Media and Advertising for Clothing Companies
Media and Advertising for Clothing Companies
“The more controversial our catalog and pictures are the more free press we get, and that leads to more people coming in to our stores buying our clothes."
-Stylist @Abercrombie & Fitch
At 15 years old I was flown out to Lake Placid, New York along with 50 other models form all around the world to shoot for the winter catalog for Abercrombie & Fitch. In the five days that I was there I learned and observed more about the modeling and advertising industry than during all my experiences up until that point. It was clear to me the second that I stepped off that private jet and into the limo service that I was in the real thing. We met with the other 40 models at a private ranch back in the Adirondack Mountains to be sized for our cloths, and as I found out later, to be sized up by the staff working the job. I feel my view of the job was completely different than that of other models there. I was there for fun, to make some money. I did not really care about the exposure or the thought of hitting it big. To me $1500 a day for 3 days was more than anyone could ask for.
It felt like I was in a sort of utopia, 49 of the most gorgeous men, women, girls and boys I have ever seen all in one place. Everyone of the models hoping that they have that one thing that will catch the photographer’s eye and send them to the cover of the next catalog, and possibly to the “top”. We stayed in a huge hotel with a private gym and swimming pool that was only for the models of A&F. This is where their psychology began. They set us up all in private, elegant hotel, and had every meal fully catered to us. They made us feel like we were getting the best deal possible, when I thought all they were asking in return was for us to model and smile for the camera. Little did I know that the work went a little deeper than that. The photographer was taking people aside often to do nude shoots and other things that I only heard bit and pieces about. They asked me to ride on a horse with a naked...