Host: Is travel a necessary part of the models career and if so, what are best markets where model can find the most success?

Antonella Mainella: I think when we speak about traveling it really depends individually on the girl. Does this girl want to travel? Does this girl have the potential to travel based upon her height?

In market such as Paris, New York, Milano, the girls need to have at least a 5’9” height. So, a lot we do have some girls who are 5’8’’ and those girls tend to be more suitable for the Asian market where the clothing is a little bit smaller than the other markets, so Tokyo, Taipei, Hong Kong.

Again, Paris and Milano are the fashion capitals and then New York, so there it’s a lot more competitive, so it takes a lot longer for the girls career to develop in these sorts of markets. So, they need to really be prepared to put the investment into it and spend at least three months, two years. Some girls spend two years in Paris.

Host: Can a model make a living out of the modeling alone especially if she is in the smaller market like Miami or Montreal?

Antonella Mainella: I always encourage the girls to have another job on the side. We do have a lot of girls who are students and guys as well who are students and they are doing this part time, so their travels end up also being in the summers.

It is a selected amount of models that really do become famous and make these enormous incomes. There are some girls though that do have that do manage within their travels to be able to make enough money to not have other jobs, but again, they are constantly working on their books. They’re constantly traveling.

Host: We often hear about a model who is discovered in a coffee shop and then next week she is doing all the shows in Paris and Milan. Is that something that happens often or is it more a case where it can take a long time for a model to build up her career and become truly successful?

Antonella Mainella: We always tend to hear the dream stories I say, you know, of course we’d all love that. You know, we’ve got discovered in a coffee shop and the next day we’re on the cover of Vogue, but it doesn’t necessarily work that way and it usually doesn’t work that way and it’s a big investment of time.

And the girls have to be very patient and very ready to invest that amount of time without really knowing if ever they are going to be this famous model.

Host: I’ve read that a modeling career is short. It can last maybe around eight years. How true is that?

Antonella Mainella: Generally, a model’s career is not very lengthy. She has a certain of time where she is really going to work. Let’s say a girl starts around 18. Her career does go up to a certain points say around 23 – 24 and where she’ll be very busy and then it does taper off.

However, I have noticed that in the last five years where there is a greater and greater demand for older models. Experienced girls who have traveled and who have the books.

Some of the designers who designed for women who are in their 30s, 40s, 50s don’t necessarily want a model who is 22 years old to represent these clothes. It’s going to be a woman of 35, 40 who’s going to be wearing them.

Yes, there is much less runway and editorials, but they do continue in the catalogue market to be able to work, so it’s good news. I like that.

Host: Yeah, so do I.