My name is Zenna de Paz. I am the first born child of the de Paz family.
I am the CEO of AzylaMedia and Editor in Chief of AZYLA Magazine, a platform to express my process of self-discovery and self-actualization. Outwardly I am a fashion, runway, beauty, commercial, and fitness model, however, at heart I am a storyteller. For me, modeling is a form of creative expression. I model to tell the story of fashion, to interpret garments, props, colors, locations/environments, makeup looks, hairstyles, etc through movement, poses, and facial expression. When I model I like to think of myself as an actress in motionless pictures. My modeling style has often been compared to dance, as I utilize my full range of motion and have very dramatic poses.
I feel very fortunate to be born into a family full of creatives, where artistry is supported and encouraged. My childhood was primarily spent exploring sets, either having adventures in cool locations or studying everything and everyone in operation. I was in complete admiration of the creative flow/process and I wanted to be included more than anything. To be a witness of people coming together, bringing their ideas forth and creating beautiful imagery throughout my
childhood was and continues to be a blessing.
I loved being able to watch my parents work, but I was especially starstruck by my Mom. I knew I wanted to follow in their footsteps, and that’s exactly what I did. Ever since I can remember I’ve been dressing up, styling myself and my siblings, taking my parents’ camera and setting up my own photo/video shoots. My gravitation towards fashion, style, beauty, acting, photography/cinematography, and almost all things having to do with entertainment has always been apparent. As I’ve grown older my passions have only developed further as I continue to learn more through experience.
So far I’ve had the opportunity to work for numerous brands and clothing lines, walk in several fashion shows around the nation, and be featured in some magazines, including a couple international publications. I have also had the chance to work behind the scenes for fashion events and productions and learn about the business from perspectives other than that of a model.
During my preteen years I started to gain some popularity on social media which led me to becoming a brand ambassador. I started to notice that all of the responses I was getting were superficial and based entirely on my appearance and quickly lost interest in social media. It’s important to me that I make positive impacts and that people gain something of value from my work, whether it be informational or inspirational, and I felt that was overlooked. I took a break to focus on my studies and other passions, only posting sporadically.
At the age of 14, I decided to rebrand and launch my own media company and magazine, partially so that I would no longer just be identified as a model, but also for the purpose of expressing myself, sharing my many interests and passions, and documenting my artistic and academic work. AZYLA merges my love for fashion, science, music, and art. AZYLA is the “Perpetual Blossom,” it empowers me to articulate the various stages and manifestations of my being and it is my hope that it can eventually be a platform for others to express themselves as well. I wish to evoke emotion and stimulate the minds of my audience, which my magazine allows me to do with full creative license.
Starting in 2020 till now, I’ve released 7 magazines, completed a 6 issue series titled ‘RED:INITIATION’ and began the following series ‘BLUE:EVOLUTION’. I’ve also produced, directed and edited several video presentations and compilations which correspond with the themes of each issue. To view my work visit https://azylamedia.com/.