The whole truth about the modeling business in Ukraine. I work as a model - and I have a lot of questions about this business The truth about modeling agencies abroad
Text: Marina Ivanova
There has always been a lot of speculation and myths around the modeling industry. How are things really going in the “most beautiful business”? It is unlikely that anyone will be very surprised that not everything is so glamorous and legal there.
What do retired models do? This question is asked sooner or later by every girl walking the catwalks of New York, Milan or Moscow. Some make a choice in favor of a family, even at the peak of their careers, making efforts to create it. Others aspire to show or fashion business and look ahead to the professions of a stylist, actress, photographer or jewelry / t-shirt / hat maker. Those for whom all this is not enough, devote themselves to social activities. This choice was made by Sarah Ziff, who created the organization for the protection of the rights of models Model Alliance - "Model Alliance".
29-year-old Sarah has reached decent heights in "modeling". She made her debut ten years ago - and immediately at the shows of Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga and Chloe. Then she starred in commercials for D&G and Stella McCartney, not to mention glossy photo shoots and magazine covers. Six years ago, she left the podium with a clear conscience and entered Columbia University. There she came up with the idea of creating a "Model Alliance". Sarah's initiative was supported by the Council of American Designers (CFDA), headed by Diane von Furstenberg.
Diane von Furstenberg has been advocating for years that models look “healthy” and not haggardly thin. Furstenberg is not happy with the fact that the diet for the most part of underage girls consists of champagne and cigarettes. At the suggestion of the designer, the CFDA considered the possibility of providing them with healthy food before each show. The Council also urges designers not to book girls under the age of sixteen for shows. However, that doesn't stop anyone.
Last fall, Valeria Sestich, a Croatian with a Swiss passport, made her debut on the catwalk, taking part in 16 shows in 15 days in New York. At that time, she was only fourteen, but Sestich's agents confidently threw her a couple of years so that there would be no problems. By the time the truth came out, it was already too late. Since that New York tour, Valeria is in great demand among designers who believe that the girl, firstly, was created for the podium, and secondly, she gained enough experience to feel like a fish in water in a party.
Sarah Ziff and her several dozen of her like-minded people (among them models, human rights activists and lawyers) are categorically not satisfied with this situation. Ziff & Co. they oppose too early “starts”, unacceptable working conditions, propaganda of drugs and anorexia and, of course, sexual harassment.
It will not be easy for the Model Alliance to deal with harassment. It is easier to get rid of the accusations of "harassment" than it seems. What is the scandal with photographer Terry Richardson, who became famous for provocative shooting in the style of soft porn. No less provocative were the methods of work of the photographer-prankster. According to the stories of several aspiring models, Terry behaves more than relaxed on the court and often forces models to do things that are usually not shown on the pages of glossy magazines.
At first, Richardson assured that this was the revenge of the girls who did not shine. But soon top model Ree Rasmussen took their side, confirming that Terry was not averse to taking advantage of her "official position" and going beyond. However, the scandal quickly faded away. Richardson is still bound by contracts with major fashion publications, because he shoots, whatever one may say, very cool.
All of these stories are backed up by a survey conducted by the Model Alliance at New York Fashion Week last February:
- More than half of the models started working at the age of 13-16.
- Most parents do not accompany underage girls to auditions and fittings.
- More than 80% admitted to having tried drugs, of which 50% used cocaine.
- Almost a third of the models were forced to have sex by people they encountered at work.
- 29% admitted to having repeatedly experienced sexual harassment.
Sarah Ziff herself claims that this is just the tip of the iceberg. Many models complain not only about harassment and demands to lose weight (despite the standard parameters), but also about depression, which, according to Ziff, is an occupational disease for many models. Also, the alliance would like to deal with the payment of model labor. As you know, many designers pay the girls "in kind" - clothes and shoes from shows. “That’s just not fair,” says Ziff, who encourages models around the world to use their brains first, not beautiful eyes and long legs.
What do you think of the models and their work?
Cheating, anorexia, sexual harassment, fierce competition, unpaid fees, overtime and tears. Time Out spoke to three girls aged 15 to 19 with different modeling backgrounds about how they get into it and what to do next.
Evgenia Porfirova, 19, 2nd year student of the Faculty of Journalism of Moscow State University, represents Grace Models agency
I got into the modeling business by accident: a friend invited me to join her at an interview at the Point Management modeling school. It so happened that they noticed me, but she was not. I entered a two-month course, started going to auditions, they began to offer me a job. Soon I signed a contract and became the official model of the agency. And already in the summer of 2013, she flew off on a business trip to Hong Kong for four months. I then graduated from the tenth grade of school. I was 16 years old.
I signed the contract with the agency together with the lawyers only after making my changes. Because after reading it, it turned out that I was some kind of slave. In no case should you sign any papers with an agency without legal advice. You have to make concessions if you are important to them as a model that will bring money to the feeder. Usually, 20% of what you earn goes to the agency. It doesn’t matter if there is a contract or not, you pay 20% consistently. And after a trip to Hong Kong, I gave Russian and foreign agencies more than half of what I earned. As a result, I had very little left - out of half a million rubles, I received only 180 thousand.
To sign a contract with an agency or not is the decision of the model. Many prefer to work without any official papers. So you feel more free. You can take part in shootings and shows on the side and not worry about the fact that your boss finds out about it: an agency model has no right to take on offers that do not go through her employers. Also, you do not have to wait for a salary for months and pay a percentage to the agency. In this business, how it works: after the show or shooting, they don’t give money to their hands, but send it to your boss. They may come in a month or two. Maybe in six months - or not come at all. Wage models are practically not regulated, and this is the biggest problem of the modeling business, especially in our country. I have had cases when money was completely lost and did not reach. And there's nothing you can do about it.
“The more famous the publication, the less you will be paid for it. For the cover of Vogue, for example, models don't get anything."
There is a lot of competition in the Moscow modeling business today. You won't even make it to the podium. Recently, I only appear at Yudashkin's - I regularly and with pleasure participate in all his Moscow shows, despite the meager salary. The fact is that payment in modeling depends on the name of the designer: the more famous he is, the less you get. It is believed that the mere fact of working for a famous fashion designer already gives you an advantage over others. Igor Gulyaev, Vyacheslav Zaitsev - they all pay very little. The same applies to magazine shoots: the more famous the publication, the less you will be paid for it, or not paid at all. For the cover of Vogue, for example, models do not receive anything.
The problem with modeling is that too much depends on the human factor. In Russia, models are often not mistaken for people. At castings, they can throw mud at you from head to toe, say that you are fat and scary. The human attitude to the models is completely absent. Why, for example, do many models suffer from anorexia? The girls who just came into this business have in their heads: “Oh, since a professional told me that I am fat, it means that I urgently need to lose weight,” and off we go. I know many such cases - girls starve themselves and think it's beautiful. Abroad, even no one will hint at your shortcomings. If you are not suitable for some kind of show according to the parameters, you will simply be politely refused.
As a child, I had a negative impression of the modeling life. As if everything is done through the bed. These were imposed thoughts, I did not know how everything really happened. But even now, modeling is sometimes equated with prostitution. Of course, there are times when some obscure photographers on the side, who are in no way connected with the agency, invite you to a photo shoot, ask you to undress, and that’s it, you got caught. Fortunately, these are isolated episodes. To avoid this, it is better that all your work goes through an agency. Then you will be protected.
Many offers to accompany successful men. In fact, these are escort services, but we call this “escort”. For this they pay already in euros, and not in rubles, and in one evening you can get huge money, so many agree. I will bring real story my sister's. She got a call from a modeling agency and offered to accompany someone: just sit, chat in a restaurant. The sister clarified that there would be no "continuation", without any hints at all. However, as soon as the dinner began to come to an end, she receives a message from the agency: the client wants to "continue", you can not refuse. Her legs sparkled, so she ran from there. And it happens that girls succumb to persuasion. Here it depends on moral principles everyone. I refuse any such offers immediately.
“It infuriates me when little girls want to get into the modeling business. This world is not for a child."
A similar element is present in the podium work. At the shows there are always a lot of handsome, respectable men who come specifically to pick up the model. In 2015, at the Moscow Fashion Week, after the show, I left through the main entrance of Gostiny Dvor. A young man approached me on the stairs and offered to go hang out with his rich friend who needed a girlfriend for the night. “I saw you on the podium, you are doing this,” the words were something like this. Of course, I ran into him, and he backed off. The first time I encountered this, but if they openly approach it, it means that many before me agreed.
A lot of this makes me mad when little girls want to get into the modeling business. This world is not for a child. You have to wait at least 16-17 years. I remember one girl wrote to me, still very young: “Oh, you are so beautiful, I want that too, introduce me to someone.” I gave her a lecture so that she would not rock the boat until a more conscious age. The fact is that there are really a lot of setups in modeling, which can lead to a deplorable outcome. And the child does not understand this yet, he can withdraw into himself and that's it. There is nothing for children to do here.
Now for me modeling is more of a professional hobby and side job. I never thought to do it all the time. The fact that you're in Fashion Week and there are tons of celebrities going to see you is not enough for me. And if there is an opportunity to be photographed, even for free, I am in favor with all my hands and feet. It doesn't matter to me how much they pay, I enjoy the process itself.
Kaya, 16, took modeling classes with hopes of a career
In 2013, I spent two months at the school of the Verona modeling agency promoted in Moscow. Usually, every agency has scouts - people who recruit potential models on the Internet. Their job is to send out invitations as best they can. more people by luring them into an agency. They look at your profile on a social network and, if they like you, they send you a questionnaire to fill out. The more people come, the more money the scouts will get. No one wrote to me, I filled out the questionnaire on the agency's website myself, after which I was contacted and invited for an interview. The first reaction that I had was: “Hooray, the modeling business is waiting for me!” This seemed quite realistic, despite the growth of 163 cm. There are models below the standards accepted in the business. I thought why not give it a try.
For 27,000 rubles, I was provided with courses in defile, photo posing and makeup - almost a complete set of skills, with the exception of acting, which I must have good model. In makeup courses, for example, we were taught not so much the skill of painting, but some hidden tricks that not everyone knows: how to apply lipstick so that it lies perfectly even or does not wash off. Also, sometimes they helped us come up with an image for a particular shoot, so that at the same time you looked natural, and not like a panda with bruises under the eyes. The fashion show was taught by Ekaterina Molchan, a chic teacher, professional model and ballerina. In class, she always clearly said what was wrong, and this helped a lot in working on her gait. I really thought that after the course I would come out a different person. I'll be a cool model, I'll start working right away. Agencies like to make promises that after graduating from their school, you can become a professional model, go abroad. And a lot of people buy into it.
In fact, there are no guarantees. Most often, they just want your money, and they do not give any instructions for the fact that after the end of the course you will get a stable job. There is a nuance here: if in two months you somehow prove yourself, you may be noticed by important people associated with well-known designers and larger agencies. These people come to class looking for new models. Unfortunately, the first factor they look at is your height. Despite the fact that the website of the agency Verona says: “Even if you short stature, come anyway”, in fact, it’s just an advertisement. For them, the main thing is that you are over a meter seventy. If you are tall, consider that you have already been singled out from the rest of the mass.
“It is necessary to have an inner voice that will say: “I can, I am ready””
Of course, it's not just about growth. Very often, girls who come to modeling agencies forget that they must also be able to walk, pose, be photogenic - and this is quite difficult. I understood what they wanted from me, approximately in the middle of the course. Emboldened, no longer shy. The talent of a good model is to feel calm and comfortable and be able to show one hundred percent. It is necessary to have an inner voice that will say: "I can, I am ready." The model must be punctual, always come to the auditions on time. You have no right to be late. There were girls at school who from the first day began to behave arrogantly. They believed that once they paid the money, then everyone should dance in front of them. It also happened that the girls were rude, and they cried after class. It is necessary to realize that the real side of the modeling business is quite tough. And no one will feel sorry for you.
At the end of their training, a modeling school usually gives its students the opportunity to audition for a magazine like School Health or star in a cereal commercial. But then again, not everyone gets there. Out of five hundred girls, only two or three will be chosen, and it is unlikely that you will be among them. The problem is that there are fewer requests for models than there are models themselves. Plus, for each request there are certain criteria: hair color, a certain eye color, height. Not everyone fits them. Within a month after graduation, I considered possible offers, castings, but certain factors stopped me. First, it's a rather tedious process. You have to constantly go to auditions, after which you usually hear: “You know, come next time, maybe you will grow up even more.” After a while, it starts to tire, because you want everything at once. Secondly, I corny did not fit the parameters - everywhere the required height was at least 165 cm. Gradually, I stopped looking for new offers and scored.
I will not return to the modeling business for one simple reason - I do not want to devote my life to this work. She is no longer my target. For me, it was more like a temporary hobby, and even then the feeling that the model was just a hanger for displaying clothes of some brand did not leave. Initially, when you enter this business, you try to adapt to the pattern imposed on you, but then you realize that it is hard and dreary and simply not worth it. In this case, most do not care about your feelings, since everyone just wants to break through to the top.
Nika, 15, got her first catalog shoot at the age of 9 and got her first paycheck
At the age of 12, I entered the Baby-Teen modeling school, where I studied photo posing and defile. My modeling life was then in the hands of my mother, she organized my participation in filming and shows. Finally, in the fall of 2015, scouts wrote to me and invited me to the Grace Models modeling school. Classes were held once a week for two months. We were taught the basics of make-up, organized shooting, where the photographer explained in detail the rules of the model's behavior - how to portray this or that mood, how to advertise clothes or jewelry, what types of shooting are. They shot for an hour or two, and at the end of the week they provided the original photos and one retouched shot that went into the portfolio. Thus, after two months, I already had eight professional photos in each direction of shooting.
During the training, as a student of the agency, you can already participate in projects offered by managers. Of course, open castings are held in Moscow, where hundreds of novice models come, but the probability of passing there is scanty. Most of the proposals go to specific modeling agencies. There is a closed VKontakte group where agency partners post offers for castings, shootings, etc. Beginning models send their applications there. If you fit the client - go ahead. I participated in the first shoot outside of school two weeks after admission. It was held at the White Studio, everything was well organized - a stylist, a make-up artist, an image maker, three photographers. For me, this was the first shooting without a teacher and advice from mentors, I was left to myself. Of course, at first I felt a little awkward, because I had only two classes behind me. Usually several photographers shoot at the same time (always in different ways), respectively, you get a lot more photos. This is how a portfolio is being developed - now, in half a year of work, I already have about 60 pictures in my asset.
For any model, growth plays a significant role. Of course, the numbers are a formality, but you must be prepared for the fact that you will be constantly measured, so it's pointless to lie about it. My height is 170 cm - small enough for the modeling business. Usually you need at least 175 cm. And even if he does not play any role on the set, this will be the main selection criterion at the shows. Naturally, the face and figure play an important role in the model. I can not single out any specific criteria regarding the ideal appearance. Zest and proportionality are welcome. Definitely clear skin. It is not a myth that models lose weight in order to participate in prestigious shows. Many, however, soon give up, because they see that guys are attracted more to girls with curves: who does not appreciate the "butt and tits" these days?
The competition is very strong, so you need to be able to show yourself one hundred percent - this applies to everything related to modeling in general. When you come to the casting, there are a lot of girls there who may have graduated from some school, but now they represent themselves. And even if you went through a two-month training course, and the other girl didn’t, but she looks like fucking, they will take her. There are alternative ways to promote, for example, Instagram. I furnish it in accordance with my work: I add there not only myself, but also some beautiful photos graphics, trying to create a special space around me that will appeal to my audience. There was even a case when the photographer offered to shoot after viewing my Instagram. And although I didn't know him personally, we met and filmed some cool stuff.
To imagine the life of a model, it is enough to watch the show "America's Next Top Model", only in reality it is still more rigid. There are top models, there are mid-level models, and there are many girls at the very bottom who are just starting out. Between them is just the biggest competition and the most conflicts. A lot of people quit doing this because of stress: not only do you need to regularly monitor your figure, but you also have time to travel ten castings in one morning, of which you will pass only half, and only a third of them will pay you. 2000-3000 rubles for shooting is all you can count on at this stage of your career.
Of course, this profession has many negative aspects. It happens that you get to the show with a completely terrible organization. It happens that you return from filming at midnight. Often you have to wait weeks for finished photos. I can’t say that I am attached to modeling with all my heart. Perhaps in a couple of years for me everything that I am doing now - traveling somewhere, filming somewhere - will seem like a kindergarten. In the meantime, I'm doing this for myself and self-expression, everything suits me. I have my first modeling summer ahead of me, when many cool shoots and new offers can arise, and I want to make the most of it.
Thanks to the Internet and global changes in the economy, the fashion world and with it the modeling business is changing. Now, fewer and fewer girls dream of trying themselves as a model, choosing other directions in life, and this is quite understandable, because in the modeling business, especially in Russia, there are fewer and fewer tempting prospects that remain in the past.
Myth 1 "Big jackpot"
Many girls think that big money is spinning in the modeling business. This is not surprising, because beautiful photos and fashion shows emphasize this: perfect body, expensive cars, luxurious jewelry and chic clothes. But, as professionals say, the real fashion business, and everything related to fashion shows, photo shoots, videos, is very little developed in Russia ...
All this, of course, is there: not a single advertisement will take place without a beautiful kopeck piece. But the models at their work do not shine big earnings, as the prices are scanty.
For shooting on the cover of the magazine, the model will receive a very symbolic reward, and photo shoots for serious advertising campaigns are offered to rare top models. Therefore, an ordinary model can count on shooting for all sorts of posters, catalogs and other works with a small budget.
In parallel with this, there is another area of activity of models, which is called "promo". This word is not particularly liked to use, because it is associated with the distribution of leaflets near the subway. But it was on the promo, i.e. large companies allocate money for the presentation and promotion of goods, and this makes it possible for models to earn extra money.
Russian modeling agencies are often and a lot involved in this area, because here you can really earn money. Sometimes models have the opportunity to choose an employer with a better offer, but often conventional models agree to any contracts and look for work in all ways.
There are many in Russia beautiful girls and in the minds of business, the work of models and photographers is not something worthy of serious payment, so most are forced to accept a very modest remuneration.
In addition, models and modeling agencies compete with each other, bring down prices, offering their services at a lower price. And there are many more free models who register on special sites where they post a portfolio and offer their services to potential customers.
With the development of social networks, special communities and public pages have appeared, ads from models and employers are constantly posted there. In social networks great activity and information between interested people is spreading very quickly.
Leafing through the offers of employers, you are surprised at how insignificant the remuneration is offered. And some girls agree, and every time they devalue the work of the model more and more.
Myth 2 "Beautiful life"
There is a myth that models are necessarily happy and rich. We figured out wealth - today it is very difficult to make money in the modeling business. Only top models working in the fashion capitals of the world and having contracts with big brands earn their own wealth.
Others have to be content with modest incomes, but at the same time constantly come into contact with the elements of a beautiful life. This causes a lot of different feelings and emotions that do not make happy.
You have to look for and use all means to achieve your goals. And the model of these means and opportunities is not so much. The most real opportunity to improve your financial condition is to find a rich lover, and ideally a very rich one. But often only a few manage to find a rich sponsor.
Myth 3 "Dusty-free work"
The founder of a well-known modeling agency, who has worked as an active model in the past, is very indignant at how dismissively people treat the duties of professional models.
For those who think that standing at the exhibition and handing out booklets is not a job, she always offers: “Get up! Simple 12 hours. And a stream of thousands of people will go past you. And many will contact you with claims, attention, their mood.
And you should always smile at everyone - from beggars to gopniks. And at the same time, to identify potential buyers, to give them promotional materials.” Such hardiness can only be learned in the army. But even the Guard of Honor does not require a permanent sincerely benevolent attitude. Without knowing it, girls at these exhibitions receive education in the specialty "Psychology of Personality".
We must not forget the purely physiological aspects. Due to the fact that models spend most of their time in very high heels, they almost always develop joint and back problems. And the constant fear of losing shape, combined with improper diets, disrupts metabolism.
The daily routine of the model does not at all imply regular meals: often the girl spends the whole day at exhibitions, and in the evening she participates in entertainment events or at holidays, where tables are bursting with delicious dishes. Such a life will certainly have a most negative impact in the near future.
Myth 4 “You can’t get into the modeling business honestly”
This is what mothers of beautiful daughters are most afraid of. In fact, if you carefully and unbiasedly study the modeling business, it turns out that working as a model is no more dangerous than working as saleswomen and many other activities available for a beautiful and photogenic high school student or student.
Even the most frightening invitations to castings from the street can be very profitable and promising. The only thing you need for this is self-confidence and a serious business approach. The reputation of this or that agency is well known and reflected on the Internet. By collecting reviews, talking on social networks and in reality with other models, you can find out everything.
Modeling agencies that practice various escort services usually do not hide what is the most important and significant part of their income. Therefore, you always have the opportunity to agree or refuse.
Personally, for the sake of interest, I wanted to try myself as a model. Of course, I understood that I would not work, I just wanted to experience everything for myself.
To do this, I turned to different modeling agencies. Now everyone has websites, pages in social networks. She also wrote to model scouts and met some in real life. No one hides their true offerings.
If the job involves an escort, sex services or shooting in a very frank video, it is immediately voiced.
Now we can draw conclusions - today it is very difficult to make money in the modeling business, and if there is no way to earn money, then for beautiful life you just have to observe and pretend that you yourself live this wonderful life.
Every day you will take photos with the attributes of a luxurious life and post them on social networks so that everyone can see how happy you are, although in reality you have envy, dissatisfaction and disappointment in your soul.
Therefore, you should not go into the modeling business if you crave big money. This job should be fun in and of itself. It is important for models to love the whole process of photo shoots and experience the pleasure of searching for new images, working with a photographer. And most importantly, work hard!
When I first arrived in Moscow, I was at that tender age when you proudly walk in 12 cm heels in a miniskirt and without a bra. And you are perfect. Every now and then various agents approached me on the street with an offer to come to them for a casting in various modeling agencies. This did not surprise me, because in my native Kursk, from the age of 13, this was offered to me. At first I was not interested in modeling career. But one day I decided to go there.
For courage, I took a girlfriend. Neither of us had any model data. Average height 168-169, well, slender, well, pretty. Both of us are 23, but we looked like 16. There were hundreds of girls at the casting, starting from the age of 13. We were easy, funny and absolutely don't care. After all, for us it was an adventure, not a chance to become a model. In general, we passed the casting. And the first round, and the second and even the third. We were asked to stand in the database, to make a portfolio. Then we were called into the office and had a serious conversation on the consent of the sponsor.
Yes Yes. You heard right. We were told in plain text that we must sign a certain agreement, according to which we are not opposed to being sponsored and helped in every possible way by a certain philanthropist. And how we thank him, we need to negotiate with him. We screwed up. Because they didn’t understand at all that this was not a joke. And we were quite seriously offered to work as models for sucking and fucking like. After some time, we received a call regarding the escort of a Hollywood star. Sorry, I forgot the name. The star is a real star. Stallone scale. Well, in general, everyone knows him.
Escort - this is officially called sex, gangbang and orgies.
You seem to be just escorting a man. Rich man.
A very rich man. On a trip, at a party, anywhere.
They feed you, give you water, even rent a separate room and pay you more.
Perhaps the customer himself will not fuck you. But you will definitely be fucked by his friends on the yacht, after the races, for example. By the way, I was escorted to the races with a rich man. Conditions: ticket, visa, ability to hold a conversation, height, skinny figure, private room, full content and one and a half thousand dollars for three days. At that time, 12 years ago, it was good money.
This is the official price.
And the real one depends on how well you suck and not only.
All the girls who came "in the model" at the age of 15, by the age of 23 have luxurious apartments and provide themselves with a comfortable old age. Many people marry well. I started late by Moscow standards, but my sense of humor and conversational skills, among other skills, quickly made a name for me. I was accompanied by the smartest and most interesting men.
If you are now reading such all morally pure and think that whoever marries such people, I want to upset you. They marry and last people. They even married Berkova. As far as I remember, her video was not removed from the network. In fact, men do not care who you had, who fucked you, what is natural and what is not. The main thing is that you fit the fashionable parameters and it suits you.
After all, even simple, so to speak, people divide women. Friends sleep with one in turn.
Or, oh horror, all three at the same time.
So the illusion that "these whores" do not marry is just an illusion of miserable, old and terrible aunts. With nothing left but to emanate poison. Now, they say, the modeling business has become a little cleaner. And it seems like you can even be just a model. But what model will refuse a rich and interesting man. Models are people too, they also want to meet a man, especially if he gives you an apartment.
In general, my modeling past is over. Now I have my own agency.
I do not recruit prostitutes, but what they do after the shows and with whom, I do not care.
If their parents don't mind, what do I care?
The founders of the best modeling agencies in Ukraine talk about the success story and the rules of running a fashion business in a special website project.
Alla Kostromicheva / K Models
Text: Venya Brykalin
Photo: Cate Underwood Style: Julie Pelipas
“I used to have a crazy rhythm: shows and shootings are scheduled two or three months in advance, flights every week. Now I can choose a job myself, I have the right to refuse something,” says Alla Kostromicheva. An exemplary off-duty top model is looking at me from the screen: Medea's clean, flawless face, her hair tied in a ponytail, an Olympian on chiseled shoulders. Alla lives in New York and rarely visits Ukraine, so we conduct interviews via Skype.
Kostromicheva - one of the most sought-after Ukrainian models - admits that the rise to the top was not quick. Alla got into modeling at the age of 16, but for the first two years she hardly worked - she studied. After graduating from school, she went to Milan, where she made her debut at the Giorgio Armani show. At that time, the girl did not have big ambitions, but she had a plan to enter a university: in the family, education has always been in the first place. Having received a diploma in medical electronics, Kostromicheva returned to her thoughts about a modeling career. At 21, she again went to Europe - this time to Paris. The first Fashion Week is there - and immediately an exclusive for the Givenchy House. But Alla made a real breakthrough with the transition to the New York agency Women. In her first season with the new agency, she did 55 shows, opening shows for Alexander McQueen and Yves Saint Laurent. This was followed by advertising campaigns by M.A.C and Bottega Veneta.
In the status of a top model, Alla has new ambitions. “Girls began to contact me on Facebook - some for advice on how to become a model, some with a request to help find an agency. Among them were very promising people. At some point, I realized that it was in my power to help them.”
“For ten years in the modeling business, I have met almost all serious casting directors, I can always call or write to them. This baggage is very useful, it is what distinguishes us from other agencies. But recently I realized that the work of an agent to some extent conflicts with my interests in modeling: more and more castings, where I come for work, end with a discussion of our wards.
Now there are about thirty girls in Alla's K Models agency, most of them are taking their first steps in Asia. “We try to recruit very young girls so that there is time and opportunity to influence their development. Therefore, we are still preparing the first generation of stars, but today I single out six or seven individuals who will succeed.”
One of the main hopes of the agency is 17-year-old Pasha Garulya with a brisk walk and a boy's haircut. In her debut season in Paris, Pasha participated in the show of Demna Gvasalia for Balenciaga, and now she is successfully working on commercial shoots.
“I started my career ten years ago, during this time the business has changed a lot, and there is no single formula for success. Today, the question of status for a model is largely connected only with her vanity. Girls have the opportunity to earn good money, bypassing the stage of prestigious, but often low-paid work on the catwalk and in gloss, which was mandatory for models of my generation.
The generation of Kostromicheva are characteristic models with classic features. Today, non-standard types are in fashion, transformer models that can transform depending on the task at hand. “As an agent, it’s interesting for me to deal with just such girls, although it’s very difficult to predict who will“ shoot ”.
The unnatural selection that girls go through, driven by the dream of becoming a model and conquering the glossy world, is the main plot of the Ukrainian Supermodel television project. Alla Kostromicheva has been hosting an analogue of the American show for three seasons. “This program is an entertainment product, we are not faced with the task of showing real life models and expose the truth of the fashion business. I'm not sure if anyone would be really interested. Our project may not make top models out of the participants, but it will instill in them discipline, understanding of subordination and ability to work - those qualities that newcomers to the modeling business really lack. This show is a school of life, after which any trials will seem like a trifle.
A year ago, Alla gave birth to a son, Salvatore - a risky step for the model. But the appearance of the child only strengthened her position. “Due to pregnancy and childbirth, I took a break from work, which eventually played into my hands: I returned to the business renewed - and this fueled interest in me.”
To my last question, does Alla consider herself truly beautiful, one of the most beautiful girls in the world simply answers: “I would really like to get good at selfies, but, alas, I don’t succeed. That's why I don't publish them. Other than that, I'm happy with what I have."
Masha Manyuk Linea 12
Text: Daria Slobodyanik
What I do is not only a modeling business for a long time, it is a mission: I help girls to realize themselves. In "Linea 12" we do not "spoil" them, so years later they bring their daughters to us. It's a matter of trust." During our interview at Masha Manyuk's agency, there are several young models. They speak in whispers so as not to disturb the boss. Spectacular brunette Manyuk - sharp, categorical and demanding - has been in the modeling business for 20 years and ironically calls herself a "shark".
Masha hardly remembers her modeling career: a girl with an economic education and a lively character did not stay in modeling. She says she quickly became bored, although her career included showings in Tokyo and shooting for Dior advertising campaigns in Paris. “The best memories of that time are travel. In the 1990s, I was only in Mexico three times, and for most Ukrainians then it was from the category of fantasy. In general, at my age, modeling was an adventure. For some reason, we flew to the exhibition of achievements of the national economy in Las Vegas on a huge Ruslan cargo plane. We were taken along with the exhibition objects - it was cheaper that way. There were no seats - they rested in sleeping bags.
20 years ago, Manyuk became the head of the Linea 12 agency, which a couple of years later became one of the three strongest in the country, being next to L‑Models and 1Mother Agency. In 1996, the Manyuk agency was talked about all over the world: his ward Diana Kovalchuk from Vinnitsa won the Elite Model Look in France, signed a contract with the Elite Models agency, became one of the first top models in the CIS, and Patrick Demarchelier himself shot the first lookbook for her.
“In Linea 12, we don’t “spoil” the girls, so years later they bring their daughters to us. It's a matter of trust."
The director of Linea 12 is known for his unusual approach to the selection of girls - Manyuk says that he always chooses models with character. “When a girl comes to our agency, first of all I listen to her. She talks to colleagues, and I listen. If something catches me, then I go out and ask questions.
Stas Yankelevsky and Irina Timofeeva / L-Models
Text: Irina Pshenishnyuk
Photo: Kseniya Kargina, Style: Nadiia Shapoval
“In my experience, out of ten thousand girls aged 14 to 20, only one can work as a model. Yes, at the casting it seems that there are many girls with model parameters, but in reality this is not so,” says Stas Yankelevsky, director of the international department of the Kiev agency L-Models. You can trust him: Stas has been modeling for more than twenty years, and all the most successful models in Ukraine are from his agency. Only at the shows of autumn-winter - 2016/2017 did about forty shows.
Yankelevsky started in the nineties, simultaneously making a program on Kharkov television. He recalls that time with a smile: “Look at Style.com, how funny Claudia Schiffer and Naomi Campbell are at the 1993 Chanel show. Only Klein's models look like models, the rest are women who accidentally run onto the catwalk. And our girls behaved the same way: they went to the point, took some ridiculous poses, and in the hall they applauded and said: “Oh, look, mine has gone!” Sometimes they brought flowers. The status of the model was necessary to maintain the image of a successful girl: she parked her Audi, received $ 10 - and left. It was all very funny."
The legendary scout Gia Jikidze, who discovered Natalia Vodianova and Irina Shayk, persuaded them to work together, but Stas went to L-Models. In 1999, the most sought-after models were the winners of beauty contests: gorgeous ladies with an oligarchic-sponsored background, while Stas recruited completely different ones - very thin and very young. In 2000, Paul Roland, founder of the Women modeling agency, chose Stas's girlfriend to work in New York - and this was the beginning of the collaboration between L-Models and Women. Stas believes that Paul has formed a new fashion character. It was he, along with his partner Mohammed, who introduced the fashion for androgynous girls. Mohammed was one of the strongest bookers in the world: it was he who raised Irina Kravchenko.
“It was difficult to sell models of a new type, but the worldview was changing, and the first top models began to appear in the country from the 2000s.”
“Stas' program ran for ten years and was very popular,” says Irina Timofeeva, director of L-Models. We used her to our advantage. When the Karin agency appeared and it was impossible to break through, we agreed with the designers: “It’s empty, you take it from us full squad- you get a 10-minute story about your collection. Lilia was the first designer to pay attention to us. She was very advanced, worked in Europe and was the first to take on thin androgynous models who did not dance on the catwalk, but walked.
At first, it was very difficult to sell models of a new type, but the worldview gradually changed, and from the 2000s, the first top models began to appear in the country - Pirozhkova, Markina, Sasonkina, Telnaya. According to Stas, an unusual appearance is now in vogue: “Casting directors are looking for faces on the verge of deformity: protruding ears, the wrong nose, obvious disproportions. But such girls will do a few shows, shoot for a couple of magazines - and sink into the abyss, but the beautiful ones remain. Beautiful faces are commercial, they last longer.”
Today Yankelevsky calls sharply increased competition a feature of the modeling business: “Thanks to Instagram, Facebook and other social networks, scouts and casting directors have received huge resources. The real hunt for new faces has begun. Now it’s important not just to open the show, but to hold out for at least three seasons.”
Irina Timofeeva considers 18-19 years old to be the ideal age to start her modeling career, although she admits that she starts working with 14-year-olds: “Otherwise, someone else will take them.” That is why modeling is a business with the most high risks: “In fact, everything depends on the children! We build their careers, but anyone can suddenly go to another agency or leave. For us, this is a stab in the back, because we perceive even teenagers as business partners.”
“Directors, bookers, scouts - everyone should have a very developed intuition,” says Stas. - I get high from this business, but I can't say that I fully understood it. Otherwise I wouldn't be interested."
Yulia Krinitskaya and Evgenia Timoshenko / Faces
Text: Venya Brykalin
Photo: Kseniya Kargina, style: Nadiia Shapoval
Regulars of gossip columns in Kyiv Yulia Krynitskaya and Yevgenia Timoshenko look and work like "yin and yang". Julia is a blonde with wide eyes and active gestures, she jokes a lot and fits three stories into one sentence. Evgenia is a brunette with a deep look, thoughtful and accurate in her wording. The interview takes place as if in a fast motion mode: the story jumps from the past to the future, from general facts to the personal, from Julia to Evgenia and back.
Personal experience is the foundation of Faces work. In the past, models, Krynitskaya and Tymoshenko left the profession at the beginning of the 2000s. Then there was the organization of national and international beauty contests, where their inquisitive gaze snatched potential podium stars from hundreds of contestants. So the idea was born to open his own modeling agency. Krynitskaya and Timoshenko talk about their main successes and greatest hopes with noticeable pleasure.
A ticket to life, according to Krinitskaya, was given to her by the legendary scout of the nineties Gia Dzhikidze. He met 16-year-old Yulia at the Kiev Passage and offered to do a test shoot. Then there was Paris and a contract with Karin gaining momentum. But the accident put her modeling career on pause. “I had a story, like any Cinderella from the post-Soviet space. Only in mine there was a pit stop, which made it possible to reconsider plans for the future, ”Krinitskaya dismisses further questions with a laugh. And then he switches to discussing the current affairs of his wards.
Faces' main weapon is 26-year-old Yana Godnya from Uzhgorod. Having started her career with commercial filming, six years later she made a sharp turn towards catwalk fashion - in the first season, the model received a Calvin Klein Collection exclusive, followed by Céline and Louis Vuitton shows. Today Godnya cannot be found in Ukraine (she made an exception only for shooting the anniversary issue of Vogue), but her curls and freckled face adorn the best podiums on both sides of the Atlantic.
“The faces you remember after the first meeting are the hallmark of Faces”
“Success in modeling doesn't come overnight, it's a myth. Someone needs a year or two of hard work, someone is forced to spend five years. Yana absolutely deservedly came to the results that she has, ”say her agents.
The faces that you remember after the first meeting are the hallmark of Faces. In an oversaturated market, this is a rarity. Such discoveries at different times were pupils of Faces Zhuzhu Ivanyuk, Mila Krasnoyarova and Victoria Kuropyatnikova. And today, the Faces management pins its highest hopes on 16-year-old Valeria Bubleiko, who can be seen in the Wella advertising campaign and in the lookbooks of designer Vita Kin, and 25-year-old Martha Monakh, Teutonic cheekbones, a heavy look from under the oblique bangs and whose boyish gait appreciated by Hermès, Vivienne Westwood and Ann Demeulemeester.
“Now the world lives in a meat grinder mode. It all comes down to fast food, no one wants to savor it. The same thing happens with fashion and fashion faces: with rare exceptions, clients are not ready to invest time and effort in future stars. Therefore, from the general mass, only girls with an exceptional history and strong character make their way to real glory, ”says Krinitskaya.
“There are not so many worthy people,” Tymoshenko continues. - And in addition to appearance, there should be a lot more that will make the model successful. One minor character trait can ruin a career. It's sad to see gifted girls miss their chance, so we're always on the lookout and trying to be there."
Why do girls have so much patience? “When you have children, you learn to be patient,” says Tymoshenko. “We often remember ourselves and our modeling past: both Yulia and I - we were exactly the same young and inexperienced.” When asked if they are ready to put their daughters to the test of modeling, Krinitskaya replies with a laugh: “Absolutely! As serious modeling agents, we are preparing a new generation, therefore we give birth only to girls. For two, we already have four new faces.
Vladimir Yudashkin / 1Mother Agency
Text: Venya Brykalin
Photo: Kseniya Kargina, style: Nadiia Shapoval
The 1Mother Agency office occupies a small space in a two-story mansion in the center of Kyiv. The atmosphere here is classic for a modeling agency: in the center of the hall there is a long negotiating table, by the window, strictly under the stadiometer, there are floor scales, and on the white walls there are garlands of composites - the main working tool of the models. Our interview is scheduled for Saturday, but Vladimir Yudashkin is not afraid of working on a day off: he has just completed a Skype training for freelancers who are combing the expanses of Ukraine in search of potential top models.
“Now the agency employs 25 girls. Approximately half are new faces, we are preparing them for launch on the international market. Now they are undergoing a baptism of fire in Tokyo and Singapore. Five more are girls who are already in Paris, but will really “shoot” in a season or two. And of course, our stars who work at the top level, ”Yudashkin talks about the structure of 1Mother Agency. Among the agency's stars are Dasha Khlistun, who starred in Anthony Vaccarello's debut advertising campaign for Saint Laurent and opened Chloé's last Parisian fashion show, Victoria Ignatenko, a regular participant in Dolce & Gabbana marathon shows, and Gucci exclusive Kristina Abibulaeva. Here is also one of the main debutantes according to Models.com, Evgenia Migovich, who made 37 shows in her first season and opened the Nina Ricci show.
“I got into the modeling business when I realized that the monotonous office life is not fun. I sent my resume to a small agency - and was immediately accepted into the team. After working there for only a month, I received an invitation to the Karin agency - one of the strongest at that time in Kyiv. Then he met John Casablancas, who then just sold the Elite agency. He was preparing a new project with a simple but brilliant idea: whoever controls the models can dictate the terms of the entire fashion industry. Such people were scouts who are looking for girls and introduce them to modeling agencies. Casablancas opened a network of StarSystem scouting agencies and offered me to take over the Ukrainian office. After working there, I formed my own vision, left and founded my own company.”
"Who controls the models, he can dictate the terms of the entire industry."
Today, in addition to the usual search for models on the streets, on scout tours around the country and on social networks, 1Mother Agency has set up the DreamScouting system, which works as an Internet project. Anyone can, by filling out a form on the agency's website, propose a new person - and track the status of their application, including the process of signing a contract and calculating commissions. According to Yudashkin, the system is so successful that supply is many times greater than demand. "On initial stage it is very difficult to understand which of the girls we look at (and this is a huge number) will be able to become a successful model in the future. To do this, you need to have a flair and faith, because the key to the success of a modeling agency is to make right choice and don't back down from it."
It is easier to meet Yudashkin himself at the height of Paris Fashion Week than to find him in Kiev, for example, on the busy St. Honore, when he accompanies a group of his new faces to the casting, or at the entrance to the show, where he patiently waits for one of the wards to help get to the next show venue.
“The most important thing in girls is aspiration and character. To succeed in modeling, you need to have ambition, and, as a rule, we have to instill this in models, teach them to believe in themselves. It is also important to be open and easy to communicate with. And here side effects Soviet upbringing - timidity and shyness - greatly interfere with work.
According to Yudashkin, the perception of the modeling business in Ukraine has changed. Today, this profession is no longer associated with baths and escorts, but is considered by girls and their parents as a serious step towards growing up. For many, this is an opportunity to earn their first money and see the world - the same as that provided by exchange travel programs or Work & Travel.
“The fashion market is growing at an unimaginable pace. More and more brands appear, more and more often they arrange shows, shoot lookbooks and advertising campaigns - the business, despite the crisis, is acquiring grotesque proportions, and this is certainly good for modeling. For our top girls today, there is more work than they can physically do, so you have to choose and refuse two out of three offers.
Yudashkin plans to develop a scouting system in Ukraine and open representative offices of 1Mother Agency in Russia and Belarus, from where new faces are already being received. “Many models have difficulty getting a US work visa, so I want to open a scouting agency in the US, where the main work is concentrated.” For America, judging by the enthusiasm of Vladimir Yudashkin, the whole world will follow.
