Model Alliance Launches 'Respect Program' to Protect Models Against Abuse and Enforce Safe Working Environments
The legally-binding agreement will implement a Code of Conduct, transparency and required training sessions.
Sara Ziff
Model Alliance Helps Coordinate New Law to Protect Models Against Sexual Harassment
The organization is working with New York state Assemblywoman Nily Rozic.
What Responsibility Do Models Have When Faced With Cultural Appropriation on the Job?
From runway shows to magazine editorials, hired models are often put in a tricky spot — or kept in the dark until it's too late.
Must Read: The Met Delays Upcoming Costume Institute Opening, The Future of Saint Laurent's L.A. Team
Plus, Lily James strips down for her Burberry fragrance campaign.
How Model Alliance Founder Sara Ziff Became One of the Leading Advocates for Models' Rights
In just a few years, her not-for-profit labor organization has made major strides for model rights. Now she's taking a look at the rest of the fashion industry.
When a Modeling Career Starts to Wind Down, What Next?
The Model Alliance held a panel discussion last week to encourage working models to think about the next steps in their professional lives — before the calls and castings stop coming.
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Meet the Lawyer Fighting to Help Models Get Fair Treatment
Tom Mullaney works on behalf of models who are cheated by their agencies.
Marc Jacobs Expects a New Look at Louis Vuitton, Tom Ford Shoots Numéro Russia, Mary-Kate Olsen Reportedly Engaged
Jacobs says that Nicolas Ghesquière's first show for Louis Vuitton will be a departure from his work for the fashion house.
Fashionista 50: The Slideshow
The Fashionista 50 slideshow. Click through for a short bio on each of our picks.
The Most Influential People in New York Fashion, 2014 Edition
Click through to dig into our list of the most influential members of the New York fashion industry.
When Did Fashion Become an Industry of Do-Gooders?
The fashion industry is full of social and financial and moral injustices. But it's also full of people fighting them.
What We Saw at New York Fashion Week, Day Two
We kicked our day off bright and early with the debut of the first ever plus size fashion line to show at fashion week, and never slowed down. From checking out the best beauty backstage at Rag & Bone and Helmut Lang, to scoping models-off-duty, we saw a lot. Check out all the awesome stuff we saw on day two of New York Fashion Week:
Alcohol, Older Men and Weight Loss: Anne V Opens Up About Life as a Teen Model
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.
What the Newly-Passed Child Model Labor Bill Means for the Fashion Industry
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.
Proposed New Legislation Could Finally Give Child Models the Rights They Deserve
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.
Fashioning Workers’ Rights For Women
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.
Coco Rocha Doles Out Valuable Lessons to Young Models
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.
Models Talk Extreme Diets, Changing the Sample Size at Eating Disorder Panel
As part of National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, NEDA and the Model Alliance co-hosted a panel at Pace University last night, called "Inside the Modeling Industry: A Conversation About Health and Beauty in Fashion." It was a complex and personal discussion for the models present.
What Model Doc Girl Model Reveals About the Fashion Industry, and What the Model Alliance is Doing About It
Clips of Girl Model, the ominous looking documentary about a 13-year-old Siberian girl’s foray into the world of modeling, more than piqued our interest when they popped up in March. And while we’d explored the murky back story of the film, we’d yet to see it in it’s entirety. So, naturally, we jumped at the chance to watch the full film at a special ‘fashion industry’ screening last week, hosted by the Model Alliance at the Sunshine Theater in New York. So did industry insiders like Natalie Joos, Scott Lipps, Milla Jovovich, along with a slew of models. Even before Girl Model was released, it caused quite a stir for touching upon such heated subjects as models’ ages, rights and working conditions, which the fashion industry has, in the past, tended to ignore or overlook. But thanks to organizations like the Model Alliance--and films like Girl Model--that's changing. Models’ working conditions and rights are finally being addressed by people in positions to actually enforce changes. And after watching this film, it’s clear that this new found awareness is coming not a moment too soon. Read on for our take on the film, plus find out what Model Alliance directors Sara Ziff and Jenna Sauers had to say about it.
New Bill Aims to Protect Models from Clients Who Won't Pay Up
Among the many problems plaguing the modeling industry is the fact that models have no way to recoup lost wages if a client is unwilling or unable to pay. Fortunately, the Model Alliance and Freelancers Union are working together to change that. According to an announcement posted on Model Alliance's site, the two organizations are working together to help pass the Freelancer Payment Protection Act, a proposed law that will help protect models and other freelancers in New York from deadbeat clients as well as protect models from wage theft by their agencies.
Are Models Lying About Their Ages? The CFDA and Michael Kors Seem to Think So
The underage model saga continues. Given the recent controversies regarding underage models, including one that involved CFDA president Diane Von Furstenberg discovering that one of her models, Hailey Clauson (yes, the same one involved in that Urban Outfitters lawsuit), was only 15 at the time of her runway show, the CFDA is introducing new measures to ensure the safety and legality of models in the fashion industry. According to WWD, Furstenberg and CFDA CEO Steven Kolb sent out a letter to members yesterday recommending that they start carding models on the day of the show (before they hit the runway) to make sure they meet the 16 year age minimum. That seems like something they should do earlier, like in the casting stages, or before their agencies send them out, but I guess better late than never? Michael Kors recently spoke to Lauren Hutton in the new Interview (so awesome) and suggested that models started lying to him about their ages as soon as said he wouldn't use models under 16: