How much are and how to earn models in New York
'25.09.2018'
Source: Gazeta.ru
In early September in America, the first fashion week of the top shows related to the "Big Four" took place. What does the modeling career of New York Fashion Week employees look like from the inside and how much do they get?
Twice a year, America’s most spectacular girls come to New York Fashion Week to earn money, writes Gazeta.ru... It seems to most ordinary people that all that is required of the models is to walk in beautiful clothes and drink champagne, getting fabulous money for this. In fact, this is not at all the case. Only a few receive six-figure amounts, while the rest are content with penny salaries or even get stuck in debt to modeling agencies.
Work for thanks
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the model's annual income in New York is $ 48, and an hour of work costs an average of $ 23. But these are statistics. In fact, “secret fees” are common in the modeling industry - additional agency fees charged directly by the client.
Commissions are deducted from the final wage model, about which girls are often not even informed. According to the ex-model and executive director of Alliance Models Sarah Ziff, the lack of financial transparency is particularly acute in this area. “The amount that the model receives for its work is agreed between the agency and the client. However, agencies do not always notify the models of the estimated rate of payment or compensation before the conclusion of the contract, ”Daily Beast quotes its publication. Ziff notes that for 8 hours of work, instead of the amount agreed in advance, she received only photographs for a portfolio or a brand gift card.
But the gift card can not pay for rent and buy food for dinner.
The second problem is the debts that girls get into. If an agency needs a model to travel, for example, from Arizona to New York, they will pay her airfare, pay her photographers for filming and retouching, and rent her an apartment. But all this is done on credit, so the model must return the funds invested in it. At the same time, there is no guarantee that the girl's career will justify the upfront costs. Such a story happened with 23-year-old ex-model Kelly Mittendorf. “I never made good money as a model. At some point, I got into debt to the agencies I worked with, ”she told The New York Times. During her work, the model's debt to the agency was five figures.
On models.com you can find dozens of stories of girls and young people about non-payment of wages and abuse in the industry. For example, London Fashion Week participant 2016 Sydney Gaston told how she was forced to participate in the show during her illness, and then did not even pay her salary. “During the rehearsal I was very dizzy, I went to the director and said that I could not continue to participate, otherwise I would faint.
In response, they told me that I should go to the podium, otherwise they would not pay me. But they didn't pay me anyway, ”the model writes.
Even more difficult is the situation with juvenile models. According to Sarah Ziff, at a young age, girls still do not know how to negotiate, which agencies actively use. Often, models receive fees late, after complaints of non-payment, or are left with nothing at all. “The labor force in this industry is female and young. If the models were predominantly white middle-aged men, they would be treated quite differently, ”she specified.
Who will give money
How to declare yourself in the modeling industry, each of the girls decides for herself. Some collaborate with agencies, others go to castings themselves. However, the work "on itself" financial stability also does not guarantee. According to the model Kailin Hill Araki, now the industry is actively transformed under the influence of social networks. Street castings come to the fore, in which models participate that do not cooperate with agencies and do not know how much their work costs.
“I’ve seen so many times that street casting models work on 15-18 hours per day for $ 150 just to collaborate with a good brand or photographer,” she writes on models.com. - While the model from the agency for the same day of shooting can earn $ 1,5 thousand. "
Modeling agencies sometimes also cheat and pay for the working day of only one of the participants. According to Sarah Ziff, for the 10-hour shoot in Istanbul, the designers had booked two models, but one of the models received an email stating that not everyone would be paid. “You will be paid (amount removed) on the day, but don't tell the other model anything. She will not be paid, ”the message said. Ziff noted that both models worked for the same amount of time and both were professionals.
Lucky units
However, some models still manage to make a name for themselves in the modeling business and earn money on it. So, Gisele Bundchen still leads the modeling business and earns $ 30,5 million, Adriana Lima gets $ 10, 5 million, and the current style icons Kendall Jenner and Jigi Hadid have $ 10 and $ 9 million, respectively. Also on the list of the highest paid models are Carly Kloss, Cara Delevingne, Candice Swanepoel and Liu Wen.
