A modelling agency is a licensed organisation that helps models find work and grow their careers in exchange for a commission on their pay. Think of the agency as the intermediary, making its models (freelance employees) available to its customers (clients) for fixed-term assignments.

But since when do modelling agencies exist, how have they changed over time, and how do they operate today?

Let's go back in time through History, all the way to the 1850s.

In the late 1850s, the British couturier Charles Frédérick Worth was one of the first designers to exhibit his haute couture creations on real, living models. He asked his wife, Marie Vernet Worth, to wear the clothes he designed for his elite clientele. This helped people like Empress Eugénie, Napoléon III's wife in 1860, fall in love with Worth's lavish garments and take his couture house to new heights. Wealthy Americans and European aristocrats flocked to Paris to purchase custom gowns they had seen on Marie Vernet and other models. Charles Frédérick Worth, the "Father of Haute Couture", became the world's first famous couturier.

Now, the Father of Haute Couture didn't work with modelling agencies but might have led the way in showing the need for one. As travelling became more accessible, designers needed models to exhibit their creations in different markets. They needed a way for people to better imagine what they'd look like if they were to purchase an item. And a model would help designers do precisely that: sell.

Let's jump to the 1920s. A man named John Robert Powers got commissioned by Bergdorf Goodman to recruit people who could showcase clothes on the catwalk. He realised models needed training, so he created the Powers Charm School, where models could learn about hygiene, diet, voice and posture. He then founded the John Robert Powers Modeling Agency: Powers would place models from his school for different jobs and take a cut from their pay, paving the way for the agency's primary business model that still exists today. Similar structures began popping up in North America, such as the Harry Conover Modeling agency founded by Harry Conover, a former model at Powers' agency.

But the rise of model agencies really began after World War II with Ford Models, the emblematic agency created by Eileen Ford in 1946. 

Eileen Ford set the scene. Current Ford models CEO Nancy Chen says in an interview for Vogue that "[Eileen] fought for her talent [and] wanted to make sure models were treated as businesswomen, not as props." Known by many of her models as the "mother hen", she'd keep a close eye on the lifestyle of the girls she recruited. In the 1950s, several models even lived in the flat she shared with her husband so that she could observe their friendships, diets, and lifestyle choices.

Ford Models quickly established itself as the most important agency of the time and "influenced beauty standards for more than four decades". Then, in the 70s, model agencies began to emerge in Europe, signalling the end of the American monopoly. 

In 1972, John Casablancas created Elite Model Management in Paris and transformed the modelling business into a money-making powerhouse.

John Casablancas brought a businessman's vision to the modelling agency concept and put aside the old-school, motherly approach that was the norm at the time. He had a knack for knowing how to turn young, beautiful women into celebrities - and created the first ever supermodels. "You can take a little girl who's selling vegetables in Utah," he once told the Chicago Tribune, "and six months later put her on the cover of Vogue." So instead of controlling his models, he heavily invested in their careers and allowed them to show their personalities. In the 80s, Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer, Stephanie Seymour, Linda Evangelista and Naomi Campbell became as famous and desirable as movie stars, and the era of supermodels began.

Very quickly, a tug of war began between Elite and Ford. It was the beginning of what the press called the "model wars": back-and-forth bidding battles between Ford and Elite in the 1970s and 80s. Both began stealing high-prized staff and models from each other, like Esmé Marshall, one of the highest-paid models of the time. Exclusivity clauses became stricter, forcing models to carefully pick their agency. In the 90s, the modelling world started unveiling its dark secrets, with a wave of underweight, burnout and abused models leaving the industry to lead healthier lives. A wake-up call for agencies as they realised they needed to start investing in their models' well-being to grow sustainable careers.

Recently, we've seen alternative modelling agencies take a new approach to scouting and managing models. Rather than looking for the typical "supermodel" aesthetics and features, smaller agencies like Zebedee have been popping up to introduce more diversity into the fashion world - and renowned agencies are now following their path. As a result, models with unusual features, disabled, queer, black, plus size and senior models are now walking the runway (although sadly, still a minority), taking us far from the standards of modelling that had been ruling the industry for too long.

Model scouts are now looking for a spark more than a face - looks following specific standards are becoming less of a priority, and a model's personality and social media influence can make them go a long way. As Alexis Louison, general manager of Ford Paris says in Vogue,

Resources for models have also been booming online, removing the need to attend a school or even join an agency to become a model.

A model agency nowadays is in charge of:

An agency's primary role is to give models the tools they need to succeed (in exchange for a commission on their pay). In the 1920s, it was mainly through courses. Now, it's through a comprehensive set of services. The agency's success depends on its models' work: the more work, the higher the commission, and the more revenue. So a successful agency will be committed to taking care of its models, investing in their marketing and offering them personalised coaching.

An agency makes money off models' earnings by taking a commission for each booking - usually between 10 and 60%. The average commission is around 20 to 40%. Commission amounts are stated in contracts and are negotiable. This differs from booking platforms like Contact which don't take any commission from the model's pay, only from the booker's fee.

Unfortunately, even if the modelling industry is evolving, being a model in an agency is still a challenging job, physically and mentally. Large, famous agencies can struggle to offer the same attention to detail and care to all of their models. Sometimes, some models are neglected or even forgotten as they may not initially bring as much work as others. This leads to a handful of models being treated as royalty and others getting stuck in an exclusive contract with an understaffed agency that can't take care of them.

On the other hand, smaller agencies sometimes have lower budgets, fewer agents and smaller clients, and models may have to wait much longer before getting a boost in their careers or eventually seeing it take off. Models can also face constraints regarding their appearance if they want to get piercings, tattoos or switch hair colour or style, as they'll need to discuss this with their agent before making any changes.

If you're in an agency and don't feel supported as expected, you can:

You can use modelling support networks like Shit Model Management to expose bad behaviour from agencies or clients.

Modelling agencies have come a long way since the 1920s and can help aspiring models learn and grow their careers. If you want to join the new generation of models leading their careers independently, apply to become a model on Contact. There are over 2000 clients on Contact looking for the next new face. Will it be you?