Model Ford

MANILA, Philippines - You won’t get any stories of models misbehaving from Katie Ford, the former CEO of Ford Models, Inc., the modeling agency that turned unknowns like Christy Turlington, Stephanie Seymour and Kim Basinger into supermodels and household names.

Ford is in the Philippines to find this year’s most promising Pinay face at the Ford Supermodel of the World competition (which is being conducted tonight and will be broadcast at a later date), but you get the sense she would much rather talk about the cause she’s passionate about — fighting human trafficking — than discuss the skin-deep world of modeling.

“I just could not believe that there are 27 million slaves on earth today!” she exclaims. “We bring people at Ford in from 60 countries around the world, and that’s a good career, but it could be that other 14- to 24-year-olds — the target age for traffickers — could be brought in from anywhere and get locked up in a situation they were not expecting.”

So, when she’s not surveying this year’s crop of aspirants, Ford has turned her lofty Imperial Suite into Anti-Human Trafficking Central: later she’s meeting with fellow crusaders like the Visayan Forum to up Filipinos’ awareness about this rampant problem, which victimizes not just women but also men and children.

The daughter of Eileen and Jerry Ford, who founded their now-legendary New York City agency in 1947, Katie, an MBA from Columbia University, seemed the most logical heir apparent, and she became CEO of Ford Models from 1995 to 2007. It was she who expanded Ford internationally (to France, Brazil and 10 US cities) and turned the modeling agency into a full-fledged talent management company (divisions now include lifestyle, hair, makeup and photographers).

Though Ford’s famous faces range from Cheryl Tiegs, Christie Brinkley and Rene Russo to Rachel Hunter, Sophie Dahl and It model of the moment Chanel Iman, it’s worth noting that the most non-bratty “supers,” like Christy, are Ford clients. Here, Katie talks about Ford’s model secrets to success:

YSTYLE: When you judge the Ford Supermodel of the World Philippines competition on Friday, what qualities will you be looking for?

KATIE FORD: I’m going to be looking for someone who can work well in the international modeling market, so someone who is tall, very photogenic, has symmetrical features, and who has lots of personality that comes across in pictures.

What do Filipinas offer that’s different from other Asian models? What did you see in past winners like Charo Ronquillo, Gayle Ong and Meki Saldaña that set them apart?

When I think of Filipinos, I think of charm, and a warmth that is different from some countries. Also there is a combination frequently of different types of features — I wouldn’t say one thing exactly is a Filipino feature, where in some countries you would say that.

Why do you think Asian models haven’t broken through to the extent that African-American models have in the US?

Well, first of all, it’s the American market, it’s African-American; they speak English in the same way. It represents a larger part of our population, as does Hispanic, which will be thankfully one of the largest.

Nowadays what is the most sought-after model look?

The look that’s the most “in” now is the look that is not identifiable where somebody is from, and they could be Asian, South American, American… It’s sort of a universal look where it could be dark or light eyes and honey-colored skin, and really, it’s an international look.

An Asian model, South Korean Kang Seung-Hyun, won in 2007. Is she as bankable as you thought she would be?

Yes, she is. She works a lot in the United States and she works for clients like the Gap. She’s done some runway but more commercial work, I’d say, and she makes a lot of money.

What advice do you have for aspiring Filipina models who want to achieve that level of success?

The most important thing is to go with a good agency and a reputable agency. Don’t go with agencies that bring you in for no reason and they have other kinds of work in mind. And secondly, only believe the best agencies. Don’t go on false hope. If you’re tall enough and you have the right look, it is a great career and I suggest you try it.

How do you tell a good agency from a bad one?

That is a very important question. No matter what job you’re looking for abroad, people get trafficked by thinking they’re getting a real job, and then they get to that country and get locked up in that country as prostitutes, or in different labor situations. One way for model agencies — because they’re in the press — is to go online and to look and see which models they represent, and see what’s written about them in the press. If there’s nothing written about them, don’t go with them because that is one business where a lot is written about. However, for different types of jobs — if it’s not modeling — you want to make sure that it’s a good employment agency broker like Manpower that brings you into foreign countries, to be sure and to be safe.

You also manage celebrities. Which celebrities do you represent?

It varies over time, like Nacho Figueras, the polo player who has Ralph Lauren. We did the Ralph Lauren contract for him.

What do you think of the phenomenon of celebrities encroaching on model territory, taking over the covers of fashion magazines and getting all these ad campaigns? Are models’ careers being threatened?

There are segments that can be threatened by it, and are, but there are parts that are always going on in the United States. We have a lot of catalogs that are the major source of income for a model agency. That market is a big market and that is threatened, frankly, by the financial crisis. That is our biggest threat, not celebrities! (laughs) We’re much more worried about the financial crisis.

How hard-hit were retailers in the US?

They were hit very hard. Some said business was down 30 percent.

How has the modeling world changed since the era of the Supers in the ’80s? Didn’t you represent Christy Turlington?

We did. It’s modeling that has changed as an industry from the ’80s. If you start back earlier, there was a point where Hollywood actresses were the icons and models appeared in magazines. Then, after the war in Vietnam, actresses were protesting and they never wanted to be the glamour icons. Models became the glamour icons. So that was the birth of the supermodel. And then there were only, let’s say, 10 supermodels and fashion industry got tired of wanting the same 10 models and them not being available, so the fashion industry changed and simultaneously we went to grunge. And then actresses became big again in terms of being on magazine covers and representing certain products, and it looks like that’s starting to change a little bit in the United States and swinging back a little bit.

Growing up, did you always want to join the family business?

It was not on my mind that I was going to join the family business. My parents hoped it; they encouraged me to join. Before I joined I’d gone to business school and was a management consultant. It was my intention to start my own business connected to an art form, where people give you a sense of gratification, where you’re doing something very active with people and you travel to interesting places. And then I realized I had just described by parents’ business, and that’s when I joined. (Laughs)

Which art form do you love?

Photography. I’m not a photographer; I just enjoy it. And I love editing film and traveling to places like the Philippines and experiencing what it’s like to work in a foreign environment.

When you became CEO, what did your parents tell you?

They said, “You’re going to have to find your own way within Ford.” In other words, “You’re going to have to learn different things, see what you’re good at, and we’ll see what happens.”

What were the most valuable lessons you learned from them?

The most valuable lessons were actually about values, and about honesty and promoting models and how you take care of people, models or not. Just how you treat other people, and that was very helpful, both in business and in the work I do now.

Do you still believe that stars are made, not born?

My dad said that models are born. You’re born with the features or you’re not. However, the personality to become a star is something that is really unpredictable, and some people just have that work ethic and the drive and ability to shine in front of the camera, and some don’t.

Do you mentor the models as much as your mother did, monitoring their personal as well as professional lives?

Yes, we do. Everybody in the agency does.

Do young models still live at your house?

No, because now we have a models’ apartment with 10 models.

Why did you decide to move your headquarters from the Upper East Side to SoHo?

When my parents started the business, the Upper East Side was where the photographers were. Avedon, Scavullo… they all had their studios up there. But over time it became too expensive and photographers moved downtown, and SoHo became an area where there were a lot of people in fashion.

I read that some of your most bankable stars like Maggie Rizer, Karen Elson and Erin O’Connor were poached by other agencies. Is that still a problem?

Poaching is always a problem in our business. It is a reality in any agent business.

How do you keep it from happening?

Well, you hope you do a good job and models appreciate it, but sometimes they’re young and they want to try their own thing. They don’t want to go where they went the first time.

How do you keep the Ford Models young and in tune with fashion, editorial and advertising trends?

You really need to be aware of what’s happening at fashion shows, need to be in touch with photographers and designers and talk to them about what their coming trends are. What the people who are working directly with models need to be doing, so we’re scouting the right type of models. More importantly, doing the right styling, hair and makeup for the models, because you spend a lot of time developing a portfolio.

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For more information, go to www.fordmodels.com.

To learn more about human trafficking and how you can help, go to www.freetheslaves.net and www.visayan forum.org.