Model Behavior (PLEASE READ POST #1 BEFORE POSTING)

[la.vie.in.mode]

Sounds reasonable and plausible to me. Of course, it doesn't fit the narrative, so it's not surprising to see it be completely dismissed and ridiculed.

Haven't seen her reply

 

[Nomar]

If this is really true then I applaud Ulrikke for speaking out about it in such a mature way.

 

[sixtdaily]

I don't understand the people who don't believe Ulrikke... what she posted is a career killer, especially with LV / Brokaw involved. I honestly don't understand why she would make that up.

 

[MulletProof]

^ I think no one can speak accurately for each side but reading the two statements they wrote, it is more than clear principles are in order on one side only, and Ashley's post only helps Ulrikke's case cause her reply is completely flawed (the awkward moment when a 20 year-old model writes better than you ). There is also proof that favors Ulrikke's post, it just takes looking at the aesthetic enforced by the casting director.

Bringing up Ulrikke's personality is expected but I would like to know how do you question something she (or Ashley) wrote with their own hand and resist critical thinking/reading through the lines, but confidently go with empty hearsay shared by one member here that may or may not be true as if it was a fact and take conclusions from there . Makes sense in our fake news era but it's devoid of logic...

 

[Scouting Snapper]

just for a touch of clarity when i said Ulrikke does not take sh*t from anybody ..i meant it in a positive way she is highly independent ..the way she carries herself is amazing her & Frederikke are like that super confident & very aware with high integrity ..Ulrikke has walked high level shows for a few seasons she understands the game & the level of professionalism required..I trust & believe her story ...just my 5 cents ...

 

[Sensation]

More from Business of Fashion:

LONDON, United Kingdom — Ashley Brokaw, casting director for Louis Vuitton and Prada, has responded to claims of mistreatment and abuse at the recent Louis Vuitton Cruise 2018 show at the Miho Museum near Kyoto, Japan.

Ulrikke Hoyer, a Danish model who has walked for Vuitton for several seasons, took to Instagram and Facebook to highlight alleged abuse after she claimed she was cancelled from the show at the last minute for being “too fat” and was told to “drink only water for the next 24 hours” by Alexia Cheval, Brokaw’s assistant. In a long statement posted to her Facebook account, Hoyer claimed that she was fitted in Paris for the show and flown to Tokyo, surprised that she was booked “even though I wasn’t in my skinniest 'show-shape,'" and cancelled after arriving in Japan and having just one fitting ahead of the show.

What transpired was an e-mail conversation between Cheval and Arnaud Daian, Hoyer’s Paris argent who was in Kyoto at the time, which informed Daian of the cancellation. BoF can reveal that Cheval wrote: “Nicolas [Ghesquière] was aware she was a 92 hips [sic] and fit her in a dress where hips were hidden. She came yesterday in Tokyo to do her final fitting, and she doesn’t fit the exact same dress anymore. She has a belly, her face is more puffy [sic] and the back of her dress is open and you can see it is tight.”

Now, both Brokaw and Hoyer have spoken exclusively to BoF to clarify the situation. “Honestly I think that it’s a lot of misunderstanding,” said Brokaw. “We were told before she came for her fitting that she was a 92cm hip. That was fine for everybody and we told the atelier to make whatever we needed to make for her. We said that we’d make her a look and that we want her in the show. She came to Paris, we made a fur coat to her measurements to her body and we confirmed her for the show. Two weeks later, in Tokyo, for whatever reason she came in for her fitting and the coat didn’t fit properly. Once we were in Tokyo we were very limited by what we could do. We didn’t have the atelier to remake anything and we didn’t have a lot of other options to try on her, although we did try some other things on her and nothing quite worked. So it was a situation that was devastating all round.”

Brokaw is adamant that Cheval did not say that Hoyer must only drink water, and that the models were told to drink water instead of coffee, Coca-Cola or alcohol to avoid jet lag and dehydration. “Nobody would ever tell anybody not to eat. It’s just not true. We have girls who are travelling for the first time from far away and they land and they want to beat the jet lag, so they start drinking tonnes of coffee and become dehydrated. We had an issue in Rio a year ago at the Resort show when the Norovirus ripped through our hotel, and 50 per cent of the girls got sick, including some of my assistants. We did everything we could to make sure that everybody was healthy and rested as much as possible.

“Somehow Ulrikke felt she had a message that she was only supposed to drink water and not eat food, the rest of her experience is maybe coloured by that. Whatever she’s seeing or feeling is obviously triggered by that. What is anybody going to do with the girl who hasn’t eaten in 24 hours? How is she going to walk on a runway?”

Brokaw adds that there were plentiful meals organised for the models, where there were vegetarian and Western options and the choice to either eat in their room or together. She also added that she has been the recipient of death threats to her and her children. “I’ve been in this business for over 20 years and I have never experienced anything like this,” she said. “It’s horrific.”

Ulrikke Hoyer also spoke to BoF to elaborate on her claims, saying that she has since received hundreds of messages from models that have worked with Brokaw sharing similar stories of mistreatment. “I actually lost weight when I arrived in Tokyo, but they thought I was too big,” she says. “Every outfit in that collection is made for a specific body and that specific body and it was fitted for me. I completely fitted the dress, in Japan as well.

"Why would Alexia’s assistant tell my agent things like that I have a belly and that I have a bloated face and that my back is bigger or different than it was in Paris? Also, the fact that telling me to drink only water for 24 hours is just so crazy for me to hear. When I had packed my suitcases and was waiting in the lobby to leave, I told the other girls what had happened. The girls said that none of them were told anything about water or nutrition or anything like that."

“I didn’t write this story to have other people say, 'Oh poor thing!' or anything like that,” she continues. “I don't want people to feel sorry for me because I don't care that I didn’t do that show — I have been cancelled from shows before. It’s more about speaking out about these huge problems that are in the industry and some of the really big high end fashion houses are part of these problems. If a girl comes into a fitting for a size zero dress and she’s 0.5cm too big or whatever, she will always be the problem. The dress will never be the problem. The other way around, if a girl comes in and a size 0 dress is too big for her, they will make a new dress or alter the dress for her. I think it’s crazy and it’s scary.”

Hoyer denies that she did not fit her Vuitton look in Japan, and she also added that every time she has worked with Brokaw, the “environment has been uncomfortable — they like to make models feel inferior.” Her Paris agent, Arnaud Daian at Oui Management, told BoF that he was present in Kyoto at the time and all communication from Cheval went through him. “[Alexia Cheval] called me and she mentioned that now Ulrikke must only drink water until her next fitting and that it’s time for her to take it seriously if she wanted to be in the show,” he said. “They next day they texted me and said that she would not be in the show, whilst Ulrikke was waiting in the hotel for her fitting. Nobody told her anything. They made her feel terrible and nobody took the time to speak to her. It would’ve taken two minutes and they are responsible for how they make these girls feel.”

“I’m still a human and I need to be treated right,” added Hoyer. “To not be able to speak with them on a human level, I think that’s so sad. Even after they cancelled me for the show there was no communication at all between me and the team that was there. I got all my information and communication through my agents in Paris and Denmark. I know by saying my story and speaking out I’m risking it all, but I don't care. Maybe this was my last job, then that’s it. I’m done with working for people that will treat me this way.”

“My job is to find girls that I believe in and to push them and to get them into the shows. If it’s somebody I really believe in, I want them to work,” said Brokaw. “I booked Ulrikke on campaigns, on shoots for the New York Times and French Vogue. Nobody tried to fit her into something that was unrealistic. Those issues are getting conflated. Nobody expected her to be anything other than what she was in Paris, and that’s it. I’ve tried to reach out, which of course got lost in seven million comments of 'die Ashley, die.' I have sent an e-mail to her agency and I haven’t heard anything from her agency in Denmark. I just find it upsetting that nobody would get on the phone or at least tried to understand how this went so wrong.”

Whilst Brakow and Hoyer’s accounts present conflicting version of the incident at the Louis Vuitton show, it remains to be seen what exactly happened at the fitting in Japan. If the allegations are true, they are not the first claims of model mistreatment in recent months. In March, James Scully whistle-blew Balenciaga for the abuse of over 150 models at its Paris Fashion Week casting. So far, Louis Vuitton has declined to comment, and is yet to release an official statement on the matter.

bof

 

[modellove]

The whole dehydration thing is...interesting. These girls literally travel for a living, don't you think they know about drinking water? What a lame excuse. It sounds as if she thinks these girls have never had long haul flights and she was just being helpful. Considering you've had allegations such as this for a long time now, none of it should be shocking.

And I'm not understanding her about the Norovirus. I heard girls in Rio got it from walking in the water (I swear I heard a model say this herself). So what does that have to go with drinking water and staying hydrated? Either I'm not understanding this or it's another flaw in her story.

I'll be interested to see what LV does. The correct thing to do for this PR scandal is fire Ashley the same way M&R got fired after Scully exposed them. The would really set a precedent (or help to a minor degree I should say).

 

[MulletProof]

the rest of her experience is maybe coloured by that. Whatever she’s seeing or feeling is obviously triggered by that

jeez.. you want to hear her side but she doesn't help herself...

the agent backing up the model says a lot, he's gambling the entire agency..

I want screenshots of the alleged death threats.. as if!. And of course in 1997, 2007, 2011 no way an insignificant model could make any noise.. times change and it's actually one of the few positive sides of social media. If she thinks someone accusing her of weight-related pressure is "horrific".. time to go out there.

and lol, lies lies lies, she knows better than anyone that you can STILL walk a runway and carry on with life after 24 hours without food.. any human has found himself at least once in that awful late-night project/trip/illness/political situation that unintentionally deprives you from putting something in your mouth for way too long, and yeah you're still able to walk, we are designed to endure worse.

 

[Benn98]

Yeeesh, this is spiralling out of control now (for Brokaw)! Special props to Daian, who actually backed Hoyer's claims up knowing full and well the degree of jeopardy. It takes a lot to do this. Again, Brokaw can do well to consult a PR person before she opens her mouth again to the press. She's digging a deeper hole for herself.

I can see Brokaw losing quite a few clients over this mess, especially after the BoF article (which everyone in the industry reads). She better hope and pray none of the girls who reached out to Hoyer comes forward. I doubt PR-obsessed LV would continue to work with her going forward. But while she may lose a few clients here and there, Hoyer's career is just about finished now. She'll most likely be unofficially blacklisted, but I'm sure she's aware of that. Yes, she may still get the odd runway gig, but LMVH is a massive company dangling loads of ad dollars in front of magazine editors. Can't think of any publication who will defiantly hire her. As it is, there's no trace of this affair on British or American Vogue's news sections. It's just a shame this is much like a Pyrrhic victory, what with all the war casualties (Daian, the girls he rep, his company).

I may sound a bit credulous, but I do think this incident will mark a slight shift in the runway world, even if it is only temporary. The power structure has now adjusted after years of abuse, and casting teams will tiptoe around these girls to prevent a similar situation.

 

[apple]

After reading Ashley Brokaw's response and Ulrikke's agent point of view, I'm even more convinced that Ashley is comping up with a bunch of excuses. Ulrikke sounds educated and confident in her words. Ashley's version has so many weak points. Many models get cancelled because they don't fit in. But the whole way Ulrikke has been treated is totally disgusting. They humiliated her. It's time to do the same to them for such a shameful behaviour that instigates young girls to dangerous habits and eating disorders.


I'm so curious to see how this situation will evolve. Will Ashley and Alexia lose any clients? Will they change their kind of castings? Will Louis Vuitton or Nicolas personally make a comment about it? Will Ulrikke and her agency get problems? Or maybe will she gain popularity for this?

 

[Deleted member 130879]

The BOF article really nails this conversation down. Alexia is clearly the liar here. I'm sorry, I was a model, don't you try to tell ME that no one tells a model to drink only liquids for 24h before a show. That is EXACTLY what they do! Even VS models admit to it!

Then, they had access to the e-mail. I doubt her agent would create a fake e-mail. That's a crime. Why would anyone commit a crime for a cancelled show when she was even paid? Why would anyone do that for a model like Ulrikke that, let's face it, is killing it and doing better than most nowadays? The girl booked plenty of shows, Vogue Italia, H&M and plenty of other campaigns.

And she can f*** right off with that virus story. The thing was the models were in contact with contaminated water, just like the sick athletes during the Olympics. If she talked about "drinking only bottled water" and "stay away from public water fountains", that would make sense. But you can't misinterpret that, right?

At least call the girl a liar with all the letters, don't right a fancy nonsense text insinuating she is lying. That's a fake a$$ move.

 

[fashionista-ta]

It seems pretty clear that the model and her agent must be telling the truth. Brokaw IMO would have done well to cut her assistant loose rather than lying through her teeth about hydration

If this does hurt this model's career and/or relationship with LV, it will be quite trackable and noticeable. Would that be good for LV? I think not ... it'll be interesting to see how it plays out.

 

[FashionMuseDior]

Fashion industry: "We shuld all be feminists!!11!!"
Also fashion industry: "You're too fat for LV, starve yourself."

Fashion is sadly forever contradictory

 

[AtticusFinch]

Ashley Brokaw - The woman who transforms ‘ugly ducklings’ into supermodels
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/...s-ugly-ducklings-into-supermodels-p9cg6r7vqdc

 

[AtticusFinch]

That's the first flaw I noticed in that non-apology. 'You, you, you...we've done this for you, that for you'.

Suggesting the model is just having difficulty dealing with rejection and throwing in the visa and payment is soo typical resentful employer and just pathetic trying to manipulate it with an empathic tone, "we bent over backwards for you!....cause we always love having you!".. (will next season included in always?)

SO TRUE!
I remember an agent writing about a certain model leaving and how ungrateful and selfish etc she was because the agency had done SO much for her. They held this personal grudge for years and years. The model did very well with other agencies.
But if it ever involved the agency completely discarding models with no concern for them it was "a business."
So it can be "a business" when you treat people atrociously but if a model moves on no matter the terms it is a personal vendetta to forever badmouth them?
The cognitive dissonance of people in the industry is truly astounding.

 

[AtticusFinch]

I suspect she''ll be blacklisted. The industry when it comes to race and size, does not want to change. She'll get pushed to the back, and eventually, disappear. If they actually listened to any criticisms, the race issue would already be non-existent by now, let alone the size issue.

I know a model who was HUGE in the 80s. Everyone on this forum would know her name.
She said the industry totally changed when it became filled with money and models. Obviously it was always exploitative but this complete abuse of models came in the 90s and the flood of cheap white females from the end of the USSR.

 

[[Piece Of Me]]

I absolutely HATE the fashion industry when I read stories like this. Just absolutely disgusting behaviour and no way to threat any woman It's insane and something really needs to change.

Fashion industry: "We shuld all be feminists!!11!!"
Also fashion industry: "You're too fat for LV, starve yourself."

So true!

 

[eizhowa]

I absolutely HATE the fashion industry when I read stories like this. Just absolutely disgusting behaviour and no way to threat any woman It's insane and something really needs to change.


So true!

(Ps. this is a general comment, not specifically directed at you. After writing my comment I was worried I might come across as attacking your opinion personally, which is not the case)

My professor in corporate law said that the behaviour of all big businesses/industries is controlled by the financial incentives present. So if a business will make more money doing x, they will do x because it has the greatest benefits. This is why I believe in regulated industries personally. It is the most effective way to stop companies doing x.

So the issue is not really that the fashion industry is worse than other businesses, it is just that they have a financial incentive to only accept certain body types and treat people a certain way. It might be a percieved financial incentive, but that doesn't change the matter.

I also want to point out that in large industries and companies, the responsibility is so spread out that most people have no qualms with acting according to what is in the companys best interest, even if the industry could be critizised as a whole. Their contribution is so small compared to the whole, and there is always another person or group with more power that also does it, so changing your behaviour won't change anything. So basically everyone personally feels justified despite being a part of the issue.

This is a fundamental issue with the way corporations and industries work, and it goes way beyond how the fashion industry works.

 

[GivenchyHomme]

I'm quite surprised that they chose that reason to cancel her. Everything was frumpy, round, and ill fitted. How could a little pooch make that big of a difference? Unfortunately she'll probably never work with Brokaw again. At least she spoke out though.

 

[AtticusFinch]

did anyone else watch Australian 60 minutes on Sunday? They did a story on eating disorders in the modelling industry. it was a little one sided, and i almost feel bad for the model agent Carole White, who came off as a stereotypical cold and heartless fashion person - she literally stormed out swearing. It mainly focussed on the french model, Victoire Macon Dauxerre.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoA-zH1n-KM