As a youth, I was never a fan of fashion. There were countless models in the 90s that took the platform to a whole new level such as Naomi Campbell, Tyra Banks and even the legendary Tyson Beckford but I was more interested in Graphic Design. Fashion was something that had to grow on me. When I enrolled in college my choice in fashion started to change. During our freshman year in college, the freshmen were required to stay in these co-ed dormitories and that’s where I began to observe the different styles that my roommates liked to wear; they loved to wear tall t-shirts, baseball caps and baggy jeans. Some of the guys loved to sag their pants but I would often wear my button-down shirts and loafers. One of the highlights of college was networking with my professors and my classmates. I got the chance to join my school’s fashion club and model at our school’s fashion show. I was afraid at first because I thought I would fold and trip over my own foot but when I slipped on my sunglasses and the music started playing all of my nervousness went out the door and the rest was history.
Tyson Craig Beckford was born in Bronx, New York on December 19, 1971. Tyson’s heritage stems from his Jamaican-Panamanian and Chinese roots. There is not much known about his family but he comes from a large family of seven people. Little Tyson was known as a daredevil because he would often jump over objects like trash cans and cats in his neighborhood. After Tyson graduated from high school he then attended a community college in Rockland, New York for just one semester. In 1991, Tyson got the opportunity to be ‘People Magazine’s Most Beautiful People in their issue. Tyson also had a starring role in Ralph Lauren’s Polo Sport fragrance campaign. Audiences loved Tyson’s look so much that he made several appearances in the latest magazines such as the Source and even worked alongside fashion designer Karl Kani. Tyson also worked with some lengenday photographers like Herb Ritts and Bruce Weber to name a few. In 1995, Tyson was once named VH1’s 1995 Model Of The Year.
Since the launch of Tyson’s modeling career, he often fought against the perspectives of his ‘tough guy persona’ and made sure people recognized his worth. He once turned down a spot on the ‘Milan Fashion Week Catwalk’ because he was the only African American male invited to the event. As Tyson’s career progressed he began appearing in music videos and even ventured off into some movie roles on the big screen such as Toni Braxton’s ‘Unbreak My Heart music video, Britney Spears’ Toxic’ music video, and even Ben Stiller’s Zoolander the movie to name a few.
Today, Tyson and Berniece Julien are great co-parents of their son Jordan Beckford. Tyson is now helping his son Jordan Beckford pursue modeling. Jordan was born in 1998 and now he is twenty-four. Tyson often gives his son and other aspiring male models advice about becoming a model. He is also writing a book about his life in the fashion industry. Tyson Craig Beckford is a fashion icon because he set out to do everything that he was passionate about. Tyson beat the odds and fought against adversity but at the end of the day he came out victoriously.
