Life as a Catwalk Model

Working as a runway model sounds fun and it truly is I must say. I have been walking for several designers in the past few years and still, each and every show has been different. Being a catwalk model not only requires you to be super skinny, but also outstandingly tall. It totally differs from fashion photography. There are way too extreme requirements for participating, but not impossible to pass though. However, the French fashion industry has been introducing some serious reforms and changes concerning catwalk requirements lately, I guess the past few years brought people to realize, that the fashion world has been shifting towards the wrong direction, pointing towards anorexia as a norm in the industry. Models at the greatest fashion events, for example the London Fashion Week or the Chanel Fashion Show are the skinniest and tallest of all, many of them suffer from anorexia and bulimia. 

 

One of the most important experiences I gained throughout these years on the runway, is that as a catwalk model you always have to be on top. You are not allowed to gain or lose (yes, you read it right, not even lose weight), because then you might easily get kicked out of the show. Competition is great among models, it is not enough to be good-looking or beautiful, skinny and tall, you also have to walk confidently in extreme high-heels and be ready to perform dances, a choreography or to even realize some crazy-weird shows dreamed and imagined by the designer.

 

The most relaxing part all in all is the backstage. A fashion show takes all your day, from morning until late night. Whenever I have one I start the day in the make-up room, then when my makeup is ready I move on to the next chair where a hairdresser is waiting for me. This might be the worst part of all as my hair can get seriously damaged after one or two shows, teased until the hairs are split. 

 

Relaxing, just until the show starts… Then everything becomes a chaos. The organizer staff and the stylists turn into evil, screaming and shouting in anxiety. There are usually just a few minutes to change between two sets, so the helpers are literally ripping the dresses off us when changing. The backstage becomes a living hell then. Crowded, crazy and a gigantic chaos. A show itself lasts for 15 minutes all in all, everyone is clapping, smiling and happy, then I go home and spend my entire night washing my makeup off and brushing my hair out. 

 

As I have mentioned before, every fashion show is different. The clothes, the designers, the style and even the theme is different, too. I would like to highlight the London Fashion Week, which never fails to thunderstruck me. As far as I have experienced LFW is the craziest of all, featuring the weirdest themes and most outrageous and ridiculous collections. But a whole lot of fashion events take place in the English fashion capital, a fashionista or a model never rests in London. From dog fashion shows to guerilla catwalk shows everything is possible to happen in the United Kingdom.