When Jaqi Clements gave birth to her twin girls, she knew she’d have to figure out how to handle being a mom of three and a wife. But she never imagined that her twins would become world-famous seven years later.
Twins Ava and Leah Clements turned seven on July 7th, 2017. These lovely girls love to do fun things like swimming and dancing. But people have been gushing over their beauty since they were just tiny babies. So, when they turned seven, they started a journey that has people across the globe calling them the “most beautiful twins in the world.”
Jaqui Clements and her hubby lived in Orange County, California, and were your atypical couple. In 2009, they already had their first baby, a son named Chase. That’s when they got the best news ever! Jaqi was with child again. But this time, she was carrying identical twins. So, the couple prepared for two new additions to their nest, but didn’t realize how much these little girls would change them.
On July 7, 2010, Ava Marie and Leah Rose came into the world, but they were four and a half weeks early. On her blog, Jaqi wrote this regarding her premature twins, “Knowing their personalities now it makes total sense that they would show up early, unannounced, and ready to take on anything!” The girls were in good health and the couple had a lot to do. But soon they noticed these girls were extraordinary.
Jaqi remembers how strangers would walk up to them and mention how beautiful the twin girls were. Some even suggested they were model worthy. So, when the girls were 6 months old, Jaqi went to an LA modeling agency and signed them up. But it was too much to handle with a 2-year-old son and two twin daughters. So she gave up on the idea three months later. But this was only temporary.
At seven years of age, the twins have distinct personalities, and they also loved being in the spotlight too. As Jaqi pointed out, “They loved to perform their dance routines in front of an audience, any audience. Neighbors, friends, strangers… it didn’t matter to them, they loved to be the center of attention.” So, now Jaqi realized that maybe it was time to consider the modeling thing again, and she soon got the sign she was looking for.
On 7/7/2017, Ava and Leah celebrated their 7th birthday, which was a sign for Jaqi. On her blog she wrote, “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.” But first she had to see if the twins were interested in the idea.
Jaqi wrote, “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.” The twins said yes right away. But the girls needed a portfolio before walking into a modeling agency. Then fortunately, opportunity knocked.
Jaqi’s neighbor started a kid’s pop up boutique from her garage and needed children to model her clothes and let people know. So, Jaqi found her old Nikon camera, gave the girls a hair and makeup makeover, and started shooting. It was the twins’ first photo shoot, so there were a few hiccups. But eventually she got enough photos for their neighbor and the portfolio. Now Jaqi needed to find interested agencies.
Jaqi kept some of the original modeling contacts from when the twins were just babies. So, she sent them the photos and hoped for the best. She recalled, “To my surprise, I heard back from almost every single one.” With so much interest, Jaqi signed the twins with two modeling agencies. Then, she did something that upped her daughters’ fame status even higher.
Jaqi made an Instagram account for her twins and uploaded their photo shoot pictures. It took a while, but by September, the girls had a thousand followers. But on social media, growth takes time. But six months after the Instagram account was made, the girls ended up with 290,000 followers. And it’s obvious why folks love them.
They might have been young and lacked experience, but Ava and Leah loved the camera and vice versa. The girls got dozens of modeling gigs with magazines and kids clothing brands. One time, they even had to do six photo shoots in seven days. Now, due to their success, modeling has become a family business, which Jaqi manages.
Natural beauty runs in the Clements family, so naturally, Chase, the twins’ older brother, also signed on with the same modeling agencies. In some instances, the entire family was asked to participate in a photo shoot. But while it seems like they’ve got this modeling thing beautifully mastered, the family has hit a few snags along the way.
There’s a reason Jaqi signed her daughters with two modeling agencies. She wanted to give them as many opportunities as humanly possible. One agency was located in Orange County, and the other was in L.A. This would ensure the girls got different clients. But Jaqi needed to make sure that the agencies were cool with this situation.
Jaqi had been completely upfront with both modeling agencies from the very beginning, and they assured her there would be no issues. Then, two weeks later, Jaqi got a callback for a Barbie audition. The only problem was, the other agency had beaten them to the punch, and she had taken her twins to audition already. Fearing the agencies would cancel her twins’ contracts, she decided to reach for the phone and call.
Thanks to Jaqi being so upfront about the whole thing, the modeling agencies both realized that she hadn’t intended to cheat anyone. So, they continued representing the twins. Despite the stressful moment, Jaqi had learned something about the modeling world, which was beneficial for her twins and her entire family.