Tag Archives: Modelling

Vogue Model Exposes Financial, Physical & Exploitation in the Fashion Industry

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the model manifesto, modelling, fashion industry, exploitation,

I was interested to see this book on the modeling industry. I have worked as an actor and I have also done modeling in the past. There are no words for how much I hated working as a model. I was never actually a model, but the way women are treated is awful. On the other side, I have covered London Fashion Week many times. Seeing how thin and young the models were always tugged on my conscious. 

Leanne Maskell is a warrior. This brave book she has written should be read by every model and everyone who works in the fashion industry. It should indeed become a manifesto. Bravo to Leanne. I hope she sells millions of copies of this book. 

The Life of a Model: Physical, Financial and Emotional Exploitation

Vogue model releases an A-Z anti-exploitation manual for the fashion industry

Why this book matters:

  • Exploitation has become accepted in the industry, with 29.7% of models being inappropriately touched on a shoot and 28% of models facing pressure to sleep with someone at work.
  • Over half of all models start working before they are 16, yet America is the only country to legally enforce breaks, chaperones and limit working hours. The lack of restrictions led to 14-year-old model Vlada Dzyuba working herself to death in 2017.
  • The pressure on models to lose weight and the constant rejection from clients can leave them vulnerable to mental illness, with 31% suffering from eating disorders and 68% from anxiety and/or depression.
  • Models face intense financial exploitation, with hidden contracts signed on their behalf meaning agencies in the UK take as much as 45% commission and can charge required expenses such as transport, personal trainers, nutritionists and hairdressers to the model without their prior knowledge or consent.
  • Modelling can be very dangerous, with 77% of models said they had been exposed to alcohol or drugs while on a job and 50% exposed to cocaine.

Sixteen hour working days, forced onto starvation diet plans, waiting months to be paid, no changing rooms, hair bleached beyond repair, made to strip naked at work, swallowing cotton wool soaked in water to curb your appetite – this is the ugly truth behind the life of a model.

 

Leanne Maskell is the author of The Model Manifesto, an A to Z anti-exploitation manual to the fashion industry which aims to educate current and aspiring models on how to find success and avoid the pitfalls of physical, financial, and emotional exploitation.

 

The book’s advice covers essential topics every model needs to know including: finding the right agency, creating a portfolio, understanding tax, working aboard, the role of social media, avoiding hidden agency expenses and knowing your own legal rights.

 

Leanne Maskell, author, Vogue model and activist.

 

Leanne started modelling at the age of thirteen, working for clients such as Vogue and London Fashion Week. Now, with 13 years of experience working regularly for clients such as ASOS, Amazon and New Look, she has created a book to give models the information she wished she had been provided with throughout her career.

 

While she loved her career, she frequently suffered from exploitation, including two men changing her into tights on a shoot when she was 13, having her drink spiked, being heavily pressured into shooting revealing imagery and being sent to a hotel room for a “casting” for escorts by her agency. The cost of Leanne’s successful career was suffering from anorexia, bulimia and severe depression.

 

Leanne empowered herself by studying Law at University and has combined her legal and modelling experience to empower other models in the hope that they do not encounter the same pitfalls as she has. Whilst writing The Model Manifesto, she created policies to improve the modelling industry which has led to a legal career advising on immigration law & mental health law policy.

 

“The Model Manifesto has been written to protect the 99% of models that don’t make it big – the ones who are treated as disposable objects. It also aims to educate those who wish to be models on how to avoid exploitation, empower themselves and enjoy the benefits of the job.” – Leanne Maskell

 

The Model Manifesto by Leanne Maskell is out 02 May 2019 and is priced at £14.99. To find out more go to: www.themodelmanifesto.com

The Rise of The Fat Supermodel: Is The Fashion Industry Embracing Plus Size Models?

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When it comes to the fashion industries obsession with waif like models, times they are a changing…well maybe just a dress size or two.  In recent months the industry has seen a sidestep in to the usually unmentionable world of FAT!  Several leading modelling agencies now have dedicated plus size divisions, recognising the huge surge in popularity of plus-sized fashion bloggers and Instagrammers.  According to Public Health England, two thirds of people in the UK are overweight and are in need of taking better care of their health.

The rise of the fat supermodel- Is the fashion industry embracing plus size models?

Candice Huffine became the first plus size model to feature in this years’ Pirelli calendar, has graced the front page of Italian Vogue, and has appeared in i-D and Harper’s Bazaar

Tess Holliday’s huge social media following, helped get her signed to modelling agency MILK Model Management who now have a separate division, Curve, which is dedicated to plus size models.

Advertisers using slim models for their ‘health’ campaigns have been heavily criticised by the public and media alike. Protein World’s infamous Are You Beach Body Ready? poster campaign backlash is a prime example of this shift in attitudes towards the ideal female body.

We asked Dr Marilyn Glenville, Nutritionist, women’s health expert and author of Fat Around the Middle: How to Lose That Bulge – For Good  for her thoughts…

areyoubeachbodyreadyadvertcontroversy

How difficult is it to maintain a super skinny body shape and still be healthy?

It is very difficult if not impossible to maintain a super skinny body shape and still be healthy.  And for women it is important not to lose too much fat, because then periods will stop and it can affect not only fertility but also increase the risk of problems like osteoporosis because the woman has lost the protection of the female hormones.

 

Do you see women who struggle to lose weight more regularly now?

Yes.  In my clinics in Harley Street and Tunbridge Wells, I frequently see women who struggle to lose weight.  Most of them just want to be a healthy weight and to have a way of eating that becomes a way of life rather than being on a constant diet or having to do fad diets.

 

Many women I see also want to change their body shape as well as lose weight as they know they are carrying too much fat around their middles which increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, cancer (especially breast cancer), heart disease, Alzheimer’s and high blood pressure.

 

Do you think the fashion industry should embrace models who better represent today’s average British woman?  

I definitely think the fashion industry should embrace models who look like the average British woman.  It makes it easier for the average woman to relate to the clothes that the model is wearing and more likely to want to purchase them.  If the model is super thin, then the average woman will think they can’t possibly attain that without starving themselves and knows that it is just not realistic for them.

 

Can you be healthy and bigger?

This is really dependent on body fat percentage rather than weight.  A person’s weight cannot differentiate between fat and muscle and an athlete and a couch potato can have the same Body Mass Index (BMI – a ratio of height to weight) and yet have a completely different percentage of fat and muscle.

 

A woman can be bigger and healthy if she has the correct percentage of body fat (25-31%). Too low, it risks her periods stopping, infertility and osteoporosis, too high then it risks heart disease, cancer and Type 2 diabetes.

 

Want to shift some pounds naturally?

 

Dr Marilyn Glenville (www.marilynglenville.com) has joined forces with luxury health spa Champneys.com, to deliver a series of very special women’s wellbeing weekends this year.  These very special one and two day retreats are led by Dr Glenville herself and offer natural solutions and insight into four significant female health issues; Fat Around The Middle, Digestion & IBS, Menopause & Osteoporosis and Fertility.

 

 

American Pop Culture & Fast Food Fashion Leaves Brits Hungry For More

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Have a crazing for some fast food? Well, what about some fast fashion: The fash pack’s tastes for food-inspired fashion, sees a super-size demand for delicious designs on eBay

Since Andy Warhol transformed a Campbell’s Soup can and boxes of Brillo soap pads into Pop Art in the 1960s, artists and fashion designers alike, have looked to everyday domestic products and beloved food brands for inspiration. This season has seen an explosion of Brits favourite ‘food on the move’ brands translated into must-have clothing and accessories, like never before.

caraonesiepepperoni

mileycyrus

ritaora

From Rita Ora modelling the McDonald’s ‘Golden Arches’ around London, to Vanessa Hudgens gracing the cover of super cool US magazine NYLON, swathed in Coca-Cola sequins, us Brits can’t get enough of all things kitsch and delicious – with sales of similar women’s apparel rising on eBay.co.uk 119%* over the summer months.

Most recently model and red carpet regular Cara Delevingne was seen taking the trend to another level. Whilst journeying home from her wild birthday celebrations she was snapped wearing an outfit inspired by what’s inside your fast food wrappers and rocking a pepperoni pizza patterned onesie. Across the pond, Katy Perry was spotted the week before wearing a similar all-in-one to The Philadelphia Museum of Art.

 

So where did this tasty trend begin?

 

British designer Ashish sent models down the runway for Spring Summer ’14 drenched in Coca-Cola t-shirts and vests, emblazoned with the brand’s unforgettable logo in his signature sequins. Not forgetting his UK roots, looks were complete with sequin shopping bags reminiscent of designs by superbrands ‘Tesco’ and ‘M&S’.

Autumn Winter ‘14 saw Moschino Creative Director, Jeremy Scott, showcase the chicest of McDonald’s uniforms, perfectly paired with ‘french fries’ iPhone cases and handbags, sparking a craze on eBay.co.uk with over 50** types of fast food phone cases available to buy instantly. Not just for ‘McFashion’ fans, Scott also created show-stopping silk dresses with prints taken from beloved food products including: Fruit Loops cereal, Hershey chocolate and Cheetos chips.

Whilst over in Paris, Lagerfeld’s Chanel runway was converted into a high-end luxury supermarket, with grocery aisles constructed in the iconic Grand Palais. Models including new face Kendall Jenner, Cara Delevingne and pal Rihanna, shopped the aisles with Chanel wire baskets and trolleys, and sported a range of tongue in cheek grocery ‘accessories’, from Chanel egg tray clutches to Chanel milk carton shoulder bags.

 

 

Kate Moss: I Was Forced To Pose Topless

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Kate Moss has told Vanity Fair that she suffered a nervous breakdown after being pushed into posing topless. The model also said she was in tears after being forced to pose topless and that she had no one to look after her apart from when she dated Johnny Depp.

Moss told Vanity Fair magazine that she felt uncomfortable on the shoot with The Face magazine with photographer Corinne Day which made her famous.

I see a 16-year-old now, and to ask her to take her clothes off would feel really weird,’ Moss said.

‘But they were like “If you don’t do it, then we’re not going to book you again”. So I’d lock myself in the toilet and cry and then come out and do it. I never felt very comfortable about it.’

 

The supermodel said that she suffered mental health problems while working for Calvin Klein in the early 1990s.

‘I had a nervous breakdown when I was 17 or 18, when I had to go and work with Marky Mark and Herb Ritts,’

‘It didn’t feel like me at all. I felt really bad about straddling this buff guy. I didn’t like it. I couldn’t get out of bed for two weeks. I thought I was going to die.’

She went on: ‘It was just anxiety. Nobody takes care of you mentally. There’s a massive pressure to do what you have to do.’

Moss also said that after she broke up with Johnny Depp she ‘cried for years’.

What do you think?

London Fashion Week Casting

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Fashion Models of ALL Nationalities Needed for London Fashion Week Show

Fashions Finest Season 3 official off schedule London Fashion Week show will be taking place on the 18 & 19 February. FF LFW are looking for high fashion catwalk/runway models to participate during these special Olympic year shows.

Show Requirements:

· MUST be able to model for BOTH days (18 & 19 February) and will be required for two full days

· This is an UNPAID role, models will be fed, provided with pictures (by email), participate in a London Fashion Week show for international designers

· Women – minimum height is 5.8 and for men minimum height is 5.11

CASTING INFORMATION:

· Casting Date: Friday 20 January

· Casting Time: is at 7 pm sharp

· Casting Address: Sewing Room, Rag Factory, 16 Heneage Street London E1 5LJ

· Models (male & female): must wear blue or black jeans and a tight fitting white T shirt or shirt

· Female models must wear or bring high BLACK stiletto heels (no boots or wedges

· Must bring a picture that they will leave behind (it will not be returned) and they will be required to complete a form which means you must know your accurate statistics

To confirm your attendance please like our Fashions Finest Facebook page

Further Information:
Learn all about the fashion world with the Guide to Online Schools.

LONDON PROMOTES: New Rights For Models

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Victoria Keon-Cohen has spent the last ten years working as a fashion model and knows both the highs and lows of the job. “I hated modelling for a long time because of the isolation. I was constantly gritting my teeth to get through the day. The industry is a far cry from what it was in the 1980s; there is now an oversupply of labour, and models are seen as disposable.”

Victoria describes the difficulties of the profession: “I was working in Milan and felt like I was a dog in the gutter half the time. I spent four hours every night in the gym just from loneliness. I had never been so unhappy in my life. The final pushing point came when I had a serious conflict with my agency, so I left.” After quitting the profession she moved back to London to study. Whilst there she met with Dunja Knezevic, a fellow model and friend, and they talked about their dissatisfaction at the industry.

“We exchanged stories of frustration. We’d both had great experiences as well but the inconsistencies were intolerable. One day a girl was dancing in the park for money to get a motel because her agency refuses to advance [money for] their own flat, the next day she’s in a luxurious villa in Spain” said Victoria.

Their conversation led them to consult Equity, the union for performers in the entertainment industry, and ask them to allow models to join. Towards the end of 2007 they succeeded in their request and the Equity Models Committee was formed.

One of the Committee’s biggest successes occurred last year when Equity, working alongside the British Fashion Council (BFC) as part of the Model Programme, introduced the first ever catwalk contract for London Fashion Week, setting out minimum rates of pay, private changing areas, breaks and refreshments. It also included a clause stating that nudity or semi-nudity must be agreed in advance, helping younger and more vulnerable models avoid being pressured into agreeing work that makes them uncomfortable.

This year Victoria, Dunja and the rest of the committee are focusing on a campaign called London Promotes in association with the BFC and the Model Programme. The campaign will include a viral video due to be shown on fashion blogs, social networking sites and both the BFC and Equity websites. The name highlights the important aspects of the campaign:

Privacy: care and backstage code of conduct.

Rates: ensures payment at least equal to the Model Programme recommended minimums.

Opportunities: for models to obtain prestigious British and international campaigns.

Model Programme: an alliance of the AMA, BFC and the Greater London Authority (GLA) working together for models’ welfare.

Of Age: Only models over 16 walking on the London Fashion Week catwalks.

Terms: conditions of employment covered by the Model Programme’s minimum terms.

Equity: joining the Union for models offers the right to Union protection.

Sanctuary: The Models Sanctuary provides a safe haven for models working during London Fashion Week.

One of the key benefits of union representation for models is legal support in case of any dispute with an agency or client, as well as facial insurance in case of accident. Dunja gives this advice to models starting out in the industry: “Join the union before you have an issue at work because Equity cannot help with any problems you may have had before becoming a member.”

She goes to give a realistic view of the job: “It’s nothing like what you would expect so treat it as the serious business that it is. Forget the glamour and exorbitant cheques. But expect an incredible experience of travel and making connections that you never would have made otherwise.”

This latest campaign looks set to change the fashion industry for the better once again at London Fashion Week. As Victoria explains, “London Promotes is looking to the future for an industry built on respect and support, with opportunities and a strong network of collaboration between Equity, the Models Programme and the Mayor’s office [GLA]. It’s a massive turning point for an industry where no one is just out for themselves anymore; it acknowledges that we have to work together for a stronger workplace for us all.”

Alexa Brown is an actress and model and a member of the Equity Model’s Committee. www.alexabrown.co.uk

This article was previously published in the September issue of Style Capital magazine.

Catherine Balavage interviews Prince Cassius. { Style }

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How did you find out about the Best-Dressed List? Were you nominated? How many entrants were there?

To be honest, I wasn’t expecting it. It began by my sister, who had sent my photos that I took with Annette Schimek to both GQ and Esquire magazine. When I got a call from both publications that I was shortlisted from thousands of applicants, it was really overwhelming and very exciting. I felt utterly inspired and celebrated for conveying my distinctive look. Currently Esquire magazine is out nationwide and GQ comes out 9th September. I remember talking to someone from the publication and was told they had over 15,000 entries each.

-How do you choose what to wear in the morning? Do you plan in advance?

Hmm. I have several of favourite cloths, especially from Brooks Brothers, Hackett, and Gant, so most morning you’ll find me wearing it. I’ve never planned in advance to wear anything apart from special occasions when I know I need to dry clean some cloths.

– What did you dream of becoming when you were a child? What profession you wanted to do.

I always dreamt of being a firefighter or working in fashion. Having no fashion influences in my life that was slightly harder so I dreamt of saving people and being a firefighter.

– How would you define fashion?

My personal style is a combination from 70-80’s era and the quintessential preppy modern man. Preppy is synonymous with sharp in many ways, and as such it is important to keep it somewhat classic and tasteful .The biggest influences in the way I present myself & trends come from Michael Jackson (thriller years), Art, 80’s glam, big hair, Blazers and Elegance that is, the signature of my representation. I believe everyone should create their own visual style and uniqueness to be identifiable to others.

– Do you have a favorite designer?
I have several of favourite designers but my top designers are Gant, Hackett, Oliver Sweeney, Police, Paul Smith, and Brooks Brothers.

– What did modelling give you?
I began modeling as one of the hosts for a boutique store then it lead me working with one of fashion well known names such as face-hunter and vogue photographers. I was always intrigued by the industry but after a year I realized it wasn’t something I wanted. It definitely made me stronger and thicker skinned in this industry.

– How did modelling change you?
Modeling never really changed me but it gave me an insight of how the industry worked. You certainly had the glamorous side of fashion and then the other side. I was always focused and remembered what my mother always told me “never change, always remember your background”.

– What makes a designer?

I believe it’s someone with self-taught skills, in formal design or art, education with a strong background and passion. However, there are many aspects of the profession. Working as a fashion designer can just as well mean supervising a design team. To be a designer takes a lot of time, dedication and hard work. Not to mention living just above the poverty line for several years.

– What is your message in design/fashion?

My message for anyone who’s interested in the fashion world would be do your research, know what your getting yourself into, be passionate, always think outside the box, be creative, and read magazines, educate yourself in this industry.

– How would you define who you are?

I’M A
Bow Tie, 80’s Glam, Skinny Jeans, Afrocentric,
Oxford shoes, Preppy, Blackberry, Mix and Match,
macbook and something practical,
KIND OF A GUY

-What is your favourite outfit or items and why? Do you have any style icons that inspire you? Who are your favourite designers and why?

My personal style is a combination from 70-80’s era and the quintessential preppy modern man. Preppy is synonymous with sharp in many ways, and as such it is important to keep it somewhat classic and tasteful .The biggest influences in the way I present myself & trends come from Michael Jackson (thriller years), Art, 80’s glam, big hair, Blazers and Elegance that is, the signature of my representation. I believe everyone should create their own visual style and uniqueness to be identifiable to others.

My favorite outfits are my Gant and Dunhil Blazer, Hackett Bow tie and Oliver Sweeney & Hudon shoe. Those clothing to me are a sense of my true identify, the colours are rich, and materials are spectacular yet fabulous.

-Do you have any plans for if you win? How are you finding the media attention?

I would see myself as a spokesperson for an organization, charity or a designer, as well as being role model to the younger generation, as well for many people that have overcome many challenges throughout their life coming from a third world country.

The level of public interest it’s offered me has been overwhelming. Its still hasn’t sunk in, I guess. I definitely started noticing it within the short space, the glances on the street, people approaching me asking to take a picture with me, the members of the public recognizing me. It’s been really phenomenal and exciting at the same time.

Thank you. Best of luck.

How Equity Is Helping Models At Work {Careers}

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Equity has opened its doors to Models and a new catwalk contract has been introduced in time for London Fashion Week (starting later this week on the 17th)

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It seems impossible that in 2010 in the UK there could be areas of work uncovered by contracts, established breaks or health and safety procedures. It seems more unlikely still that it happens in one of the most glamorous, expensive and envied industries: fashion. Although the fashion industry is subject to the same standards and employment laws as any other area of business it has long operated as if under separate rules, working to its own high artistic standards but with little thought for issues such as the minimum wage or employee’s rights. In the fight to get to the top, standards of employment law fall by the wayside.

“there is an expectation of working for long hours to earn little money, putting up with nudity being demanded in photo-shoots, sexual harassment from photographers. In the early part of a model’s career, often in their teens, this work will be for free.”

Slowly and surely this is beginning to change. At the end of 2007 Equity, the Union for performers in the entertainment industry, agreed, at the request of two pioneering models, Victoria Keon-Cohen and Dunja Knezevic, that models working in the fashion industry should be eligible to join the Union. In 2008 Equity formed a Models Committee to take forward the concerns of the founding members: the lack of protection models have at work, and the lack of recourse when anything should go wrong. In such a competitive profession there is an expectation of working for long hours to earn little money, putting up with nudity being demanded in photo-shoots, sexual harassment from photographers and few, if any, breaks or refreshments. In the early part of a model’s career, often in their teens, this work will be for free as they build up their portfolio.

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The Equity Models Committee now consists of 7 models and Hilary Hadley, the Union Officer. Their current campaign is focused on addressing the lack of professional credits for models work in editorial shoots and websites. The Committee has also been involved in the work to establish the first ever catwalk contract, which will be in use for this coming London Fashion Week (17th to the 21st September). Created through Equity with the British Fashion Council, and other members of the Model Programme, a body set up to ensure the well-being of models during London Fashion week, the contract sets out the minimum terms and conditions a model should expect when employed to walk at a catwalk show.

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This new contract sets out minimum rates of pay including holiday pay, fitting fees, breaks, refreshments, health and safety requirements, changing areas that provide privacy (models are usually expected to change in full view of the catwalk show’s staff) and agreements on nudity/semi-nudity that must be made before the model is booked to work. As well as providing what should legally be there, the new contract also provides models with respect, acknowledging their work as a profession rather than expecting individual, often very young girls, to accept whatever working conditions are offered.

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This new contract marks the beginning of the end for a self-regulated industry. In an environment where models are the lowest in the pecking order and are expected to work without complaint in the hope of becoming one of the lucky ones and making good money, the new Equity Committee provides support, legal assistance and new regulations to make what should be an enjoyable and profitable career safer and more in line with modern employment practices.

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For more information on Equity and if you are a model seeking union representation, please click here.
by Alexa Brown

Alexa Brown is an actress and model, and a member of the Equity Models Committee.