Model Casting F/W 2025.26

[woemwoem]

The only people who can accurately predict which new faces are going to make it big are maybe Anna Wintour and Steven Meisel since they are the only ones who can actually determine which new girls will be successful. And I'm not sure even they have that power any longer. Every modeling and casting agent has pushed girls they thought would make it big, who didn't. Not even any designer today has the clout to make a new girl. Miuccia did but Prada doesn't have that cachet any longer. Lagerfeld made some new girls when he was around as did Calvin, but I can't think of a single present-day designer who can take an unknown girl and push her into the stratosphere.

 

[woemwoem]

Oh yeah, call me a die-hard hardcore fan of Andressa Fontana's work! And that's just one among a dozen of others I liked/loved from the Supreme years (and early Ford moments to some point). And while I did enjoy the work of the most successful ones like Alanna Zimmer or Hanne Gaby (or Meghan Collison!), it always seemed I had a soft spot for the slightly less-known (or totally undercover) ones. Even the most 'commercial' model of the back-then Supreme board (hello, Edda Petursdottir) was some kind of a standout and had quite that edgy book (with gorgeous polaroids).

Jokes aside, that's what I loved with the 'Paul Rowland years' of mine (literally what made me wanna stay late at night on tFS in the mid-2000's). Was inspiring and beyond. I'm not the one who'll call him the 'ultimate starmaker' but I will always disagree with those thinking he failed or whatever dubious of this kind. His work at the helm of an agency was nothing less than a 24/7 aesthetic statement, from the models he chose to work with to the way he promoted their work (book and those unforgettable polas). And this is impressive enough for someone as passionate as I am.

The day of super agents like Rowland are pretty much a thing of the past. It's really about all the agents in an agency's board working together to push a girl instead of concentrating power in the hands of one agent. And with agents continually jumping from one agency to the next, it's the best way for an agency to protect itself from such desertions.

 

[penny609]

The day of super agents like Rowland are pretty much a thing of the past. It's really about all the agents in an agency's board working together to push a girl instead of concentrating power in the hands of one agent. And with agents continually jumping from one agency to the next, it's the best way for an agency to protect itself from such desertions.

To be honest, it was about team work already back then (headbooker + other agents, agent + model, many different kinds of team work actually), even if people will more likely remember the 'big names' like Paul Rowland or Ivan Bart (two different stories, even two different roles within their respective agencies also). And yes, agree with you that musical chairs aren't about to stop any soon.

 

[penny609]

The only people who can accurately predict which new faces are going to make it big are maybe Anna Wintour and Steven Meisel since they are the only ones who can actually determine which new girls will be successful. And I'm not sure even they have that power any longer. Every modeling and casting agent has pushed girls they thought would make it big, who didn't. Not even any designer today has the clout to make a new girl. Miuccia did but Prada doesn't have that cachet any longer. Lagerfeld made some new girls when he was around as did Calvin, but I can't think of a single present-day designer who can take an unknown girl and push her into the stratosphere.

People like Wintour or Meisel don't predict anything, it's more like they choose who they wanna work with and due to their position, it becomes (or used to become) some kind of big push to a career. Agree about Prada and designers / brands in general. Even when Prada was that big of a thing during fashion weeks, how many Gemmas did we get compared to the complete list of exclusive bookings? And as we're talking about exclusives, it just reminds of the "Jil Sander curse" back then.

 

[tapenerd]

Oh yeah, call me a die-hard hardcore fan of Andressa Fontana's work! And that's just one among a dozen of others I liked/loved from the Supreme years (and early Ford moments to some point). And while I did enjoy the work of the most successful ones like Alanna Zimmer or Hanne Gaby (or Meghan Collison!), it always seemed I had a soft spot for the slightly less-known (or totally undercover) ones. Even the most 'commercial' model of the back-then Supreme board (hello, Edda Petursdottir) was some kind of a standout and had quite that edgy book (with gorgeous polaroids).

I’m still waiting for Ursula Konina to make a comeback 😂😂😂

 

[penny609]

I’m still waiting for Ursula Konina to make a comeback 😂😂😂

That sounds like a marvelous idea but won't ever happen I guess. Loved her look and energy back when she switched from her former mother agency to Avant then signed with Paul's Supreme soon after. If I remember correctly she had a "hair accident" before switching (like some hairdresser messed up with her hair or something like this, I was told that this person did it so dirty to her that it looked like a toilet brush ). But seems that this turned out to be a "lucky mistake" as she rocked every kind of hairdo since, from truly short à la Celina Ralph to curls to longer and straighter. Her face and presence in front of the camera were also pretty uncanny, breaking the mold of the typical "eastern beauty" (and all the clichés going along).

 

[tapenerd]

I do remember her wearing a lot of beanies in street style photos (though that also could have just been for fashion because that was also the look back then). And like you said even if she had shaved her head, she would have been fine. Her face was striking. It’s a shame that some of these girls don’t have Instagram nowadays. I’d imagine they would have such beautiful faces now.

 

[penny609]

I do remember her wearing a lot of beanies in street style photos (though that also could have just been for fashion because that was also the look back then). And like you said even if she had shaved her head, she would have been fine. Her face was striking. It’s a shame that some of these girls don’t have Instagram nowadays. I’d imagine they would have such beautiful faces now.

Yes, she had that laid-back style of hers, she had something of her own in person also. She actually has an Instagram account as Ursula Kim.

 

[Simera]

I wonder who will actually walk Burberry today. Everyone seems to be in Milano already.

 

[penny609]

I wonder who will actually walk Burberry today. Everyone seems to be in Milano already.

Do they still have perennial favorites or try to launch newcomers? (It's been quite a little since I last took a close look at Burberry's collections..)

 

[woemwoem]

They seem unafraid to use very new models on the runway or in their campaigns, but a Burberry campaign seems to have no effect on a girl's trajectory. Remember Liv Walters?

 

[Simera]

Yeah they have some exclusives that became nobodies. And they always use British girls.

 

[penny609]

They seem unafraid to use very new models on the runway or in their campaigns, but a Burberry campaign seems to have no effect on a girl's trajectory. Remember Liv Walters?

I do actually remember Liv very well. But, to be true, can't figure out what was her last job. Just like I still do like her face and still see potential but haven't seen anything from her book sticking to my mind for a while. Seems her example echoes what you wrote about designers and brands having very few actual influence on their models career paths.

 

[penny609]

Yeah they have some exclusives that became nobodies. And they always use British girls.

A lot of exclusives actually face this, Burberry's or others'. When this kind of thing (exclusives) used to have a little meaning, it sorta meant you could have a little hope. But for some time already / already long time, I tend to feel sorry for those involved in this 'game' rather than expecting to see them any soon after the gig is over. My real concern is more about these models who experienced silent first steps, which were always my favorite career starts, those who built their status piece by piece before upgrading to a higher level. Don't know if it's just an impression of mine or if this kind of career path is getting rare nowadays.

 

[Simera]

Yeah exclusive doesn’t carry much weight like it used to. Sascha and Alix were the most recent exclusives that made any impact imo.

 

[tapenerd]

Burberry really struggling out here.

 

[Simera]

Oh yeah was awful hahah

Like one of their worst casts in recent seasons! Even Cong and Liu didn’t show. I wasn’t shocked about Lina being there though as she lives in the UK now.

 

[tapenerd]

They missed the mark not having Kate walk. I mean you get Lila and Lottie….but not OG?!?

 

[Magic Spells]

Lesley Manville walking for Burberry is my personal J.LO closing Versace moment.

 

[Simera]

Now that the flop of London is over, I wonder what the casting at Gucci will look like tomorrow! Last season it was wonderful, but will they be able to afford an actual casting director now? They're without a CD, down what, 25% in sales? Scared for the cast haha Expecting Givenchy FW 2024-esque casting.