The Model Alliance celebrates its 1st Birthday! Letter Below by Sara Ziff
Model Alliance turns ONE!
It has been an incredible year for the Model
Alliance, and we couldn't have done it without your support.
On February 6th, 2012, the Alliance officially celebrated its launch at the Standard Hotel, an event hosted by the Fashion Law Institute and board member Coco Rocha. We were happy to have models Doutzen Kroes, Shalom Harlow, Crystal Renn and many others there to support us.
At our launch, we rolled out the Models’ Bill of Rights – a working draft of the rights all models should have to ensure fair treatment from agencies and clients – with the help of Actors’ Equity and the American Guild of Musical Artists. Together we also created Model Alliance Support, a confidential grievance reporting service for our members. We also created our Forum, where models are able to share their stories as a way to raise awareness about the realities of our industry, and we announced our Backstage Privacy Policy, recommending that as soon as “first looks” are called, fashion show producers ensure that photographers and any persons unnecessary to the show’s production leave the backstage area until all models have finished changing into their own clothes.
On February 6th, 2012, the Alliance officially celebrated its launch at the Standard Hotel, an event hosted by the Fashion Law Institute and board member Coco Rocha. We were happy to have models Doutzen Kroes, Shalom Harlow, Crystal Renn and many others there to support us.
At our launch, we rolled out the Models’ Bill of Rights – a working draft of the rights all models should have to ensure fair treatment from agencies and clients – with the help of Actors’ Equity and the American Guild of Musical Artists. Together we also created Model Alliance Support, a confidential grievance reporting service for our members. We also created our Forum, where models are able to share their stories as a way to raise awareness about the realities of our industry, and we announced our Backstage Privacy Policy, recommending that as soon as “first looks” are called, fashion show producers ensure that photographers and any persons unnecessary to the show’s production leave the backstage area until all models have finished changing into their own clothes.
Events and campaigns hosted by the Model Alliance
during our first year included: “The Business of Modeling” workshop for young models during New
York Fashion Week, hosted by Advisory Board Members Doreen Small and Coco Rocha
at the Model Lounge; the screening of and panel discussion following the
documentary Girl Model, with participation from filmmakers Ashley Sabin
and David Redmon, and model Rachel Blais at Sunshine Cinemas; the recent launch
of the Model Alliance Mentorship Program, through which established
models from top agencies including Wilhelmina, Marilyn and Mix Model
Management are paired with younger models to serve as helpful and reliable
resources; hosting the season’s first “Fashion Conversation” at the Museum at FIT with Professor
Susan Scafidi; and raising awareness for the existing child labor laws in place for models under the age of 18, in
part through my testimony before the New York State Department of Labor in
which I advocated for child models’ inclusion in the proposed regulations for
child performers. The Alliance also participated in the 10th Annual ILR Labor Roundtable at Cornell University, the
Fashion Law Institute’s Second Annual Symposium and “Walking into the Future: What’s Next For the Modeling
Industry?” panel, and the National Eating Disorders Association’s Proud2BMe Summit, among others.
The fashion industry has also made important strides
this year – this past season certain designers, for the first time ever, agreed
to start paying their talent actual money for their work. Our members joined
together in February to speak out against the practice of payment in trade, and we
applaud the industry for finally making this change. Vogue also pledged to not
knowingly work with models under the age of 16 or who appear to have an eating
disorder, through its Health Initiative. We believe that this is an important step in the right
direction of setting concrete standards for the models they use. The use of
under-aged models is linked to financial exploitation, eating disorders and
abandoned schooling, and Vogue’s pledge helped bring much-needed attention to
the protection of young models as workers. The CFDA also recently recognized the labor laws in place to protect child models in
their Health Initiative.
This next year is already off to a busy start – the
Model Alliance has upcoming events in February with the New York State Bar Association and the National Eating
Disorders Association. More information on these, and other Alliance events,
will be coming soon.
In solidarity,
Sara Ziff
In solidarity,
Sara Ziff
