It’s interesting because a lot of people focus on the pace. The pace of girls coming in, and you fall in love with them and then after 2 seasons they’re either too tired because everybody wants to use that same girl or they’re cast aside. What do you think is the solution?
Piergiorgio: I think that they has to be at one point development because if not this job is going to become like a street casting job. It’s not the fault of the girls, it’s our fault. Linda (Evangelista) didn’t become Linda because she was a genius model since the beginning. Linda had a long schooling to become the model Linda Evangelista. Kate Moss did the same. We’re bringing these girls back, we love them for one season, we forget them by another.
I think that some models are not right for this business long-term but we need to select the 10 or 15 that we want and support them and let them go in front of the camera and get experience. For example, some of these girls can walk in the runway but then when you bring them in front of the photographer there is no energy. So, you keep seeing amazing girls like Raquel or Karlie shooting and being on the cover of magazines. Meanwhile these other girls are doing shows but they’re not doing editorial because they don’t have any experience when they get in front of the camera and they don’t know how to do it. You need to develop them. I think this business is not only about the girl who’s newly discovered but also developing a long career. Model agents have to do it but it’s for our business too.
Switching gears – who is your favorite discovery?
Samuel: We like to say that we’re the people who don’t like to say we discovered anyone because it’s about supporting a girl.
Piergiorgio: That’s a good point. I don’t want to be the one who says, “Oh I discovered someone.” Maybe I support someone. I think one of the beginning we supported was Gigi (Hadid). She did the first show with us, I remember her when I was doing Guess and she was already working for them. I am not the one who discovered Gigi but I think we’ve been supporting her a lot.
Samuel: There’s a few shows that I think are the right world for discovery. Prada is a great platform, Louis Vuitton is a great platform. But I think the reality is that too many brands think that they are the only platform to start a girl’s career and that’s where you have a problem with none of them are actually growing. It’s better for the clients that we work for to support girls that maybe have already debuted elsewhere and make them into long lasting careers. Rather than saying on we found her and started her at Fendi.
Do you think that seeing that girls younger than 16 might not be the proper?
Samuel: I think we’re going to have different answers on this. My reaction is that I think 16 makes sense. Yes, age is just a number. We’re even seeing girls who are 29 or 30 and I think that’s okay too. I think for me to use somebody under 16 I want to see and feel confident that there is a support system for her in place. The best example right now is Sofia Mechetner. She’s 14 or 15, but I happen to know after speaking to her agents how strict they are in protecting her.
But, the only thing is by going younger and younger it’s only hurting the sustainability of these girls because there’s always somebody younger that’s going to come up. And it’s easier to immediately replace people. If we sort of limit it a little bit it shrinks the pool just a bit and it keeps the girls around for a little bit longer. But then again Roos Abels started at 14 and she’s like the most confident.
Piergiorgio: How old is she now? She’s 16? She always goes everywhere with her mother and she’s confident. I always see her smiling. I never see her have a meltdown, she loves what she’s doing… and like, it’s really nice…it’s the best way to approach this business.
Samuel: She’s a fabulous example. I think if you were to ask us who is the girl that we think is actually on that trajectory up it’s her right now. You just see that she is embracing this fully, recognizing that rejection is a part of the process but just to keep that positive energy and keep going. That confidence is exuding.
Diversity in casting has also been hot topic with a lot of key players. Do you keep it in mind when you’re working on projects? Do you find pushback from brands that don’t care about diversity?
Piergiorgio: For some of the brands it’s a political thing. They say, “we need 2 Asians we need this…” When I see something like this, I turn and say this is not the way I work. If the girl is right, she’s right for the project. I think what has been done so far is right, now you see big girls blowing up like Lineisy (Montero), Binx (Walton), Ysaunny (Brito) or these new girls Aamito, Dilone, Karly Loyce – there is like a new generation. Now like, Lineisy is like gorgeous and Dilone is amazing. Her personality is beyond! She loves it, she’s having fun… So, yeah there can be political problems sometimes but it’s always about finding the right one and matching her for the right project. Some brands have diversity in their DNA already and some brands you have to develop it. It’s not going to take one season, it’s going to take probably a few seasons.
Samuel: It’s amazing that in the same season, Lineisy is in the top hundred girls and then Sol (Gloss) and Tre (Samuel) are on the boys’ side but they are very specific models and you have to come to expect that sometimes one person becomes too obvious and there’s a reaction against it. I hope the reaction against it isn’t a turn away from diversity in general but allowing everyone to embrace it.
