deconstructing
borders

The young generation is challenging the current rules of beauty standards; celebrating individuals and their uniqueness. But at what pace is the model industry following up?
We talked to three emerging agents and casting directors, from different communities, who all share a mission of authentic inclusivity in the fashion industry. From fulfilling moments to difficulties they face in the industry, and their hopes
and vision for the future, they all have a personal and individual approach to scouting and representation.

Meet Iman Eldeeb, CEO and founder of the first model agency in Cairo, Egypt, celebrating Middle Eastern and North African beauty. MC, formerly a part of Nii Agency, now an independent mother agent & casting director is again striving to ensure a sense of empowerment and sensitivity to help her models navigate and succeed in the industry. Alex Pérez aka identity changed, a transmother agent and casting director, pushing for
gender inclusivity in the fashion industry.

My name is MC, I am a half-Chinese half-American casting director and mother agent based in London. I represent and cast talent worldwide and aim to really champion and help showcase amazing, diverse individuals from all walks of life.

I had my first proper taste of casting when I worked for Nii Agency (Campbell Addy’s modelling and casting agency.) When the agencyclosed, I decided I really still enjoyed helping manage individualsand casting them, so I continued independently.I felt at the time, that there were a lot of great visuals out there,but the same faces were being cast, and I was just keen to implement even more diversity and exciting individuals intothese stories. I “cast” my best friends for photo shoots beforeI came to London when I was predominantly based in Macauand Hong Kong, but never really thought of it as “casting”, it was just creating exciting photos with my close friends.

That journey was very excitingand special. I worked and still work closely with CampbellAddy, and really enjoyed that experience of being able tohelp and add to the fashion/creative industry. It further ignited this fire inside me that you can work and be successful, evenif you don’t subscribe or try to assimilate to a certain look or traditional norm. All my work aims to do two things: one, to ensure minority communities and individuals are seen and heard, and two, that people I work with feel empowered and positive. In an industry that is so stuck with negative habits that are pushed under the rug as “that’s how it is”, I aim to ensure there’s a new, fresh narrative and path people can follow and see themselves in. Another reason I decided to stay in the world of casting and agency work was, as a mother agent you’re the main point of call for a model, and despite there being excellent agencies who are also mother agents, they can at one time be mother agents to hundreds of models. Being an independent mother agent, I really push to have that one-to-one rapport with my models, and ensure no worry or struggle goes unsolved. I’m a very sensitive and positive person and think that’s important in a mother agent. Being able to be personable is so key, as you’re essentially guiding a person through a very tricky industry with many personalities, egos, and ulterior agendas.

As a casting director, I do have some power in advising clients on what’s the best direction to go casting-wise. Needless to say, it does come down to their final decision, but I always aim to advise and discuss the pros and cons of certain situations (especially if I feel the choice of cast isn’t the best reflection of the brand.) This also comes into play when I’m briefed on a job before I even say yes to a job. Primarily because if the client briefs me and says they want ten Caucasian straight, cis-gender, able-bodied models only, I most likely am not the right casting director for them. I can certainly do it, no problem, but it’s not of interest to me to continue contributing to an industry in the same age-old ways, that already favours privileged beings in some way. So there’s a power I hold within myself in how I choose to cast, what briefs I decide to take on, etc.

I treasure working with diverse and inclusive teams. It’s one thing to employ a creative director or designer who is a minority, but it’s really a whole other important conversation on how we implement diverse teams behind the scenes. Who are your gaffers, who are your manicurists, hair stylists, agents, assistants, set designers, etc? Who are the people making important decisions? Is it only straight, cis-gender, Caucasian people? Is it only privileged people?And are minority individuals only brought in to fight fires i.e. being diversity and inclusivity managers?

First and foremost I look at potential, and if they excite me with what they’re doing or their look. Once I meet them, either in person or over zoom/call, I want to gauge if our personalities and the way we work—match. There’s nothing worse than an amazing model who has a crass attitude. In this, I mean a “couldn’t care less attitude”, and doesn’t really give off any good energy. I work closely with all my models and I need to ensure both of us vibe well and that our communication flows. In an industry that doesn’t give stability, for the most part, it’s important that the people I work with understand that, anddon’t come with an entitled persona. I don’t really look atmeasurements, to be honest, I represent some individuals who may not be the industry’s measurement standards, and I’m more than happy to represent them. This doesn’t faze me. They do need to understand it might be a tad harder, but I’llstill push for them as hard as I do with everyone else.

When a model reallyfinally believes in themselves and you can feel that too. Orwhen a model books their dream job or a really big job thathelps open their eyes to the possibilities. As for difficulties:when I propose models I represent to agencies and no oneis keen. It’s a reality that even if I think 110%, this model is thenext major thing, all the agencies I propose to could not beready for them just yet. It’s disappointing, but as a motheragent, I’ve grown to just get used to that, and help coachthe models through rejection and all the ‘nos’. Similar to thequestion above, many clients are still working in a tokenisticway, so while we are working towards getting more diversemodels in these spaces, it is a long journey in pushing for asaturated, strong change. Other difficulties which aren’t huge but do affect me, are just rude or egotistical individuals in the industry. I keep a small black list of individuals, agencies, or companies I strongly will never work for again. I treasure my professional relationships and value respectful communication, and have no space in my inbox or energy circle for these individuals who don’t respect me or my models.

They are already doing so, however, I think the word that comes into play here is “authenticity”. It’s so key that agencies and clients are representing or casting diverse talentfor an authentic, real reason. Not just representing them to have them sit on their boards and make it look like they have a diverse board. When ultimately it’s still their traditional Caucasian counterparts who are booking all the jobs. It’s key that they are putting models of colour forward, and booking them jobs. Likewise, clients need to book on a level of abundance, not just tokenistically. Working with diversity also includes respecting individuals who are not of the binary i.e., respecting the fact that models need to have hair stylists who know how to do their hair and not burn it off, respecting accessibility needs and making sure of these necessities, before someone arrives on set. It has to go deeper than skin tone. Diversity is not just a hot term that should make people’s eyes ligh tup when they see one Asian model, one Black model, and so forth—it’s behind the curtain too.

Find a trustworthy motheragent who truly believes in you and is wanting to push your potential throughout the industry. That’s one way, but not the only way. I know a lot of models who are more “street cast” models that will absolutely nail all their bookings because they simply have amazing looks, great personalities, and bring a vibe that really fills a character! And these unsigned models might represent themselves as their sole agent and that works for them for the majority of their careers. Make sure to do test shoots—if you don’t have a portfolio yet that’s ok— it’s an exciting starting point where you can test with great photographers to really build your book. Connect with casting directors, photographers, stylists, etc, so you can be on their radar for bookings and go-sees. There’s a spacefor everyone, regardless of what clients or agencies say. Surround yourself with like-minded people who really see you for you and believe there is more to the industry than just the restraints we know. It’s so incredibly key that beyond the nay sayers and also the groups of people who believe in you—that you believe in yourself first. You’re walking into that casting room alone, leaving alone, or you might have ten people on your team, but it’s so important you have a sense of self-worth, confidence, and love for yourself.

I’m Alex, a 23-year-old neurodiverse and trans mamaagent and casting director.

I first got into casting, taking pictures of my friends and strangers so I could start building a portfolio and then I got one of my first paid jobs assisting Affa Osman during the pandemic.

What I look for the most is what kind of energy I receive from them. I’m autistic and I have to feel the bonding with someone so I can feel safe around them.

As an agent, I love to look after the people I work with. Seeing the path of someone’s career brings you joy and so much happiness when you see that they are achieving what they want. I started myself with all new faces and seeing them grow is fulfilling. As a casting director you would all feel good with the job you’ve done and feel safe with the team you’ve worked with. The difficulties I see being an agent is that sometimes the relationship between agent and model doesn’t work out as you wanted, or have the communication that you may need. And same with being a casting director. Many of the people who work in the model industry are racist, homophobic, transphobic, ableist, mysoginist, classist and fatphobic, so for me is very hard and difficult to hear all kinds of comments and behaviours, and I dont belong to a privileged status where I can just stop working so I have to stay and deal with that.

People should educate themselves so we can be truly “inclusive”, if not we are fucked.

Surround yourself with people that believe in you andare there to protect you and provide you with a realsafe space for you to evolve.

I would love to scout more people, listen to their stories and work with a team that appreciates the work I’m doing in every way, so I can make a living and feel good in my job.

“Realising the lack of representation of Middle Eastern and North African models was quite unsettling for me. There is so much this region has to offer, and in order to see change, there must be change.”

“UNN Model Management aims to establish the fundamentals of individuality, self-expression, love and growth, at the core of long-lasting careers. It aims to deconstruct borders and bridge the gap between the Middle East and Europe—through fashion, art and modelling, in no specific order.”

“Egypt is an untapped marketand I knew that just the thought of international scouts arrivingin this region of the world, to convince Arab women and their families to pursue modelling, would be a mission that required a little more than just dedication. It is just so unknownand goes against all kinds of cultural norms and “standards“. I had experienced this first-hand with my own family environment, and only years later did I realise what could have happened if I had looked at things differently…”

“Being skinny, dark and having bushy eyebrows and hair are not attributes that are praised in the Middle East, even though these are characteristics that many embody. It was hard for me to truly express myself untilI found my alter ego “camelicked” who is a fluid goddess that only exists in magic. She has no fear, and mostly communicates through body language and can morph into various geometric shapes.”

“A day at the office is like a clock... The insides of it at least... We have different departments that must all work together. Of course, it’s not as easy as it sounds!”

“At around 10.30 am, on a full day, the team and I gather at the table with the models’ composite cards and polaroids spread out for everyone to see. We discuss concerns, and improvements and hand out tasks to different departments. It is important to slowly rearrange and set our models in groups as the meeting proceeds. Later we have some models arrive at the door for their one-on ones and workshops with the development department, while others work on their portfolios in the Studio.”

“The most fulfilling moments as a model agent are seeing your models and company make history. When you see hard work paying off and when you create opportunities that cause change. When your models share the same vision and share mutual trust.”

“There have definitely been changes since the establishment of UNN. More often than not, we get directly contacted by clients and magazines requesting Arabian models that don’t just share similar features, but that have a strong story and background as well. In Egypt, there has also been a surge in the movement toward women embracing their curls and saying “no” to skin whitening creams, which we have been interviewed about. Since then, UNN models have had an international reach through placements and campaigns, more clients here are seeing the value in Egyptian models and no longer view them as being secondary.”

“Even though I am not fully developed yet and I believe that I am still learning and growing each day, the modelling industry has given me a purpose, to empower young women by shattering cultural morals and beauty standards, as well as raising awareness of the importance of individuality.”