Everyone knows model casting is a world of couches, compliance and corruption, right? Well, not the way we do it.
Our reality is a series of insightful five-minute conversations with good-looking people who have just as much going on upstairs as they do on the outside.
To give you a glimpse into this world, three Highsnobiety regular contributors — casting director Sarah Bunter (who shares her thoughts on each model), photographer Alex de Mora and HS Fashion Editor Atip W — are here to introduce a selection of their most inspiring beauties and let you sit in on the conversation…
Iramax @ Established
Iramax is magical. She was originally recommended to us by the brilliant Cathy Edwards – we confirmed her for a job right away and have kept in touch since. Iramax doesn’t bring her book to a casting, she brings her own self-published, DIY fanzine of her modeling work. COOL.
She’s multi-skilled and a real collaborator. I was also sold on her socks and sandals get-up from the second I saw them.
On advice:
“My advice is to always listen – oh and don’t be a miser, always share your high spirits!”
On her childhood:
“I spent all my childhood rollerblading until my friend advised me to slow down to avoid injuries. Then I stopped sliding on rails to save my legs and started filming skate videos for my crew instead. I was doing snowboard videos as well in Krasnaya Polyana. I learned styling from the street, inspired by everyone around me.”
On spirituality:
“I believe connection on a spiritual level exists, even if you have speech problems you will find a universal language to communicate.”
On crime:
“The most dangerous form of theft is stealing time. It’s not like other crimes, but it’s the one thing that cannot be returned.”
On her favorite projects:
“It’s always a pleasure to work with people who are very gentle to you, like the charming hairstylist Ali Pirzadeh from Ashish’s shows where there are always party spirits. And, of course, my favorite makeup artist, Isamaya French – I love her with all my heart.”
On her other hobbies:
“I really love when a team is open minded, like Tronje Thole van Ellen, who helped me find a graffiti store for my artwork. Most of the time in Sochi I’m painting, so I try not to lose my skills while I’m here.
I also spend so much time at Moscow Coding School, I think I have some sort of LCD tan!”
See more of Iramax and her mischief-making here.
Melinda @ Wilhelmina
Melinda is instantly calming. We often meet at stressful fashion week castings. She always brings her sense of humor and sanity. How can someone so laid-back also be so incredibly punctual? She’s a very versatile model and continues to gain a lot of fun from her work. It makes total sense that she is learning about yoga and well-being. I would pay her money just to turn up, give me a little pat on the back and ask if I’m ok…
On her other hobbies:
“I decided I wanted a change in my life so I decided to find out more about yoga, then the more I knew the more I wanted to share. That’s why I decided to be a teacher. Its not only inspiring physically but mentally. I can see my students change and heal, I don’t want to just disconnect from this world. Making a decision to teach has shown me you never know where the future will guide you.”
On what she’s learned from modeling:
“I’ve definitely learned not to search for an answer as to why I wasn’t the girl chosen for a job. Instead I’ve learned now to see modeling as an amazing opportunity to learn how to deal with life stuff – no one can take what you learn away from you. You travel the world, see different countries, cultures and lifestyles. You meet amazing people along your journey and get to make lifelong friendships with someone living on the other side of the planet.”
On work:
“There is a lot of work on a shoot and I do think we models do the easiest part by ‘just turning up.’ Of course there is more to it than that but I’ve learned to appreciate the work involved from the whole team and that you should always treat people as you would expect them to treat you – be humble and stay grounded.”
On diversity:
“I think the age limit at fashion week is a positive change. Plus the government seems to be concerned about the girls’ health by creating the minimum BMI law to determine who can work and who cannot. I would love to see more girls who look healthy and are in their best shape even if they’re not the ‘perfect’ measurements for shows. Let’s see if it’s going to work…”
On where she’s at:
“So far, I’ve learned to enjoy every journey and that even bad memories can teach you something new.”
Stop by for some yoga with Melinda here.
Natasha @ PRM
Natasha has a real spark – a big engaging grin and an even bigger engaging brain. I’m fascinated by her knowledge of pharmaceuticals and how this will develop alongside her fashion experience and research into natural skincare. Learning, teaching and developing medicinal practices are clearly very important to her.
She was the perfect choice for the Hussein Chalayan issue of Creative Review – Bunter Casting’s first cover model!
On her other hobbies:
“I love volunteering, so I want to pursue additional medical training to put me in a position to offer free medical help anywhere in the world. I also really like the idea of working in public health for an organization like the UN or NHS.”
On beauty:
“Beauty is subjective. Don’t let your opinion of yourself be decided by someone else.”
On staying positive:
“Positivity can make you thrive in any walk of life. I have never heard of a situation where negativity was helpful.”
On diversity:
“I’d like to see more diversity in age in models but I have seen several positive changes in the fashion industry at the moment, especially in regards to race. I have also seen different body sizes in campaigns and runways. We are moving one step in the right direction, the world is now a global village and fashion needs to keep up with the pace. I think that publicity should be given to the people who are making positive contributions instead of the ones who are not.”
On her favorite projects:
“My favorite person to work with recently was Georgia Hardinge. She is beautiful in and out, with great talent. It was an absolute pleasure working with her.”
On kindness:
“Kindness is a personal choice – make an intentional decision to be kind and make a positive contribution to your world.”
On her strangest moment:
“My most surreal moment? I’ll let you know when I retire, I feel the best is yet to come!”
Natasha would like you to listen to George the Poet.
Grace @ Models 1
Grace is a real chameleon – for a young model, she seemed to understand how the industry works straight away. Her next challenge is to work with disadvantaged children in Guatemala and Costa Rica. The fashion world may have to live without her special dance moves for the next few months…
On what she’s learned from modeling:
“Fashion has taught me that manners really matter. You always remember the people who are polite and friendly, especially when everyone’s exhausted.”
On diversity:
“I would love for high-end brands to sort out their sample size. I have never even been able to get a pair of Saint Laurent jeans over my feet. The models who are walking at shows now are getting younger and even thinner. This means that the sample size is also getting smaller so therefore all models need to have smaller measurements and then samples then get even smaller. It’s a vicious circle that has a knock-on effect in editorials and therefore the models we’re seeing in everyday life.”
On her favorite projects:
“I loved working with Steven Klein and Edward Enninful for W Magazine and I generally I love working with anyone who puts on disco music and keeps it on after they’ve seen my dancing.”
On her weirdest moment:
“My strangest moment was playing Twister with Leonardo DiCaprio and Bradley Cooper…sorry for the name drop but that was pretty fucking surreal.”
On her other hobbies:
“I love modeling but it does demand a self-involvement that isn’t exactly normal. I’m off to volunteer at an orphanage because I now need to do something that helps other people.”
Grace recommends learning more about volunteering here.
Rebeca @ Next
Rebeca is so sharp, I need to read more of her writing. She clearly thrives from her experiences and interactions with others – her ongoing learning via the creative industries plus studies in international politics are taking her on a very unique path. Rebeca’s non-stop creative output is evidence of her unstoppable outlook. If anyone is in need of a muse, here she is…
On her other hobbies:
“I am currently applying for an MA in social anthropology – I think it’s impossible not to learn about social sciences unless you live isolated from all other humans.”
On violence:
“I’m fascinated by violence at the moment and what motivates people to ‘break bad.’ I’m reading a lot about the cocaine cartel violence and the socio-economic environments that make mafias rise around the world. It is a last resort for most but can also become a social norm. It’s treated as a reaction chosen only by the scum of our society, by the uneducated, irrational and deprived kind, but it’s actually all very human. Destructive, but human.”
On diversity:
“It would be great to see different body-shapes on runways. Clothes have to be fitted anyway. It’s really time I think.”
On her influences:
“I am influenced a lot by my learning and opinions so this does come through in the music I make. There can be a feeling of despair living in a world that is pretty dysfunctional, this has lead me to my interest in rock. There’s less social commentary in the music I make but this attitude is there.”
On changes she’d like to see:
“In fashion, I’d like to see a bit more creativity and a lot less hierarchy.”
On work:
“Modeling has been a journey of learning how much I am willing to follow other peoples ‘advice’ and where my limits are. It is our job to take in feedback about how we look so it is really hard to remain objective about anything negative or positive. I never realized that it actually bothers me to not be praised – accepting how to respond in a balanced way to these comments was all part of the challenge.”
Rebeca’s latest writing, music and tour dates with Park Hotel can be found here.
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Photographer:
Alex De Mora -
Videographer:
Blue Laybourne -
Stylist:
Atip W -
Hair:
Takuya Morimoto using Bumble & Bumble -
Make-Up:
Andjelka using M.A.C cosmetics -
Casting Director:
Sarah Bunter @ Buntercasting -
Casting Assistant:
Eve Scholes -
Hair Assistant:
Manami Matsuki -
Photography Assistant:
Theodora Papanikita -
Models:
Iramax @ Established, Melinda @ Wilhelmina, Natasha @ PRM, Grace @ Models 1 & Rebeca @ Models 1