If you’re a fan of fashion shows, shiny clothes, and the glamor of the industry but have an interest in finding out what goes on behind the scenes, then maybe the new Netflix show KLASS 95: The Power of Beauty can give you an underwhelming insight. The series is set in 1991, a tough time in Colombia when violence was everywhere, and for many women, winning Miss Universe was their only hope to escape that reality. The story is told by a narrator named Oscar, who is a close friend of Shaio DomÃnguez, the founder of KLASS 95. Through Oscar’s narration, we get to see how the agency was built, what really happened behind closed doors, and the impact it had on so many lives. Let’s get to know all about it from KLASS 95 season 1 recap.Â
Spoilers Ahead
How was Klass 95 built?
In 1991, at a school in Bogotá, Paula Turbay was inspired to enter the fashion world by her best friend, Shaio DomÃnguez, and she later became the first runner-up in the Miss Universe pageant. Shaio, along with her sisters Laura and Moni, trained Paula, and even though she did not win the crown, it was still a big achievement. Because of this, Shaio also became a big name in the fashion world and got invited on talk shows where she shared her dream of opening a fashion institute with her sisters, so girls from all over the world could chase their dreams and become top supermodels. But achieving that dream was not so easy, as for starters, Shaio’s fiancé Nico wasn’t supportive of her dream as he was only interested in using her to get closer to her father’s business. Therefore, Shaio naturally lost interest in Nico and started to have an affair with Nico’s gym trainer, Berny, which caused a lot of drama.
Nico became furious and framed Berny as a drug dealer by planting drugs in his gym and getting him sent to prison. On top of that, Shaio’s father didn’t want Shaio or her sisters, Laura and Moni, to stay in Colombia because the political situation was so bad, with the president himself being tied to the drug lords, and violence was everywhere. He wanted them to go abroad to study. So, to make sure Shaio didn’t stay behind, he tricked her by showing fake pictures of her and Berny’s affair in prison and made it seem like Berny had secretly taken the photos to manipulate Shaio’s emotions, in the hope this would push her to break things off with Berny and leave Bogotá. Shaio believed her father and decided to leave, but before she did, she made a risky deal. She signed a contract with Edgar Trojos, a dangerous conman who was involved in smuggling and drugs but called himself an interior designer. She needed money, and Edgar promised to invest in her agency and so she made him a secret partner. After they left for the U.S., Shaio teamed up with an American fashion designer named Brandon. She didn’t tell him about Edgar’s involvement, but Brandon saw the potential to make her dream a reality, so he agreed to the partnership, and soon after returning to Bogotá, the DomÃnguez sisters opened their first fashion school, KLASS 95, and made their dream come true.Â
What happened to Hollman?
Kelly was a young woman who wanted to become a fashion model, but she came from a very poor background, so she felt like her dream would never come true. But when she heard Shaio DomÃnguez on the talk show, Kelly got inspired and decided to give it a shot. She started taking photos for her portfolio, but the problem was she didn’t have enough money to pay for them. That’s when a businessman named Hollman offered to pay for the pictures, but only if Kelly agreed to marry him. Of course, Kelly and her family knew it was a trap, so she refused. The next day, as Kelly and Andrea were on their way home, some men attacked them. When Kelly’s mother came to help, she was brutally injured and had to be hospitalized in an expensive hospital for treatment. I’m pretty sure those men were sent by Hollman, so he could swoop in like a savior and offer to help them out in this time of difficulty. And that’s exactly what happened. To repay the debts, Kelly was forced to marry him. After the wedding, Hollman turned into a monster. He tried to force himself on Kelly many times, but Kelly was smart and stayed on birth control pills because she didn’t want to have a family with him.
When Hollman found out about the pills, he got furious and, in his rage, kidnapped her and assaulted her again. But Kelly fought back, she shot him and escaped to Bogotá to join Shaio’s agency, KLASS 95. Kelly thought she had killed Hollman, but to her shock, he’d survived. Worse, he’d teamed up with a local colonel from her town and followed her to Bogotá as he was determined to bring her back. Thankfully, when Kelly arrived in Bogotá, her beauty and charm caught the attention of Edgar, the dangerous but powerful man who had invested in KLASS 95. He made sure to protect her from Hollman. Even though Hollman tried to kidnap Kelly again, and this time planned to take her to San Andrés, Kelly managed to escape with the help of an air hostess on the flight. Hollman naturally got furious and went after her again, and this time even showed up at Edgar’s house to attack her. But Edgar’s right-hand man, Elver, shot Hollman in the head and finally put an end to the nightmare. They dumped Hollman’s body at the colonel’s house to frame him for the attack.
How did Andrea’s luck change?
When Kelly arrived in Bogotá, her sister Andrea and their mother joined her too. But Andrea didn’t want to be a model; she wanted to go to university and pursue further studies. However, one day everything changed. While Kelly and the other models were at an audition, Andrea unexpectedly found herself at the agency too. Actually, as she was coming home with Berny, a bus splashed mud water all over them, and to clean up, Andrea ducked into the academy, and her stunning looks caught the attention of the agency’s scouts. Shaio realized Andrea was the girl they had been searching for to be the face of the agency. But Andrea didn’t want to be Kelly’s rival, as she knew how competitive the fashion world could be, and she was worried that her own sister would turn against her. But, even though Andrea didn’t want to compete, her talent was undeniable, so much so that another modeling agency head, Grosso, tried to sign her as their top model, but since she was still a minor, the contract fell through. Instead, Shaio promised to make her a model at KLASS 95. As time went on, Andrea and Berny grew closer, especially after Shaio married Nico. Berny had initially wanted to run away with Shaio but had been threatened by her father, so he let the love of his life marry someone else and now, he found solace in being with Andrea. Shaio tried to be professional after knowing this, but it was also hard for her, because even though she was married to Nico and was grateful to him for having saved her father’s life by donating bone marrow, she couldn’t stop her feelings for Berny. But the real drama came at the end when Shaio discovered that Andrea was pregnant with Berny’s child. This meant that Berny would likely be with Andrea to take care of their baby, which left Shaio feeling betrayed and heartbroken, and the dynamic between the three of them changed forever.
Did Kelly manage to go to the USA?
Kelly, on the other hand, started to realize that she did not have a future at KLASS 95, so she wanted to work internationally and outshine her sister, Andrea. But there was one big problem; she didn’t have a passport or visa, and she didn’t know how to speak English. But she was determined, so Kelly secretly got involved with Brian, a visa consultant officer, as she hoped he could help her get a visa and teach her English along the way. Things seemed to be going smoothly, but their affair wasn’t as secret as they thought. Edgar had feelings for Kelly, and when he found out about their arrangement, out of jealousy and revenge, he decided to take matters into his own hands. So, on the day Kelly was supposed to go for her visa interview, Edgar kidnapped and sedated Brian to stop him from helping her.
So, from the ending and what happened before, it’s clear that Kelly didn’t end up going to the USA. Instead, after Andrea got pregnant, Kelly most likely took the opportunity to become the next top model of KLASS 95. We’ve also seen how Oscar feared Kelly might kill him as he tried to talk about his book on KLASS 95. This made me come to the conclusion that Kelly may have become the top model and didn’t want the world to know about her past, how she came from poverty or how she tried to murder her ex-husband. She knew this would jeopardize her career, and she couldn’t risk that. It’s possible that Kelly even managed to get help from the colonel, who had once been on her ex-husband’s side. We know Kelly is an expert at manipulating men to get what she wants, so maybe that’s how this odd pair might make sense to you. Although Kelly and the colonel managed to steal Oscar’s diary, they didn’t know about the secret video recordings Oscar and Juanita made. If those tapes got leaked, I am sure not only Kelly’s career would be over, but also it would expose many others connected to KLASS 95. The big question now is—can they stop this from happening? That’s something we may find out if another season of KLASS 95: The Power of Beauty is released.
