Meet Dorotka Teleon

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dorotka Teleon.

Thank you for having me. Who is Dorotka Teleon? Well, this is a story of a shy little Polish girl, raised by a superwoman-single-mom, who grew up poor, became an orphan at the age of 15, and yet who overcame many adversities in order to be transformed into the person she is today: a strong woman, wife, mother, model, role model to her daughter, and a believer that through fashion & art you can make the world a better place.

To start things off, let’s say this first; life, just as a well written novel, has many ongoing chapters and stories to tell. My ‘life book’ has been filled with several ups & downs adventures. Who I am right now, is the consequence of various factors and experiences. My modeling journey is just one part of my story. So here we go.

Since I was a little girl, I loved stage and getting into a character, as it was my way of coping with my reality. After years of reciting competitions in elementary school, singing theatre in my freshman year in Polish university, and dancing competitions in my twenties, I finally found the courage to pursue my other dream; a dream to be a part of the fashion scene. To be honest though, I refused to go into the modeling world for many years. I rejected quite a few modeling opportunities since I was about 17 years old because I didn’t think the time was right, and plus I also didn’t want to be just a pretty face; I wanted to tell some sort of story through my work. Once we moved to Denver, I felt I was ready, but life had a different plan, and threw me a curveball that changed everything forever.

As I was going through my personal struggles, pursuing modeling was not my priority anymore. In the midst of it though, I found that photography and projects became my saving grace and helped me mentally cope with the turmoils I was going through. It was as if I could freeze the moments in time, detach myself from my worries, and soak all the joys in because I really didn’t know what my future held. I’m so very grateful for being able to create symbolic projects that were meaningful and empowering me in those times. I also realized that they resonated with other people as well. Photography and fashion are a powerful force that can unite different people with common thread. Conceptualizing, styling, and executing the theme or idea gave me strength to cope with hard times in my personal life. So, ironically as I was breaking through on the Denver modeling stage, I was going through the worst year of my life. Very few people knew about my situation, and even those who I shared this with, sadly, completely abandoned me or took an advantage of me. But life goes on, and with each photoshoot and runway, I was able to channel my fears, joys, fierceness and perseverance. As I was evolving as a model, personally I was going through a significant inner change that had made me a person I am today.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Well, challenges are part of life so it is unrealistic to think anything in life would be a smooth ride. In the past, I often wondered why my modeling journey was filled with so many obstacles. In retrospect, I know it was a set of lessons that I needed to brave out to learn more about myself and the world around me.

I endured cyber bullying, intense unprofessionalism, scammers with empty promises, characters with no integrity, copycats, and rejection, all while I was struggling in my private life.

Luckily, the universe also blessed me with meeting truly remarkable people in Denver; people with beautiful work ethics, authenticity, and kindness. I hope one day to be able to help other people as they helped me in times of need. So even though it was a challenging, intense roller coaster ride, in a way I’m grateful for those tough times. Plus, the chapter of my book dedicated to Denver will be a juicy one for sure lol. What matters at the end of the day is who I became through all those obstacles, and the truth is I like this new, stronger version of me. You can start late, have really bad circumstances, refuse to conform to standards, and yet be able to be successful without compromising your value system.

Dorotka T – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
What sets me apart I believe is my uniqueness, and I don’t mean this in an arogant way because I truly think we are all unique. My uniqueness though, emanates from the fact that I didn’t grow up in America; therefore, my perspective on life is completely different, and so is my love for fashion and art. As I mentioned above, I grew up being shy and that shyness is still in me to a certain extent. Ironically, I’m an introvert-extrovert hybrid and talking about myself is very hard for me (believe me, this interview also was a bit challenging for me because of that, but my appreciation for the opportunity to tell my story was greater than my shyness lol).

As an individual who was involved in the fashion industry, since the very beginning, I wanted to be known as more than a model per se, I wanted to tell the story, move people, create art not just pretty pictures and make it about myself. In a relatively small amount of time while being in Denver, I was so blessed & proud to be able to produce some extraordinary work, alongside some of the most talented people in the fashion scene.

Besides being a part of the photo shoots & runways, I like to be involved in the whole creation process of projects- from creating the original concept, down to the small details of putting it all together. It’s so very satisfying to see the final product of an elaborated concept.

As a model in Denver, I was also privileged & blessed with participating in many wonderful events with the purpose where the fashion scene was used as a platform to make a statement or to promote a great cause. Few of the examples would be: Rescue Runway Fashion Show 2017, Diversity and Inclusion Awards organized by Commission on Aging Denver Human Rights and Community Partnerships, TedX Mile High, Red Ball Denver Igniting Awareness For World AIDS Day, Anti-bullying Campaigns, Thorn Gala, and Just Cause Event. Each project was very special, and I was beyond thankful to be a part of it. It’s a great honor to be able to say that hard work, dedication, and staying true to yourself paid off, but that wouldn’t have happened without the number of very awesome fashion peeps that I’m so grateful to call friends.

God only knows what the future holds, but I sure hope to continue to be a part of the fashion world, and make positive impacts in community and society.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Well, taking into account the fact that I grew up in a very humble setting in a small town in Poland during the post-communist time, it’s needless to say that my childhood was anything but standard. I literally remember standing in lines for hours to get necessities from the store. On top of that my Mama was sick since I was 6 years old, so I was mainly focused on helping her out and studying hard because she always said that my education is my treasure. I often repeat this very same thing to my daughter, but the difference is that I’m able to provide her with many exciting life adventures and create life memories; something that my Mama unfortunately couldn’t, based on our circumstances. I joke sometimes that I have been re-living my childhood while raising my little one. Nevertheless, I don’t regret growing up the way I did , it was tough, but it’s part of my life and it shaped me into being who I am.

Reminiscing on my childhood, one of my foundest memories would be anytime my Mama laughed because these were the rare moments that life seemed very, very good. She was a remarkable woman, truly a hero to me. She engraved so many moral codes and lessons in my heart. Too bad though that I didn’t inherit her baking talent because she was a spectacular baker. I miss her so much. I wish she would be still here and see her granddaughter grow up; I’m sure she would love how much of a little firecracker yet a sensitive soul my little one is just like she was. I hope she is proud of me, having a great Heavenly Party, and laughing often and a lot.

Contact Info:

• Email: dteleon@gmail.com
• Instagram: @dorotka777
• Facebook: Dorotka Modelka

Image Credit:
1. My Daughter My Everything
Photography: Erik Cooper @erikcooperphotography

2. Just Cause Event
Photography: @poshtographyfashionarts @marleneposhtography
Retoucher: @suzsimone
Designer: Maggie Burns @mariemargocouture
Headpiece: Cathy Chase @cathychase9
Make Up: Lyndee Mae @artistiscoloranddesign
Hair: Alissa Bush @thetwirlgirl

3. Mommy & Me Moments
Photography: Joy Tatum @joyalison_

4. Sustainable Fashion Rocks
Photography: Deiontrez Mount @deemount1
Designer: Deb Henriksen & Equillibrium, @equllibriumofficial
Makeup: Malik Davis @cocoateriyaki
Hair: KJ Murphy @kmurphyhair @kmurphycreations

5. Orenda Collection Photo Shoot
Photography: Nicole Perez @nicoleperezphotos
Jewelry Designer: Andrea Li @andrealidesigns
Fashion: Gino Velardi @ginovelardifashion
MUAH: Mel Akana McIntosh @melakanamcintosh

6. “The World” Tarot Cards Characters
Photography: Teodora Pogonat @teodorapogonatphotography
Design: Megan Summerville @fabiolasummervegas
MUAH: Iryna Katina @denvermakeup

7. Denver Fashion Week Fall 2019
Photography: 303 Magazine, Denver Fashion Week @303magazine @denverfashionweek
Designer: Mona Lucero @monaluceroofficial
Makeup: Sara Brentano @sarabrentano
Hair: Chad Smith @gladlychadly Mona Lockhart @llockhart4

8. Red Ball Igniting Awareness for World AIDS Day
Photography: Michael Malvitz @malvitzphoto
Designer: Carlos Valles @carlosvalles_ @artbycarosvalles
MUAH: Studio Salon Denver @studiodenver

9. Brooks LTD Spring Collection Photoshoot
Photography: Hardy Klahold @hardysphotos
Designer: Brooks Luby @BrooksLTD
Makeup: Lani Fischer @lanifischer.hmua
Hair: Kourtney Kruger @revive.hairstudio

10. Chic Women Series
Photography: David Rossa @drossa
Hair Master: Charlie Price @charliepricehair
Makeup: Tiaja Pierre @tiajamaisondebeaute
Fashion: Garbarini @garbarinishop

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