From Practice to Presence: How Cayleigh Bancroft Transformed Her Runway Walk

AURA Model Cayleigh Bancroft has made remarkable progress with her runway walk.

Through consistency, discipline and a willingness to take feedback and work on the smallest details, Cayleigh has transformed the way she moves and carries herself on the runway. Her recent walk for The Bam Collective, one of South Africa's leading fashion designers, is a reflection of just how far she has come.

We spoke to Cayleigh about the process behind her improvement, what she had to learn and unlearn, and how working on her runway walk has changed the way she carries herself beyond modelling.

How did you improve your walk?

Loads and loads of practice.

I walked in heels in the studio at my gym, wore heels whenever I went somewhere fancy, and basically took any opportunity I could to practise in them.

That meant learning to walk on different surfaces, in different types of heels and in different situations.

Eventually, heels stopped feeling like something I had to consciously think about and started feeling much more natural.

But the real game changer for me was posture.

Growing up tall and skinny, I developed some postural habits that I wasn't really aware of until I started modelling.

Once I noticed them, I started becoming conscious of my body positioning all the time—not only when I was walking, but sitting at a casting, standing around at photoshoots, or even sitting on the couch at home.

One of the biggest things I noticed was that my neck tended to collapse inward. Learning to keep my neck long was when I finally understood that classic modelling instruction of imagining a string pulling you upward through the top of your head.

My rounded shoulders have been another big focus. I'm still working on them through gym, Pilates and yoga, building the muscles around my shoulders and back while learning better control of my shoulder blades.

On the runway, that allows me to keep my shoulders open and controlled instead of collapsing forward. It opens my chest, lengthens my posture and brings out the collarbones everyone loves so much.

What did you do to achieve that improvement?

A lot of it came down to making the things I was learning part of my everyday life rather than something I only thought about during runway practice.

I became constantly aware of how I was carrying myself—my neck, shoulders, spine and overall body position.

Gym, Pilates and yoga have helped me build the strength and body control to actually maintain that posture instead of just trying to force myself into it.

My mentors, Natalia and Connie, have also been a huge part of my improvement. I would send them videos of my walk and ask for feedback, and so often it was the tiniest adjustment that made the biggest difference.

Those little corrections add up.

What is your process when preparing for a runway show?

One of the biggest things I've learned is that walking well isn't only about the walk—it's about understanding what you're wearing.

Before a show, I always practise in the shoes and the garment.

I want to feel the garment on my body and understand how it moves. I'll walk, turn, spin, move my arms and test my range of movement.

I want to know what works, what doesn't, and what the garment naturally wants to do so that I can present it as well as possible.

What habits helped you improve?

Consistency, more than anything.

Practising in heels whenever I had the opportunity, being conscious of my posture throughout the day, training at the gym, doing Pilates and yoga, and regularly asking for feedback.

Even things like how I sit and sleep became part of that body awareness.

I think once you start noticing your own movement and posture, it becomes difficult to stop noticing it—which is actually really useful as a model.

What did you have to learn?

There were a lot of technical things.

I had to learn to keep a neutral facial expression, lengthen my strides, allow my hips to move, keep my arms relaxed and maintain my posture while still looking natural.

But I also had to learn presence.

Presence is something you can practise too.

Instead of thinking, "Do I look okay? Am I doing this right?" I started thinking about what I wanted the audience to feel when they looked at me in the garment.

That completely changed the way I approached my walk.

What did you have to unlearn?

The biggest thing I had to unlearn was making myself small.

I naturally had this shy, sweet-girl energy, and at first I carried that onto the runway with me.

I had to learn that being soft as a person doesn't mean I have to look timid when I model.

On the runway, I'm allowed to take up space.

I can dominate a room without saying a word. I can hold somebody's attention and make them want to keep watching me.

And I'm still naturally sweet and soft—I’ve just learned that I can switch that off when the job calls for something stronger.

I didn't have to become a different person.

I had to learn how much more of myself I was capable of using.

What are your goals with your walk now?

I'm still mastering my walk.

I don't think that process ever completely ends because every runway, garment, pair of shoes and client can ask something different from you.

My goal is to become adaptable enough for any show or campaign and be able to give them exactly what they need.

I don't want to have one walk that only works in one situation. I want enough control over my body and presence that I can change it depending on the clothes, designer, mood and brief.

Has improving your runway walk changed you outside of modelling?

Definitely.

One of the most unexpected things about working on my walk is how much it has changed the way I carry myself outside of modelling too.

I've become more commanding. I walk into a room differently. I notice people looking at me more.

There's something quite fun about the idea that they're seeing a model out in the wild, and that can be a little enchanting.

Working on my walk has taught me that confidence isn't necessarily about becoming louder.

Sometimes it's simply about becoming more comfortable taking up the space that was already yours.

The AURA Perspective

Cayleigh's journey is a great example of what model development really looks like.

A strong runway walk rarely comes from simply being told how to walk once. It comes from repetition, body awareness, strength, feedback and the willingness to work on small details over time.

Cayleigh didn't try to become someone else. She learned to understand her body better, develop greater control and access different sides of her personality depending on what the job requires.

From practising in heels whenever possible to sending walk videos for feedback and working consistently on posture, strength and presence, every small improvement contributed to the model she is becoming today.

And her recent appearance for The Bam Collective is an exciting milestone in a journey that is clearly still moving forward.

The lesson is simple: talent gets you started. Consistency transforms you.