"Branding" a Model

[AD073018]

There was some discussion about the practice of "branding" models in the polaroids thread which was prompted in part due to the following images:

Lais at supreme/Women (pols courtesy of COACD).

What does everyone think of "branding"? If a model is styled and pitched a certain way, does this help or hinder his/her career? Are there any other examples of model "branding" that anyone can think of?

 

[model_mom]

That might work for awhile but if the demand for that 'brand' passes it's amazing to see how fast the agencies cut or dye your hair to give you a new look. If that doesn't work it's bye bye model and on to the next new face who has the current look.

 

[zembla]

I think early branding is genius...I cited Heidi Verster in the previous thread as a good example at Supreme. Also look at Hilary Rhoda, she was failing before IMG got ahold of her...they transformed her from plain American girl to a classy patrician look, very New England-old money. Paris loved it and she was on her way.

 

[model_mom]

Cameron Russel at Ford went from a sweet school girl with beautiful hair to a sexy vixen with her new short hairdo. Her editorials are in the best fashion mags.

 

[AD073018]

Zembla...I see what you mean...I found this interesting bit about Heidi Verster:

"Heidi Verster/Supreme Before (L) and After (R). Ph and Polaroids courtesy of Supreme Mgmt.
Ever wondered what the process behind the “editorializing” of a new girl might be? Supreme honcho Paul Rowland forwarded OTM these Polaroids of a recently remixed newcomer Heidi Verster and gave us an inside glimpse into the method behind his inimitable talent for model reinvention. Here’s Paul’s step by step breakdown.
“With Heidi I always thought there was something extraordinary and extravagant about her face but she was such a pretty girl I felt like that was the obvious direction that she was being pushed towards. So the other day I just looked at her and thought… this girl is 5′ 10″ with an incredible body and amazing face so now we just need to make her look stronger! So I had a talk with her and explained my idea. She was up for it, so we made a transformation. The overall thing was to make Heidi harder, I always thought harder looking girls, girls who are a little more edgy were more interesting for the camera. I cut her hair myself. The idea was this kind of very Jane Birkin/Carla Bruni haircut. It really opened her face and highlighted her super high cheekbones. We dyed her hair the darkest brown we could without going completely black. The reason for that is once you dye someone’s hair black it’s almost impossible to ever get it back. So the idea was to go super dark, very urban, very New York with the cut being a little retro 60’s, early 70’s. We did a lot of research on Jane Birkin, found images and changed Heidi’s wardrobe to match the hair. It was an overall process. All the clothes are black or gray. Very simple and graphic. The great thing is Heidi has this beauty that mixed really well with the harder exterior and you can see where she’s projecting that with great confidence. I love a girl who’s edgy and rock n roll and lives Downtown but can still be chic. ”

models.com

 

[AD073018]

Cameron Russel at Ford went from a sweet school girl with beautiful hair to a sexy vixen with her new short hairdo. Her editorials are in the best fashion mags.

Yeah, chopping off those long locks really took her from *fizzle* to *POW!*...

 

[Paulbpc]

They have to brand girls like Lais because they wouldn't get a single job otherwise. Clients are completely blind and unimaginative nowadays. They need to see something that walks in looking like what they're looking for. Someone wants to do a trashy looking campaign, they hire the girl that's branded as trashy-chic. Fashion is supposed to be about transformation. A good model shouldn't need to be styled a certain way all the time. She should just look great. A naturally beautiful model can pull off any look better than a boring, plain, "branded" little girl anyday.

 

[yourbestfriend]

Branding the girl in the early stages of her career, or during the development to take them from new face to top model is incredibly important to get their foot in the door, and noticed by magazines, designers and casting directors. Without the specific branding, theres no specific way of having them noticed.
Good moves in branding for taking unnoticed girls to the big time for examples would be cutting off Rachel Alexander's hair into the cut she has now, Irina L 60's girl look, and supreme's work at having the grungy chic model Daine Conterato seen in her earlier polaroids. If noticed before, Supreme didnt used to take early staged polaroids the way they do now, but it must be part of their new emphasis on taking each girl they have into a star (as seen by their shrunken board)

supreme

and remember Shannan Click? When with Click, they marketed her as a commercial californian blonde, which led to her early career Guess campaign. As soon as she moved over to Women, she became the brunette high fashion Prada girl...

old supreme polaroid styles:

 

[Paulbpc]

And chopping off your hair isn't "branding". That's just finding a signature style. Cameron is still sexy and beautiful with or without hair. So was Linda E and Leticia Birkheuer.

 

[AD073018]

Can Rachel Alexander's bob really be called branding? I just think it is a great cut that showed off her gorgeous face and got her noticed. The same goes for Cameron Russell. I would not say that these models had been "branded". When I think branding, I think of the new girls that all seem to get the same cut and colour (the heavy fringe and long, dark, tousled strands) and they have the polaroids that make them look like street kids or rockers or beatniks.

What about male models? Does branding occur in that end of the business?

 

[yourbestfriend]

Well in a way it can be seen as branding, because when you present long haired Rachel Alexander, youre branding her as a new model yes, but with nothing to stand her out. With the new hair do, shes known as "that girl with the hair", which no one else had until Patricia Schmid came around the block, so in my opinion, its a way to brand her, because before that not many people were noticing her with the long hair.
But tht's my opinion, im open to others as well