MODEL PROFILES: Ali Stephens

Just when you think you have fashion all figured out, it has a habit of going and changing on you. It’s all part of its charm.

For the past two years, the high fliers of the modelling industry have been faces who pack a punch. Edgy, confrontational and even controversial, these faces are unforgettable and dynamic.
They lend an age of cool to any designers’ clothes, and it is their personality, rather than versatility, that sells. But fashion operates in cycles (or seasons if you prefer), and every face has a shelf-life.

In March 2007, a teenage girl from Utah was discovered by an agency scout whilst out shopping with her family. Six months later, Ali Stephens (now signed with Elite) made her debut at the Spring / Summer Prada show in Milan. To put it into perspective, it is the equivalent of winning an Oscar for your first film role.

Stephens was an instant hit, and a very new look for the industry. She was 16 years old, tall, lean and classically beautiful.

Previously, Ali (born in Salt Lake City in 1991), who had spent all of her energies in winning cross-country competitions for her school, and thinking about which college to apply to, found herself, after a chance encounter at a mall, at the epicentre of a fashion frenzy.

Designers were immediately struck by Stephens’ fresh-faced look and clamoured to sign her up for shows. Just two years on from being discovered, Ali can now claim Chanel, Balenciaga, Givenchy, Louis Vuitton, Nina Ricci and Miu Miu among her catwalk credits. Appropriately for a runner, Ali Stephens has taken the fashion world at phenomenal speed.

Using her skills as a cross-country champion, Stephens learned the ropes quickly and overtook her competitors. She now excels – the girl who was once a self-confessed fashion novice now cites Balmain and Alexander Wang as her favourite designers. Knowing the industry is vital for succeeding in it, and an important lesson Ali learned fast. Fashion-literacy is something no model can afford to be without.

Ali’s popularity among designers is attributable to her versatile look. Rolling out high-profile campaigns for design houses as prestigious as Calvin Klein, Chloe, Missoni and Prada Sport, shows that Ali’s strength is moulding her image to whatever the brand requires. It is Modelling 101, but perversely, the hardest principle to master with any degree of success. To be truly versatile is not just down to genetic blessings (although it doesn’t hurt), it goes hand-in-hand with hard work: perseverance and listening to what a client wants. Ali makes every campaign shoot work because she is believable and equally convincing in each ‘role’.

That dedication to getting it right is why she gets re-booked time after time. Ali is part of a wave of models that team edge with effortless beauty to embody the best of both worlds. Ali Stephens is the Classic American who outperforms them all – she taps into the aesthetic of clean-cut, all-American girl who is transformed by a gown or a pair of sunglasses into something entirely new.
It is this transformative effect, the tomboy-to-fashion-princess moment that is at the core of what makes fashion compelling. Fashion, when it’s right, can change the way we feel about ourselves, and that transition spells magic.

For the industry now struggling to maintain consumer interest, it is this pull that keeps costumers coming back for more. The addictive quality of ‘who can I be today?’ is hard to beat, even in tough times like these.

Stephens’ ability to shift from dreamy-eyed ingénue to Label Mabel shows that her career is secure. She can adapt herself to any trend, past, present or future.

When fashion refers to the term ‘All-American’, it conjures up images of bronzed skin, athletic build and frankly excellent teeth. It is bold, winning and practically impossible to resist. Chalk it up to the current wave of nostalgia for the quietly-assured sophistication of models like Christy Turlington (who herself is experiencing a career second act at the moment), or the fact that America finally has everyone on-side again for the first time in nearly a decade, but the popularity of girls like Ali Stephens is not by chance.

Ali’s look harks back to the classic American model, very much of value during the late Eighties and early Nineties. A girl like Ali sells product not by shock value, but providing a timely reminder that fashion is about making women feel beautiful. There is something to be said for a model that is not a trend-setter, but a trend-interpreter. She shows us how it can be done, and this, going beyond all the hype and window-dressing, is what designers crave most of all.

By using aspirational models like Stephens and Turlington, fashion is tapping into the desire to create, not compromise. No-one feels threatened or offended by the Turlington-brand of beauty: it creates desire in male consumers, but does not alienate the woman looking to make a luxury purchase. For any client, this is a win-win situation, which explains why this look keeps reappearing with every new generation of models. In selling terms, Stephens’ look is both reliable and consistent in achieving sales, and that is something everybody wants.

If she wants, Ali can have a career as long-lived as Christy Turlington and Erin Wasson. Whatever else is happening in fashion, this type of look will always be in favour, and therefore, in demand. Stephens’ career, already well-starred, will sprint ahead over the next five years, while other, more ‘of the moment’ faces may stall as the whims of fashion change against them.

From fashion-unknown to the top of everybody’s ‘must have’ list within the space of two years, Stephens has proved herself the ready successor to Turlington. Her success is down to more than good timing, or plain good luck. With her willingness to learn, and learn fast, Ali Stephens is part of a generation of girls who are smart, timeless and headed straight for the top.

HELEN TOPE

MODEL PROFILES: TWIGGY

Born Lesley Hornby in 1949, and discovered in 1966, Twiggy is the perfect example of how the right model at the right time can act as a catalyst to create an entirely new brand of culture.

Sixteen-year-old Twiggy’s spare frame and sharp, bird-like features meant that her ascent into modelling stardom was not an easy one. Fashion had very particular ideas about what constituted beauty, and Twiggy, in no uncertain terms, did not meet those ideals.

After the Second World War, while the fashion world took stock, Paris grabbed the reins and became the fashion capital of the world. Christian Dior created an entirely new kind of womenswear. Dubbed the ‘New Look’, the emphasis was on fiercely drawn-in waists, full skirts and exquisite tailoring. It was an intentionally lady-like look that spoke of refinement and afternoon tea at the Savoy. Its elegance was a deliberate attempt to separate Dior from the ‘make-do-and-mend’ era of the 1940’s. Luxury was key.

To go with his vision, Dior needed elegant and refined models to show off his designs to their best advantage. Many of the ‘models’ he ended up using were high-society girls and heiresses – the girls who were modelling his clothes would be on first-name terms with the women who would end up purchasing them. Never had the line between model and consumer been so thinly drawn.
Dior’s supremely poised girls were the real deal, but they were not professional models in the contemporary sense of the word. Dior was willing to sacrifice grace for good breeding.
The ‘New Look’ was a sensation – it made Paris the undisputed fashion capital, and Dior a legend. If fashion had stayed here, our perception of what fashion is, and what is does for us, would be very different – but the true constant of fashion is change. As the Sixties rolled around, the corseted Dior Look began to lose its lustre. It was time for a revolution.

Twiggy’s year was 1966. After being discovered by Nigel Davies, she was persuaded to chop off her hair and a brave new look was born. On advice, she changed her name, and chose ‘Twiggy’, her childhood nickname. She then undertook a small photo shoot with photographer Barry Lategan – an event that would not only change her life, but have an enormous impact on the world at large.

The bold, black and white images were a revelation: uncompromising, high-fashion and quirky. Twiggy’s cropped hair and drawn-on eyelashes gave her a startling, bird-like quality. Her slim, androgynous body was in absolute contrast to the Dior classic hourglass shape.

Twiggy’s thoroughly modern look swept the UK. The Sixties were an unprecedented period of transformation: people wanted to embrace change in whatever form they found it. The post-war hangover mood of the 1950’s was shaken off and in its place was a mood of possibility – anything and everything was permissible.

The most striking changes were taking place in popular culture: the end of the 1950’s brought with it the advent of rock’n’roll. Elvis Presley was the King-in-training, and the modern teenager was born.

It is now hard to imagine, but before the Fifties, the cultural concept of the teenager did not exist. The sweeping rock’n’roll movement brought with it a new identity for young people to cling to: it was rebellion, sex appeal and individuality – for the first time, teenagers had their own definitions of music and style. They no longer dressed like their parents.

Fashion in the Sixties became democratised. Along with the popularisation of casual fabrics like leather and denim (made desirable by film stars such as Marlon Brando and James Dean), fashion became cheaper and more readily available. Fashion brands sprang up on the high street, but one did not need a double-barrelled surname to gain access to an atelier. Brands like ‘Biba’ produced high-fashion looks for pocket-money prices: fashion was now available to everyone.

This wave of democracy held up Twiggy as the gold standard: before her, there had never been a working-class supermodel. She was the everyday girl who became the face of the Sixties, and the class barrier (within the fashion world anyway) was broken for good.

Twiggy’s unique selling point was her youthfulness. Her body suited perfectly the A-line dresses and miniskirts created by designers such as Mary Quant. For the first time in fashion history, the teenage body was held up as the ideal. Twiggy’s strongly androgynous look paved the way for models like Linda Evangelista and Agyness Deyn – girls for whom femininity is not served straight up, but with a twist. Twiggy’s gauche, knock-kneed appeal made fashion young again, right at the point where it was in danger of retreating into permanent middle-age.

Twiggy’s most enduring legacy (in a career that has spanned four decades), is the kick-start she gave to modern fashion – models would look very different today if it were not for Twiggy. Her long-limbed, fashion-friendly body became the new ideal. Twiggy’s debut into fashion was a celebration of originality, and Dior’s ‘New Look’ made way for the new look – something that possessed major staying power.

Twiggy’s charm offensive on the fashion industry, taking it very much by surprise, brought the concept of ‘model’ centre stage. Before her arrival, fashion had been guilty of taking itself too seriously. She imbibed the colourful new fashions with personality – much debate has been centred on Twiggy’s ultra-slim figure, but the fact remains that she would not have been half as successful if she had not learned early on that a good model is more than a clothes hanger.

The difference between her and the 50’s Dior models is clear-cut. They gave the ‘New Look’ an air of sophistication, but Twiggy gave 60’s fashion her body and soul. Her wit and exuberance are what gives the Lategan images their punch. A great photographer, a great model and a great idea created a moment of magic that still, even 40 years on, has the power to charm and bewitch. It is this collaborative spirit that best sums up what the Sixties were all about, and why Twiggy’s images continue to inspire us today.

The best fashion moments arrive when they are least expected. No-one expected Twiggy’s notoriety to last beyond a month, but her impact on culture, fashion and modelling has been insurmountable. She changed the way we think about beauty and made fashion fall in love with the awkward, gangly girls. There is always room for the polished and poised, but Twiggy taught the world of fashion that the unexpected can create something truly wonderful.

If fashion equals youth, Twiggy is the answer.

HELEN TOPE

MODEL PROFILES: GISELE BUNDCHEN

Gisele Bundchen is a model who has made a fortune from bringing glamour back to the catwalk.

Born in Brazil in 1980, after being scouted at a shopping mall in 1994, Gisele made her high-fashion debut on the July 1999 edition of Vogue. The accompanying editorial spread dubbed her keynote appearance as ‘The Return of the Sexy Model.’

Up until that point, fashion had been greatly preoccupied with finding models who embodied the notion of ‘extreme beauty’: models who, in real life, would not necessarily be considered conventionally beautiful, but who possessed a quality of other-worldliness, something that worked particularly well alongside the extreme shapes and silhouettes that were popular within the world of couture fashion at the time.

The fashion world’s preoccupation with ‘oddness’ was in a part a reaction to the storm of controversy over the perceived ‘heroin chic’ trend. Very slim models were in favour, with Kate Moss’ Calvin Klein ads still in circulation. In the popular consciousness, models could not have been further away from the image of the girl-next-door.
Where fashion leads, modelling must follow, and agencies were struggling to find the next new face that would ignite the fashion world, and baffle the public. What was deemed fashionable, and what was considered to be beautiful, had never been further apart.

By the end of the Nineties, the models who worked the most were not conventionally beautiful, and completely unknown to anyone beyond the immediate perimeters of the fashion industry. The decade that had begun with a George Michael music video featuring supermodels Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbell and Linda Evangelista, had come full circle. Models were no longer celebrities: the era of the supermodel appeared to be at an end.

The discovery of Gisele quite literally prompted a new age in modelling. Her body type ran against everything that fashion was about, but it seemed that the fashion world (whether it realised it or not) was ready for a change.

Gisele was an instant hit, with repeat appearances on Vogue covers in November and December 1999 and January 2000. With such an emphatic seal of approval from the world’s leading fashion magazine, the fashion crowd leapt on the Bundchen bandwagon with abandon.
Gisele’s classically versatile look made her ideal for virtually every design house in the fashion industry. She walked every major runway in every Fashion Week around the globe, and completed ad campaigns for designers as diverse as Valentino, Missoni, Versace, Lanvin and Michael Kors.

The fashion world quickly came to realise that traditional beauty and sex appeal could be applied to any fashion equation. Previously seen as the modelling one-trick-pony, designers came round to the idea of beauty being versatile. You want smouldering sexuality? Done. Radiant, sunny charm to sell beachwear? Easy. Edgy, contemporary cool? Gisele’s brand of beauty worked here too.

Her huge popularity within the fashion world is easy enough to explain: she has everything a designer wants in a model. Tall, toned, curvy and oozing confidence, Bundchen is hugely successful because she is a (very) rare example of a model with no weak links. Many of the world’s most familiar faces have issues, whether it is a slightly prominent chin, a high forehead or being just that smidge too short. Everyone has something they like to hide from the camera’s discerning gaze.

The reason why Gisele took the industry by storm is her legendary physique – nothing is out of proportion, everything works in complete harmony. If symmetry is the golden standard by which all models are measured, Gisele’s classic feminine features suit any fashion viewpoint.
But it would be a mistake to assume that Gisele’s success is entirely down to those legs. Bundchen is the highest-earning supermodel in the world, with an estimated fortune of $150 million – and counting. However in demand you are, there are only so many catwalks you can walk down, and Vogue covers only appear once a month. Gisele has cleverly taken her popularity and multiplied it into cash by using her most valuable asset - her image.

Gisele has become the face of products well beyond the realm of the fashion industry. Her type of easy-to-read beauty translates to almost any product, and advertisers cannot get enough. Endorsements are what have secured Gisele her millions. Her long-standing contract with lingerie brand ‘Victoria’s Secret’ made her a small fortune, and the high profile of the brand helped Bundchen, in turn, become a household name. When most models are still only known by fashion insiders or media commentators, Bundchen (along with Kate Moss) has achieved a degree of celebrity: someone who has never picked up a fashion magazine in their life will be able to identify Gisele, or at the very least, recognise her face.

Gisele’s standing as the richest model on the planet has not only been boosted by her hefty portfolio, but has been assisted by her considerable business sense. She has developed a footwear line of flip-flops called ‘Ipanema – Gisele Bundchen’. Their success is such that they have even outsold the legendary brand ‘Havianas’ , making them the most popular range of flip-flops in the world. Gisele has taken her profile in the fashion world, and cannily applied some business know-how to make her fame work for her. Out of all the names currently working in the modelling industry, Bundchen understands most clearly the link between image and commerce. Her adaptability has made her extremely bankable, and it is this asset that Bundchen plays on best. If he were looking for the world’s most glamorous Apprentice, Sir Alan could do worse than give Gisele a call.

Gisele’s impact on the fashion world should not be under-estimated. Bundchen’s endlessly adaptable looks not only changed the modelling world, but the trajectory of modern fashion itself. By the end of the Nineties, it was time to leave grunge behind and side-step into something more glamorous and feminine. This sizeable shift is not entirely down to Gisele, but her arrival on the modelling scene could not have been better timed. Her launch onto the modelling scene cured fashion’s identity crisis – she inspired everyone on how to move forward.

Ten years on from her debut at Vogue, Gisele’s legacy is simply this: she has brought the power of beauty back to the core of the modelling industry. There is still a place for the unusual faces, but Bundchen’s timeless beauty reminds us that, if it is to succeed, fashion above all must engender desire. Beauty makes fashion glamorous, aspirational and fun, and in these tough times, that is exactly the approach fashion should be taking.

HELEN TOPE

MODEL PROFILES: KATE MOSS

Kate Moss is the most influential model working in fashion today. The girl from Croydon holds a special place in modelling history: she is someone, who on paper, should never have succeeded as a model.

Kate’s career began when she was discovered at a New York airport by Storm agency founder Sarah Doukas in 1988. Kate’s meteoric rise through the fashion ranks began with a photo shoot for ‘The Face’ magazine with photographer Corinne Day. The edgy, cool shots spread through the fashion world like wildfire. It was here that Kate was first cast as the ‘anti-supermodel’. Her teenage, waif-like body could not have been more different to the Nineties’ clutch of supermodels: Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell and Linda Evangelista. They were conventionally beautiful and uber sexy. The remit for models was a womanly but slender figure – something that could comfortably fill out a Versace gown.

Kate Moss did the rounds at teen magazines, but it wasn’t until 1993 that she got her first big break. Kate’s inauguration into the public sphere occurred thanks to the vision of American designer Calvin Klein. The now-iconic black and white minimalist ads made Kate the embodiment of progressive, modern fashion – a perfect segue from the Eighties hangover of glamour and sequins. She was small, quirky and unconventional. Perfect for the Nineties.

Kate’s career blossomed virtually overnight. She began to work with the biggest designers, photographers and publications in the fashion industry. Her slight figure courted controversy as the press labelled her look ‘heroin-chic’ (based on the extreme emaciation of drug addicts), but Kate kept her cool and carried on working. Her unwillingness to get drawn into a debate on whether she was a good example to teenagers or not proved to be a canny move. The world of fashion does not stay still for long, and soon the ‘heroin chic’ look fell out of favour. But Kate remained. What she famously lacked in height (Kate, at just over 5’7”, is significantly below the standard industry requirement of 5’10”), she made up for in versatility. The fashion industry saw that in Moss, they had a face-in-a-million. A face that could sell any look: glamorous, editiorial, commercial.

By 2003, as well as her ‘mother agency’ Storm, she needed three additional agencies to manage the deluge of requests for her time. The fiscal years of 2004-06 saw Kate become the second highest-earning model in the world, second only to Gisele Bundchen. In addition to this, Kate has (to date) appeared on 24 British ‘Vogue’ covers, and 17 covers of the US style bible ‘W’. By anyone’s standards, this is an impressive track record.

If Kate had stuck to modelling, this alone would have ensured her longevity, but Kate’s popularity outside the perimeters of the fashion world was something entirely new. Everywhere she went, whatever she did, her style was obsessively chronicled across the world’s media. She wasn’t just a model: she was a pop-culture icon.

For years, the fashion press speculated on whether Kate would ever branch out into fashion design. April 30th 2007 saw the launch of the first Kate Moss / Topshop design collaboration. Kate red-ribboned the collection at Topshop in Oxford Street, appearing in the window as a live mannequin. It caused a sensation and the public, were they in further need of convincing, were hooked.

Financially, the first collection was a huge success, but there was some controversy over the term ‘designer’. Some doubted Kate’s credentials – had she any say in the development of the collection at all? Kate set the record straight by confirming that she did not design the clothes herself, but rather acted as a muse to the TS design team; bringing in samples of her own clothes to act as jumping-off points, and to discuss fabrics and finishings, as well as modelling the finished articles for the TS promotional campaign.

The collection, despite its success, initially received some mixed reviews. Some dubbed it ‘Duplikate’ – clothes for a generation of girls who have grown up watching, admiring and copying their fashion idol, although to criticise such a collection on these grounds is somewhat missing the point. The brilliance of the collaboration between Moss and TS simultaneously paid homage to, and took advantage of, her status as a style icon.

The first and subsequent Topshop collections have been designed for and marketed towards a generation who have dressed under the umbrella concept of ‘celebrity style’. They see, they like, they wear.

Where Kate has engaged with the public most successfully, is how she has ignited popular fashion trends. In recent years, she has spear-headed trends as diverse as denim shorts, Ugg boots, ballet flats, skinny jeans, the waistcoat and the leopard-print scarf, all of which have scored big with consumers across all age and income brackets. In an age where film stars recruit stylists to dress them before popping out for a latte, Kate understands that true style is innate, which is why the public respond to her in the way they do. A scarf thrown on at the last minute before heading out the door becomes a worldwide fashion blockbuster because it is spontaneous, unstudied and fun. Kate Moss has made an indelible mark on how we dress, and present ourselves to the world.

Kate has also steadfastly refused to play the fame game. Notorious for her lack of interviews, Kate Moss has remained at the top of the game by remaining an enigma: a tactic that has garnered more press attention than the ‘confessional’ attitude of D-list celebrities. It is this Garbo-esque silence that has proven to be Kate’s most irresistible play.

What makes Kate Moss so unique in comparison to other models, is her comparative ordinariness. Before her, models were statuesque, utterly beautiful and frankly, more than a little intimidating.

Kate has blown apart the conceptions of what a model should, and can, be. She is the ultimate outsider (‘wrong’ in so many respects), who ended up persuading the fashion industry to see style and beauty from her own unique point of view.

Kate’s legacy is one of embracing frailty and imperfection. This is why the public, and in turn, the world’s media, have embraced her so wholeheartedly. She is, on the face of it, just an ordinary girl. Kate never claimed to be a role model, just a model. She has no interest in being put on a pedestal – for Kate, modelling begins and ends with fashion, not celebrity.

When Moss is remembered, it will not be for the scandals, or the feted rock’n’roll lifestyle – it will be for her unabiding love for fashion. It shines through every photograph. Kate has a profound respect and appreciation for the creative process that makes fashion work. It is Kate’s understanding that the worlds of fashion and modelling progress hand-in-hand, that has made her the most sought-after name in modelling today.

It is a mistake to think that because someone chooses to remain silent, it is because they have nothing to say. Kate Moss has made a fortune on the belief that beauty is not perfection. The best of her work shows that her message is about the importance of accepting one’s flaws. Kate knows instinctively that there is no point in pretending to be perfect. There is much more mileage in being imperfect: in the long run, it makes life (and fashion) much more interesting.

HELEN TOPE

AGENCY PROFILES: PROFILE MODEL MANAGEMENT

Profile Model Management was established in 1986 by former booking agent EJ Steele. Steele’s career began as a booker with several of the top modelling agencies. This helped Steele gain valuable insight into what clients want, and more importantly, what an agency needs to deliver on the client’s request.

Starting Profile with just £5000, the agency grew steadily through the Eighties. Teaming up with model booker Christopher Chalvet de Recy in 1993, Profile built on its existing success. The addition of de Recy was a crucial one, as his years of experience proved to be invaluable in cultivating Profile’s growing reputation.

Profile is what is termed a ‘boutique agency’: an agency that is smaller than the blockbuster names of Elite, IMG, Storm et al. It does not have a banner ‘big name’, but rather than this being a shortcoming, this is actually the agency’s key strength.

By being a boutique agency, Profile has been free to actively pursue and nurture modelling talent on its own terms, free of the constraints a large name would place on their time and resources. Profile’s reputation is secured on providing the industry with the ‘hard grafters’: the models who are not necessarily instantly recognisable or household names, but are in fact the backbone of the fashion industry. Their models populate the world’s catwalks, work comfortably between the shifting demands of editorial, beauty and campaign shoots for clients such as Vogue and Loewe.

The agency specialises in providing editors and photographers with smart, editorial girls whose looks translate across continents. In the world of modelling, there is no shame in anonymity. Indeed, in a profession where a model simply works more if they are able to adapt themselves to whatever mood the client wants to create, not being a ‘name’ possesses a distinct advantage. You can, quite literally, become anybody.

We are living in a ‘celebutante’ age where image and recognition are the chief form of currency. But Profile, along with other boutique agencies dotted around the globe, has spotted the necessity of signing girls who can work under the radar. You may not be as instantly recognisable as a Moss or a Bundchen, but this is no bad thing. Without the added pressure of building and maintaining a public persona (exhausting in itself), you are free to get on with the job in hand.

The big names may make big bucks, but they pay for it: in loss of privacy, extreme pressure to perform at all times, and worse of all – the nagging suspicion that there is someone younger and more attractive just waiting to take your place. Make even one mistake, and that can be enough to undo years of hard work. The subsequent pressure on an agency to maintain that name is immense.

Where a boutique agency like Profile excels, is that they have the freedom to explore new creative directions with their models – there is the time and space to do so. Profile’s models are the face of editorial, high-fashion magazine spreads all over the world. To use a magazine metaphor, if Kate Moss and her like are the headlines, the girls at Profile are the main story.

The fashion industry’s survival rests on the ability of boutique agencies like Profile to seek out new talent. Without this ‘new model army’, the fashion world would visibly struggle and flounder. These girls are the lifeblood of the industry and that is how Profile has continued to operate so successfully over the last 20 years. They know that being small is not the same as acting small. They have thrived on providing the fashion world with what it so desperately needs: not a ‘name’, not a celebrity with good legs, but a reliable, adaptable, professional model.

The increasing trend to use stars to sell magazines may means less cover work all round, but there is always the need for someone who can sell a fashion story with wit, candour and professionalism. The age of the celebrity may not be showing any signs of slowing down, but the ongoing work of agencies such as Profile shows that there is always a market for models. They may not fill column inches in the weekly gossip magazines, but in the fashion arena, these girls are absolutely and fundamentally indispensable.

HELEN TOPE

AGENCY PROFILES: ELITE

Their name means prestige and privilege; the best. It is a tough remit to live up to, but Elite model management has secured itself an unshakeable foothold in the modelling industry.

First, the statistics:

Elite is a 35-agency-strong network, managing over 800 models across 5 continents.

It has bases dotted all over the globe, including New York, Milan, Paris, Barcelona and Copenhagen.

It is responsible for the most influential model-scouting process in the business. The ‘Elite Model Look Contest’, launched in 1983, has found some of the most significant names in the industry, and in turn, has helped shape the look of successive generations of models. What Elite finds, the fashion world wants.

Elite’s list of clients includes Chanel, Dior, Versace, Prada, Yves Saint Laurent and Louis Vuitton. With a client roster like this, there is no chance of an Elite model working under the radar.

A year’s contract with Elite is offered as the grand prize to contestants of ‘America’s Next Top Model’. It is a prize beyond monetary value in terms of what it can do for a new talent’s career, which is goes some way to explaining why the competition between the contestants has a tendency to get a little ugly.

Elite has also recently celebrated its 5 millionth booking – perhaps the most impressive statistic of all.

Elite has a stellar pedigree within the modelling community – a history based on its unflinching pursuit of excellence. But it still tempts the best of new modelling talent onto its books. Recent signings have included two of the hottest names in contemporary fashion: Ali Stephens and Coco Rocha.

The process of an agency can be best understood by the career trajectory of one of its brightest stars – and Coco Rocha is in danger of eclipsing them all.

Born in Canada in 1988, growing up, Rocha had no real handle on the world of fashion. It wasn’t until she was discovered by a modelling scout at an Irish dancing contest, that Rocha began to learn her own value in terms of high-fashion currency.

Signed with Elite, Rocha met with photographer Steven Meisel, which lead to a Vogue Italia cover in March 2008; the highest accolade the industry has to offer any new model. Elite’s expertise in nurturing young stars, coupled with the agency’s heady international presence within the fashion world, ensured that Coco’s rise within the ranks was unimpeded.

She racked up appearances on numerous catwalks for designers such as Prada, Marc Jacobs, Dolce & Gabbana, Balenciaga and Chanel. With such an impressive hit-list, anyone this much in demand must be doing something right.

Where Elite succeeded with Rocha was taking her from fashion girl to the fashion girl, and in doing so, they played to her rather unusual strengths. Securing her a spot in the Jean Paul Gaultier A/W 2007 show, Coco knocked everyone sideways with an unforgettable appearance. Gaultier found out about her dancing background and insisted she start and finish the show – an honour in itself. But she wasn’t to walk down the runway – she had to dance it. Her exuberant Irish dancing caused a sensation, with American Vogue dubbing it the ‘Coco Moment’.

Signing Rocha was a particularly smart move for Elite. Her popularity with fashion editors and photographers boiled down to her unflappable instinct when it came to interpreting stories for editorial shoots. Her intelligent approach to movement and an awareness of how the body creates lines and shapes on camera can be directly attributed to her dance education.

Normally, a model with dance training doesn’t do that well. His or her formal training with emphasis on good posture gets in the way of creating avant-garde shapes and just doesn’t translate on film that readily. But Coco had the best of both worlds, and together they worked in perfect harmony. Rocha had the modelling instinct, and that is what has kept her, and her agency, ahead of the pack.

Elite have surpassed their competitors by being bold enough to take risks on signing faces that do not necessarily fit the fashion mould. On paper, Coco Rocha was a potentially shaky investment. The disparity between dancing and modelling alone would have put many other agencies off that contract. But Rocha is a rare breed; a dancer whose skills add to, rather than impede, the modelling package.

Elite has risen to the top by focusing not on the good, but on the great. In aiming for the best, they have achieved a level of success unrivalled in the industry, and it was all done on instinct. Yes, industry know-how played its part too, but listening to an instinct, however wrong it may seem, is what has put this agency at the top of the game. Elite acted on that instinct when signing Rocha, and it is that very same instinct that is responsible for each and every of one of those 5 million bookings.

HELEN TOPE

AGENCY PROFILE: PREMIER

Premier Models was founded over 25 years ago by former model Carole White and her brother, Chris Owen. Premier now has over 200 models on its books, and has over the years helped to shape the careers of Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Kirsty Hume and Christy Turlington. Premier has proven its name within the fashion industry as a credible and authoritative presence.

This impressive pedigree has established Premier as one of the leading agencies in Europe. Its ‘Main Board’, which deals with established talent, can count successful campaigns and high-profile runway work among its models’ achievements.

However, Premier is just as well known for ‘Premier Special’, a division for boosting the profile of clients from the world of entertainment. Where Premier differs from other agencies is that it has focused on the cross-over of these non-fashion clients into the world of high-fashion, with personal appearances, advertising and PR for major brands. No better example of the success of this strategy can be seen in the career of one of Premier Special’s most notable signings: Cheryl Cole.

Cheryl’s meteoric rise from Popstars wannabe to X Factor judge has seemingly occurred with heady speed and meeting very little resistance. Of course, anyone who moves this far and fast up the ladder has done so with a lot of hard work behind the scenes. To quote Judy Garland, there is no such thing as an ‘overnight sensation’.

Cheryl has, with the team at Premier, manoeuvred her budding fame from being the tomboy-ish one in Girls Aloud to the status of household name. It is doubtful that there is anyone left in the UK who is not at least familiar with Cheryl Cole the brand – the face alone sells it.
With the fashion know-how accrued at Premier, Cheryl has graduated from girl-band fodder to style headliner. Premier has made sure that her style is at the forefront of every article written about her. Her wardrobe choices are exhaustively covered in the fashion press – just five years ago, editors would never have even considered including her on any ‘Best Dressed’ List - now she is at the very top of the fashion tree.

If you want proof what Premier can do for a celebrity’s image, watch any episode from the last series of ‘X Factor’. Premier have not focused on Cheryl’s beauty (which would have been the obvious route to take), but on her personality. It is Cheryl’s charisma is what makes her so watchable – she outshines everybody, and that includes the contestants. Now very much a fixture on the talent show, Simon Cowell has ensured that she stays for at least another series. He knows that ITV have a stellar selling-point in Cheryl: home-spun Geordie warmth combined with killer heels have proved an irresistible siren call to the British public.

Premier’s other success stories include signing a German model called Diane Heidkruger. When she wanted to go into acting, she became Diane Kruger. So far her acting credits include working alongside Nicolas Cage and Brad Pitt. Models-turned-actresses are not meant to build such an impressive resume so quickly. Along with a long-standing affiliation with Chanel, It’s proof that the Premier formula works. Fashion sense + PR savvy = a client who is never out of the spotlight for long. Applying lessons learnt in the modelling world (eg: pro-active scouting for new talent; exploring and tailoring off-shoots of opportunity), Premier have taken the worlds of entertainment and fashion and made one indistinguishable from the other. Where the two used to be on friendly terms but very much separate, they now co-exist quite happily: think of Oscar night if you still need to be convinced that fashion and celebrity have never been closer. But Premier has recognised that a strong image in itself is not enough: if you want to stay in the limelight, you better have something to say that is worth listening to.

What Premier knows best is that if you want to get your message across, a little charm goes a long way. Premier has used its knowledge and influence in the fashion world, not only to secure a strong base of modelling talent, but has actively shaped the way we view celebrities. With the momentous success of Premier girls like Cheryl Cole, Diane Kruger, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Lucy Liu comes the advent of a new kind of celebrity. He or she may not be perfect, but they have an edge to them, which makes them different and that in turn makes them interesting. They are not pre-packaged and media-trained to within an inch of their lives – the best signings at Premier prove that vulnerability and imperfection capture the public’s interest like nothing else.

Premier has ensured that the cult of celebrity, while never going out of fashion exactly, continues in a new direction. Taking lessons learnt from the modelling industry, Premier has homed in on the importance of being earnest. It’s compelling, refreshing and very, very seductive.

HELEN TOPE