling) community, and hopes to make a solid lane for SHORT women like her. Here are some images from Heatherlee’s 2025 lookbook…
F.I.A.S.O.M Project
An immersive research project that centers on the visual storytelling of a persona named “H.Lee Petite,” as she immerses herself into the world of fashion modeling..
Suppression of expression is the deadliest sin.
Freedom is a state of mind.
While we all wear characters, and fashion ourselves to fit the roles we accept, we are allowed to play. It’s very Stranger Than Fiction, it’s very Truman Show. We are the main characters and the writers of our own show. And those that bear witness care deeply, not for the masks, but for the person underneath the labels we choose to wear.
– Heatherlee Nguyen, F_I_A_S_O_M Creator
Heatherlee Nguyen 