Balenciaga dismisses its casting directors for abuses against the models

A figure that has made the campaign for greater diversity and better treatments for models a vocation, James Scully is one of the most popular Catwalk Casting Agent of the current landscape and, as announced in Business Of Fashion, he has decided to put the word end to this situation. Addressing publicly the alleged incident that took place in Paris during the casting of the models for the Balenciaga runway - looked after by the Casting Agents Maida Gregori Boina and Rami Fernandes -, Scully has posted on Instagram a lengthy and detailed post about what happened and how these incidents are, too often, the rules of the day.

So true to my promise at #bofvoices that I would be a voice for any models, agents or all who see things wrong with this business I'm disappointed to come to Paris and hear that the usual suspects are up to the same tricks. I was very disturbed to hear from a number of girls this morning that yesterday at the Balenciaga casting Madia & Ramy (serial abusers) held a casting in which they made over 150 girls wait in a stairwell told them they would have to stay over 3 hours to be seen and not to leave. In their usual fashion they shut the door went to lunch and turned off the lights, to the stairs leaving every girl with only the lights of their phones to see. Not only was this sadistic and cruel it was dangerous and left more than a few of the girls I spoke with traumatized. Most of the girls have asked to have their options for Balenciaga cancelled as well as Hermes and Ellie Saab who they also cast for because they refuse to be treated like animals. Balenciaga part of Kering it is a public company and these houses need to know what the people they hire are doing on their behalf before a well deserved law suit comes their way. On top of that I have heard from several agents, some of whom are black that they have received mandate from Lanvin that they do not want to be presented with women of color. And another big house is trying to sneak 15 year olds into paris! It's inconceivable to me that people have no regard for human decency or the lives and feelings of these girls, especially when too too many of these models are under the age of 18 and clearly not equipped to be here but god forbid well sacrifice anything or anyone for an exclusive right? If this behavior continues it's gonna be a long cold week in paris. Please keep sharing your stories with me and I will continue to to share them for you. It seems to be the only way we can force change and give the power back to you models and agents where it rightfully belongs. And I encourage any and all to share this post #watchthisspace

Un post condiviso da james scully (@jamespscully) in data: 27 Feb 2017 alle ore 10:40 PST

Over one hundred and fifty young girls abandoned in the dark. For three hours. In a stairwell. While Casting Agents Maida and Rami were at lunch. These and much more has been the subject of Scully's post that gave birth, in the last few days, to a real global debate on the issue of safety's protection of these young people. In less than half a day by the scandal launched on the web, the Balenciaga Directive has immediately proceeded to the dismissal of Maida and Rami, but perhaps this is not enough.

We contacted Ziga Trkulja of Fashion Model Management and Marco Pinna of Crew Model Management to talk about this sensitive issue and find out more about one of the taboos of the fashion system.

#1 Based on what do you choose your models, besides of course the current aesthetic parameters?
Marco Pinna: As you just said for sure the first characteristic comes from an aesthetic parameter, we are talking about fashion, everything revolves around the image, the fact is that it should also be assessed to the market demand and customer needs, often they vary from season to season. We can also consider an abstract part behind the selection of a model, I mean, the relationships that go to established with their agents. What we booker search, more than the aforementioned parameters, is that the models must have a great personality and inner determination ... as I always say, or you born model or you will rarely become one. Being models is a way of life, a personal characteristic that goes beyond objective beauty.
Ziga Trkulja: It is difficult to say, I would say that is a mix of beauty and personality that makes me choose the model. There is no school of how to be a model & being an ex-model I feel lucky in a way that I can explain to our models about the industry and how does it work. It is very important that they consider it like a carrier, they work on being better, professional and grow inside the industry.

#2 How can you prepare and educate your models to what the fashion world is?
MP: We try to be as clear as possible, but you can rarely please everyone. There are customers who will badly reject you and others who will love you and there is also the possibility that for that season that model image does not work. The message we send to our boys/girls is to always be professional, to smile and taking this job as a life experience that, no matter how it goes, they will bring back as a souvenir.

#3 Let's talk about the recent Balenciaga case concerning the treatment of the models during the casting. To its casting occurred more than 150 girls and they all complained of being left to themselves for hours with the prohibition to leave. What do you think about it?
MP: It is not the first time that something like this happens, we say that the "Balenciaga case" has brought light to complaints that have always existed. Furthermore, there is also to say that there are still Casting Director who know very well how to organize their work (organizing casting only closed on demand in order to avoid long waits), and others that do not.
ZT: I totally understand that sometimes people makes bad decisions – and leaving the girls closed inside, as I understood in the dark, definitely was a bad decision. I think that we should all be a little more human sometimes.

#4 Sticking to this case, do you think it is right to talk about it as a phenomenon that has always existed in the fashion world?
MP: Yes, in the past there have been. These are situations that may happen...
ZT: No never was a part of something similar.

#5 Sticking to this case, do you think it is right to talk about it as a phenomenon that has always existed in the fashion world?
ZT: There is always a big line when you are doing a Fashion Week castings, it is normal, casting directors are seeing hundreds of models in a short period of time. It’s not a phenomenon, it is just the way things are and it will always be.

photo credit: Jonas Gustavsson/NMC photo for the Washington Post via Getty Images