Model Alliance

Tom Mullaney works on behalf of models who are cheated by their agencies.

The Chinese government is cracking down on models who work in the country illegally.

Jacobs says that Nicolas Ghesquière's first show for Louis Vuitton will be a departure from his work for the fashion house.

Madeline HIll tell us how she made the transition to plus-size modeling -- at a mere size 6.

The upcoming season will be the first true test of the Model Alliance-championed legislation, which is meant to protect underage girls in the industry.

The fashion industry is full of social and financial and moral injustices. But it's also full of people fighting them.

The former model and activist was pleasantly surprised by what she saw during the Spring 2014 shows, but there's still much to be done.

Meredith Hattam tells us about the difficulties of working as a model in "second-tier" markets like China.

Come out and party with the Model Alliance -- and us!

After the passing of a major child model bill in New York State for which it was a huge proponent, the Model Alliance has a lot to celebrate -- and we're partying with them.

Anne V (full last name: Vyalitsyna) was on hand at yesterday's Model Alliance meeting, to share her personal story: A straight-A student who always wanted to model, she finally convinced her parents to let her do it. At the tender age of 15, she moved from a small village in Russia to New York City without her parents (it was "difficult enough" to get one Russian visa, she says, let alone three), just one week before 9/11 happened. All alone as a teenager in one of the world's biggest cities in the aftermath of one of the worst terrorist attacks, unable to speak one single word of English--it's hardly surprising that Anne had a rough time.

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The Model Alliance achieved a great victory yesterday when the New York State Senate and Assembly unanimously passed legislation to extend child labor laws to cover underage models. While the bill is not officially law just yet, we asked our friends at our sister site Above the Law to help us understand the potential implications of the new bill.

Big news from the Model Alliance hit our inbox this morning: They're announcing that the state of New York is making major legal strides towards protecting child models.

The runways of New York and the factories of Bangladesh could not seem further apart. Yet they both drive a global, 1.5 trillion dollar industry: the fashion industry. And in both cases, the work is performed overwhelmingly by young women and girls--fashion models, on the one hand, and garment workers on the other--both of whom are struggling to assert their rights in a hostile labor environment. Sara Ziff, founder of the Model Alliance took a trip to Dhaka last summer to learn more about the garment industry there and see the conditions on the ground. In this exclusive video, you'll learn about Sara's trip, and her more recent work with international labor rights groups (WRC, ILRF) and activists like Kalpona Akter and Tazreen Factor fire survivor Sumi Abedin. Watch and get the message out: let's put the pressure on major labels to sign on to the Bangladesh Build Fire and Safety Agreement.

In her own words, Coco Rocha tells us about her personal struggles working as a model and the lessons she's learned in her lengthy career. We've also got an exclusive video of Rocha at a recent Model Alliance event giving young models advice on everything from finding the right agent to avoiding sketchy photogs.