Photo: Ibra Ake1/24DANI HAYES
Age: 22
Hometown: Whakatane, New Zealand
Agency: One Management
Where you've seen her: New Zealand's Next Top Model (she won in 2010), Faint magazine, Karen magazine,Black magazine
"Six months ago my best friend Kieran and I were watching RuPaul's Drag Race, and he stood up and said we should get tattoos. I'm always down for spontaneous [ink]—that's how I started. He got 'Fierce' on his finger, and I have 'Shame' on mine. When we see somebody on the street that has a fierce outfit, he goes up to them and says 'Fierce!' (wags finger). And if they look like absolute shit, then I walk up to them and go 'Shame on you.' (wags finger). It really has nothing to do with RuPaul, but that's what we were watching when we got the idea."
Photo: Ibra Ake2/24"The 'camel toe' was my sister's [brainchild]. It was a random moment when she was visiting me on set in New Zealand. I had just finished a shoot, and she was like, 'Let's get tattoos.' I asked her what we should get and she said camels on our toes. That was three years ago. I put the diamond on my foot because they're made under pressure and feet are constantly under pressure. The majority of my tattoos are quite punny."
Photo: Ibra Ake3/24"I got the ta moko [a permanent body and face marking of the indigenous Maori people, traditionally carved using uhi (chisels)] on my arm at the end of 2010. Every tribe in New Zealand has a different design. It symbolizes your heritage and culture. Not every ta moko is the same. When you get your ta moko you have to earn it. You have to go back to where you come from and talk to your elders and explain why you want it and how you think your life will change when you get it. Some people don't show anybody because it's a sacred thing. I'm part of the Maori tribe and we're very spiritual."
Photo: Ibra Ake4/24"The words on my rib cage say 'The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.' I got it last year in a little town in New Zealand called Awakeri. It goes with a tattoo I have on my pinkie that says 'Promise.' They're a reminder to myself to never give up. I know that sounds corny as shit, but I need a constant reminder to do the things that I'm doing. I have a tendency to jump from one thing to another."
Photo: Ibra Ake5/24ANASTASIA IVANOVA
Age: 18
Hometown: Izhevsk, Russia
Agency: Supreme
Where you've seen her: On the runway at Chanel, Christian Dior, Comme des Garçons, and Elie Saab
"Tattoos are totally accepted in fashion now. It's more about your style and your attitude than what you look like. I got both of my tattoos on the same day one month ago—in July—in Camden Town, London, where I'm based. One morning I woke up and decided I wanted to get tattoos. Together they mean 'infinity love.'"
Photo: Ibra Ake6/24"I got [the symbols] for my family in Russia. I travel a lot and I miss them. Now every time I look at my arms I think of them. I thought my parents would never let me get the tattoos, but my dad asked me why they're so simple. He said he would draw me something else because he's an artist."
Photo: Ibra Ake7/24KEL MARKEY
Age: 22
Hometown: Gainesville, Florida
Agency: Supreme
Where you've seen her: On the runway at Chanel, Saint Laurent, Viktor & Rolf, and Isabel Marant; in Replica Handbag Store España, Replica Handbag Store China, Japanese Vogue, and Numéro; in campaigns for Vince, Jil Sander Navy, and Max Mara
Photo: Ibra Ake8/24"The 'golden' tattoo in my mouth is pretty silly. I got it done in Florida at a tattoo shop called Anthem. I was 17 at the time. I got it on the inside of my lower lip because I had just started modeling and I didn't want it to be seen. People told me it would fade after a couple of years, but it has not."
Photo: Ibra Ake9/24"I had the infinity symbol done during a transitional time in my life. I wanted to remind myself that the things that last forever are the most important, and that's what I should concentrate on."
Photo: Ibra Ake10/24MARIA BORGES
Age: 20
Hometown: Luanda, Angola
Agency: Supreme
Where you've seen her: On the runway at Tom Ford, Oscar de la Renta, Kenzo, Missoni, and Givenchy; in the Tommy Hilfiger Fall/Winter 2013 campaign
Photo: Ibra Ake11/24"The Replica Belts tep by step' tattoo represents my life and my career. One step for Angola, one step for New York. My dream is to be a top model. I want to be number one in the world. It won't happen fast. I have to go one step at a time."
Photo: Ibra Ake12/24IRA CHERNOVA
Age: 25
Hometown: Moscow, Russia
Agency: Re:Quest
Where you've seen her: Glamour Italia, Another magazine, and in the Diesel Fall/Winter 2013 campaign
Photo: Ibra Ake13/24"I'm collectsing skulls. The skull on my hand is a wolf skull. I got it next to the word 'werewolf' tattooed on my fingers�. The clover is a good luck sign done by Roman Kuznezov in Moscow about five years ago. I spent quite a few years trying to get where I am now, so I have a few luck-related pieces. They gave me a push that helped me back in the day."
Photo: Ibra Ake14/24"It's not possible to count how many tattoos I have. I see them as one piece. I see them as my skin. Everything was done for some reason, even if there isn't a specific meaning. They all represent memories and stages of my life."
Photo: Ibra Ake15/24"This was also done by Roman Kuznezov in Moscow about six years ago, but it's not finished. It's actually covering up an old tattoo I got before I learned more about ink culture [i.e., quality]. It's not [inspired] by bad and dark thoughts, but is more about the connection between your actions and reactions—as in [think] carefully when doing something, because it will probably come back to you."
Photo: Ibra Ake16/24"I appreciate New York City. I moved here two years ago, but every day I feel like I'm dreaming. It's hard to believe that a city like this exists. I went home to see family this past winter, and I was missing Gotham so much that I decided it was time to get that [word inked on my stomach]."
Photo: Ibra Ake17/24CHARLOTTE TOMAS
Age: 21
Hometown: Warsaw, Poland
Agency: Elite NYC
Where you've seen her: On the runway at Vivienne Westwood; in Replica Handbag Store Greece, Japanese Vogue, Replica Handbag Store Turkey, British Vogue, Replica Handbag Store Portugal, and Russian Vogue
"I got 'Misery is a butterfly' on my wrist three years ago in Seoul, South Korea. It's the name of an [album] from the group Blonde Redhead. The songs have really beautiful lyrics, and the musicians are classically trained. That means a lot to me, because I was also classically trained in violin and piano."
Photo: Ibra Ake18/24"The writing on my back says 'Sure you can look back if it means moving on.' I got it two and a half years ago in Warsaw. It helps me remember that it's OK to think about the past, but I need to move forward at the same time. I've never not been booked because of it. The first time I did the Vivienne Westwood show in London, they put me in a special backless dress to show it off."
Photo: Ibra Ake19/24EMILY SHEPHARD
Age: 25
Hometown: Born in San Diego, California; raised in Spring Hill, Florida, and Richmond, Virginia
Agency: Fusion
Where you've seen her: In the Diesel Jogger Jeans campaign
"I got my first tattoo the day I turned 18. Growing up, I had tattoo magazines under my bed. It's something I've always been obsessed with. I don't love getting tattoos—it definitely hurts—but I was raised in a military family, and I feel like tattoos are part of the culture, especially in the Marines and the Army. Having tattoos makes me feel more like an American. Even though I'm covered in ink, the modeling community has been very welcoming to me. If anything holds me back, it's my height. I'm only five four."
Photo: Ibra Ake20/24"I have the Chanel and YSL tattoos for political reasons. When [Coco] Chanel started designing, it was right before the women's revolution started. She basically helped start the women's rights movement. She's the reason I can legally wear a swimsuit on the beach. She's the reason that it's socially acceptable for me to show that I'm pregnant, if I were pregnant. Before her, designers catered to men's tastes."
Photo: Ibra Ake21/24"And Yves Saint Laurent was one of the first designers to put women of color in his ads and on the runway. By doing that, he was telling Americans that racism isn't acceptable. People don't realize how much power fashion has. I love fashion, but I love the sociology and power behind it even more."
Photo: Ibra Ake22/24SOPHIA PFEIL
Age: 20
Hometown: Solingen, Germany
Agency: One Management
Where you've seen her: On the cover of Quality magazine; at Berlin fashion week in the Augustin Teboul, Franziska Michael, and Karlotta Wilde runway shows
"I got my tattoo last April at Weserstrasse in Berlin. Music and art are very important things in my life. Whenever I feel bad, I listen to music, go dancing, or visit an art gallery or museum to get everything out of my mind. Also, I study art history in Berlin, and I associate my tattoo with my wonderful times [in the city]. At first I was a bit worried that my tattoo wouldn't work for the modeling business, but I usually get a lot of positive feedback from photographers and clients. I'm planning on getting another tattoo of a feather on my leg, with my best friend [back in Germany]."
Photo: Ibra Ake23/24MARTINE LINDSKJOLD
Age: 24
Hometown: Copenhagen, Denmark
Agency: One Management
Where you've seen her: CosmopolitanGermany, Tosh magazine, Glam It magazine
"Everything was done in Copenhagen over a [span of] two years. I was going under the needle one or two times a month. I always go to the same place, called Artistic Tattoo. All the different artists there have worked on me; six of them total. You can tell the difference in their tattoos. Some do them with a thick outline; some have soft shadows. I think that's why I can get away with it. It's like I'm wearing a lace T-shirt all the time. My favorite is my neckpiece. It's really beautiful—like a necklace that you don't take off, ever."
Photo: Ibra Ake24/24Age: 22
Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia
Agency: Silent
Where you've seen her: On the reality-TV show Fashion Star
"The dandelion represents central aspects of me and my personality: my free spirit, my love of the outdoors and nature, and my whimsical childlike attitude. This one was done at a little tattoo shop in Pacific Beach, California. One of my best friends and I had a particularly intense week during finals at school. After our last exam, we decided right then to go get tattoos together. Most people are more accepting of tattoos nowadays, but I've been turned down in a casting before, once they saw my [ink]. For that particular client, it was a no-no. Most times, though, it hasn't mattered."
