A Thread about facial recognition technology in fashion
aka. casting directors and what they do
What makes a model successful? Like anything, it’s a combination of cultural factors (right place, right time), strategy (good management) and skill. But few people realise how much of this trifecta lies in the hands of a select few, the casting directors that operate behind the scenes. As fashion month approaches, I thought it would be interesting to examine the role of casting in today’s fashion landscape, and spotlight a few casting directors whose points of view are shaping the ‘look’ of today.
But firstly, what does a casting director actually do?
Essentially, a casting director is the go-between for a model and a brand. They help a designer choose who to feature in their shows, adverts and shoots, and then liaise with the talent on logistics. Like many creative professions, the job is not one size fits all (unless it is - more on that later). Different casting directors have different skills - one might have a little black book stuffed with contacts, and the ability to dial someone in last minute, or score a big name for a discounted rate. Others have a unique eye, and can bring a fresh vision to a brand by choosing talent with a look that hasn’t been seen before. They might also be good at street casting, and finding the ‘cool’ or underground talent that bigger casting agencies can’t reach.
“Casting involves a lot of emailing and reaching out to model agents and unsigned talent,” explained my friend Lisa Megens, a casting director beloved for her honest and inclusive eye. “I also street cast quite a bit. So today, for example, I had a meeting in the morning, then emails, then I went out to scout. I also have meetings with photographers, stylists and do go sees (models passing by my office). I also scout online, so that takes up quite some time.”
Both casting directors and modelling agencies rely on this elusive ‘scouting’ process to find new faces. I asked Lisa what this actually entails. She told me that she’ll usually get a brief from a brand, and then visit places where that kind of person or demographic might hang out. “You think, ‘Where do I find that character?’” Some briefs are more challenging - for one shoot, she had to find models from the ages of 10 to 100. “For someone who’s 100, I won’t find them on the street, so I got in touch with some residential homes for older people.”
One of the joys and challenges with street casting is that new faces are often unfamiliar with the fashion industry, so a casting director’s role is also one of support, care and communication. “People that are not in the industry have no clue about what we do, so to get them involved often takes a lot of explaining and reassurance,” Lisa explained. But putting in the time and energy pays off, “I’m most proud when someone who was very hesitant to shoot, did it and enjoyed it and had a great experience. To make people feel seen and valued is what truly matters to me.”
Still, street casting also has its downsides. When employed for the wrong reasons, it can simply be another opportunity to cut corners and do things on the cheap. In the years since quitting modelling in 2017, I’ve occasionally been approached by casting directors, who usually don’t know that I’ve already spent years in the industry before coming out the other side. Whilst I’m always flattered to be approached, the rates are often far lower than what my agent would previously get offered, and the usage is very extensive. Usage means how widely the images can be published, and for how long. Most contracts specify 6 months of usage, and list exactly where the images can be displayed eg. the brand’s website, social media, out of home advertising (billboards and IRL signage). The higher the usage, the higher the rate should be - however I’ve seen low offers where the usage is basically infinite.
“Now street casting is very popular,” Lisa told me. “Some people just do it because it's a trend, not because they actually care about those people or getting them jobs.” For her, it’s important that the people she casts are platformed for the same opportunities as other industry professionals, rather than treated as disposable. “I always make sure street cast models get compensated for editorial jobs, as they rarely get commercial jobs out of it, but the team does, which isn’t fair.”
What she’s referring to is the editorial/ commercial divide that exists in fashion. You might think that the team on a beautiful magazine shoot are being paid handsomely to create those images, but in fact most editorials are done for free. Oftentimes photographers will even have to pay for the shoot themselves. People do this because they want to get more artistic pictures in their portfolio; the kind of images that reflect their vision and what they’re capable of outside the limitations of a commercial brief.
When I was modelling c.2015, an agent told me that the maximum any model got paid for a British Vogue cover was £75 - even Kate Moss. Whilst I’ve never known if this was true, I do know that that most models - even well-known ones - often do magazine editorials for free, or very low rates. The idea is that the exposure gets them the clout which leads to big brand campaigns, and those rates can be very high. Of course this kind of financial dance is precarious, and increasingly complex with the rise of social media and generalised ‘content’, where the boundaries between editorial and advertising are ever more blurred.
As for how this applies to casting, it means that ironically, smaller, independent brands have more freedom to take risks. A smaller brand isn’t trying to please a gigantic commercial audience. They’re more concerned with establishing their point of view than ensuring their show’s impact also sells lipsticks, fragrances and small leather goods (the products that really keep a big brand afloat).
Unfortunately, what that also means is that in times of economic instability, brands revert to the status quo. “When that happens, brands go back to more safe decisions. It’s a shame because now you only see a few bigger models on the runway, and rarely any in-between, and also less diversity ethnicity-wise,” says Megens.
Last show season, Vogue Business reported that the already small proportion of size diverse models was incrementally down from the previous season, with only 0.8% of models falling into the plus size range (US 14+) and 3.7% in the mid-size range (US 6-12), leaving 95.5% of models falling between a US 0-4. The brands that showed the most size diversity were also unanimously smaller, independent names.
In a recent interview with Dazed, casting director Emma Matell discussed the process of casting Sinead O’Dwyer’s recent Copenhagen Fashion Week show, which displayed one of the realest and most radical (a paradox which could only exist in fashion) casts in recent years. “We figured out quickly that if you want it to work, you have to re-strategise the process when it comes to making the garments,” Matell told Fashion Features Director Emma Davidson. “We’re now in a process of pre-casting before the season starts, so the second time around we got the models we wanted and made them custom looks.”
It’s understandable that not all brands have the capacity to make bespoke looks for each model, and with the chaotic nature of the show season and models’ availability, there needs to be room to replace a model or swap a look. This is why looks are made in a universal sample size. The problem is that many brands seem wedded to making tiny sample sizes, around a UK 6-8.
“I think with the big brands there is a deliberate mindset that’s still ingrained in that they do not want fashion to be accessible, because being accessible means it is no longer luxury and that accessibility is so tied to a certain body standard,” Matell said in her interview with Dazed. “It would become less exclusive if it was available to more than one certain body type. So rather than changing the product, they’re still asking you to change your body.”
The issue becomes a chicken/ egg situation - are the clothes small because the models are thin, or are the models thin because the clothes are small? Similarly as consumers, we’re also responsible for examining our own internal biases. Remember the backlash Paloma Elsesser faced when she won Model of the Year at the 2023 British Fashion Awards? That online vitriol didn’t come from designers or casting directors.
Still, there are still many positive examples of brands doing things differently and finding success. New York-based Collina Strada continues to be a pillar of inclusivity when it comes to casting, and Martine Rose has created her own world of characters which feel unlike anyone else. I think of Marc Jacobs’ Heaven, and the yearbook-style portrait they did back in March, which celebrated the individuality of New York and the unique faces defining its creative culture. It’s also been heartening to see the increase in age diversity in casting more generally - something that was extremely rare when I was modelling just a decade ago.
I’m also inspired by casting directors like Megens and Matell, and their commitment to showing how creating desire in fashion doesn’t have to mean sticking to an exclusionary status quo.
Below are a few more examples of casting directors I’m excited about right now, who continue to reshape what the fashion industry thinks of as ‘beautiful’:
Mischa Notcutt @11casting
Mischa is a creative force on the London scene. As a stylist, she’s worked with the likes of Skepta and Kelela, and tears it up under her DJ handle Mischa Mafia. As the vision behind 11casting, she’s a close collaborator of Ferragamo’s Maximilian Davis and Off-White’s Ib Kamara. Upon becoming editor-in-chief of Dazed, Kamara also appointed her casting director of the magazine.
Good Catch @goodcatch_
Remember when I wrote about how calendars became the new editorials? Good Catch’s Sarah Small was the casting director behind the one created by Nellie Eden and Alexandra Leese, ‘Year of the Dragon’, featuring Kiko Mizuhara amongst others. Represented by tastemaker London agency New School Represents, she’s collaborated with Chanel and cast Frank Ocean’s ultra collectible Homer jewellery zine. She’s also behind the excellent casting for Vivienne Westwood and Palace’s new collaboration, which launched today.
In Search Of @insearchof.agency
Founded in 2022 by friends Nafisa Kaptownwala and Natalie Lin, In Search Of takes a more narrative approach to casting, working in a documentary-style way that prioritises storytelling and relationships. They regularly work with SSENSE, for whom they cast the viral spelling bee campaign I wrote about a few months back.
Isabel Bush @isabelbush_
I have a theory that some of the best creatives come from Perth, Australia, because it’s so far away from everything that it breeds pure imagination in a vacuum. Threads of Conversation podcast guest HAAi proves this theory, so does Tame Impala, and now casting director Isabel Bush. As a longstanding collaborator of Martine Rose and stylist Tamara Rothstein, the Australian casting director is the one behind the brand’s unexpected and compelling talent choices.
And finally, a word from the models themselves…
This year’s nominee for British Fashion Awards’ Model of the Year Alva Claire discusses her career via eight items from her wardrobe.
Model turned photographer Larissa Hofmann talks about moving from life in front of the lens to shooting campaigns for Marc Jacobs and Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Guts’ album.
And me! A little bit of history from yours truly…
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Threads of the week
Just got these Dries van Noten jeans off Depop - expect to see a lot more of them. Tee is from the DJ Andrew Akanbi’s label Groovy Groovy. You know the shoes. You also know the phone strap.
Loose Threads
As mentioned, Vivienne Westwood and Palace just announced a new collaboration. They’ve created a zine shot by Japanese Fruits magazine legend Shoichi Aoki, which launches on Friday. Dazed got the scoop. Aptly, the casting is great - it includes DJ Josh Caffe, who I’m a big fan of, both for his music and his incredible style.
Speaking of Japan, I’ve just booked a trip there in November. Where should I go? Who do you want me to interview? Let me know in the comments.
And speaking of musicians, Kampala-based DJ Kampire is one of my favourite artists right now. I’m excited to read her Crack magazine profile.
You know I love good graphic design. Hassan Rahim really outdid himself here.
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