Alana Zimmer has had to develop a ''big ego'' to survive in the fashion industry.

The 28-year-old brunette beauty has been a model for 10 years and during her career she has worked with most of the world's most famous designers, including Marc Jacobs, Jean Paul Gaultier, Christian Dior and Giorgio Armani.

Alana says many creative people are eccentric and you have to be able to cope with their behaviour.

She said: ''In order to deal with a big ego, you have to become someone with a big ego.''

But Alana admits it wasn't easy for her to change her attitude because she's from Ontario and as a Canadian she is naturally ''friendly''.

Speaking in the new November 2015 issue of FASHION magazine - available to buy and download from October 12 - she revealed: ''When I first started, it was cool to not answer interviews and to not be nice, but I'm Canadian. I'm so friendly and smiley.''

Now Alana has made it as a model and is well rewarded for her work, she has now turned her attention to philanthropy and wants to help those less fortunate in the world.

She said: ''Being a model, you're very full of yourself and your own prosperity. I want to help people.''