The founder of model agency John Casablancas

"I hate telephones," said the founder of the modeling agency John Casablancas in a calm tone, obviously irritated by the endless trills of mobile in the restaurant. - I'm a man in the style of oldfashion. Yes! "He laughs. It's very unexpected to hear from a man who devoted all his life to fashion.

John Casablancas is the founder of the largest international model agency Elite Model Management and the legendary annual competition of beginning models Elite Model Look. This he created the concept of "top model" and introduced the world to Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, Claudia Schiffer, Eva Herzigov and many others. Oh, someone, but he knows a lot about beauty.


The founder of the modeling agency John Casablancas smiles slightly in greeting and turns to the jumped waiter immediately. "Ah ..." he hesitated and glanced sideways at the order he had just brought me. "I, too, cola, please," John said in English. Now, at least we have something in common. You can start.

Did you work for Coca-Cola? Yes, very many years ago. Even before I got into the modeling business. I knew people who owned this company in Brazil and they offered me a job as a marketing director. I agreed. It was exciting and lasted 4 years.

I know that many of those who have worked at Coca-Cola do not drink this drink. And you, I see, are drinking ...


Do not you drink ?! Well, no ... It's not true. It is not good for the body, but everyone drinks it!

I understand ... Let's talk about what you do in Kiev.

I am opening a Kiev branch of the new modeling agency Joy Star System. I hope it will become as strong as Elite Model Management, from whose affairs I have already left. I myself do not want to be an agent anymore to manage every step of the long career of the model. I have done this many times, and now I have an overdose.

What would I like to do? Finding models for the best agencies in New York, Paris, London ... Our project in Kiev is very important. There will be one of 20-25 offices, which we are now opening in different countries. We are very, very interested in Ukraine. Because you have a lot of really beautiful girls! And I know that I will find in Ukraine a real superstar.


Indeed , many people say that Ukrainians are especially beautiful. Such an expert on beauty, like you, can also confirm this? Yes. In my personal experience, in the world there are three countries in which there are indeed more beautiful girls than in the others. This is Ukraine, Denmark and Brazil. When I come to Ukraine, then in my neck there is a monstrous pain, because I constantly look back at the girls - so many beauties! Every minute someone appears who can not be ignored. I mean not only the model appearance, but just beautiful women! Ukrainians are adorable, they have a lot of charm. However, like the Brazilians. A Russian model, for example, the founder of the modeling agency John Casablancas like, they are also very beautiful, but much colder. Can you say that you dictate fashion for beauty in the world? After all, it is you who choose the future top models on which millions of girls want to be like. Not only me. I'm just one of many people who have an impact on the fashion world. I do with the models the same as, say, with real estate. For example, I buy a house not because I expect to earn a lot of money on it when I sell, but because I like it. And in the end I always get good money when I sell such houses. Since together with them I also sell a part of my soul, invested in them. The same story happens with the models: I do not take the model, thinking that it can get on the cover of the magazine. I choose a model because I feel something special about it. Perhaps that's why I was more successful in creating superstars than other agents. Was more interested in his girls.

For example, a typical fashion person: slim, beautiful eyes, sharpened nose and so on. I will evaluate not so much the ideality of her face and figure as her harmony in general. And most of all - charm. I love women who are not just sexy, but attractive, charming. Eyes, lips ... Can I feel it? If she can charm me, she will be able to charm the camera! And these girls become big stars. One must be able to grasp this.


You know, when I first saw Linda the Evangelist - she was not as beautiful as today ...

And yet the founder of the modeling agency John Casablancas thinks that you are downplaying your influence on creating a world fashion for a certain type of girls. You in fact basically choose models slim, slender, and not those that are similar, for example, to Marilyn Monroe? I choose similar to Marilyn Monroe. Throughout my career, I have destroyed fashionable stereotypes. When he came into business, all the models were very skinny blondes, similar to Grace Kelly. And I made supermodels of brunettes. This is Polina Porizkova, and Cindy Crawford. They were unlike the other models - brown-eyed, dark-haired, puffy. We had also magnificent blondes - the same Anna Nicole Smith - the magnificent sexual girl. That is, I was interested in atypical models.


And how do girls find themselves on the covers of magazines?

Here, in Ukraine, if you are a local star or very rich, then you can come to the editorial office of the magazine and agree on a place on its cover. But in New York or Paris it is impossible. Once the founder of model agency John Casablancas in the agency had a model of Jennifer Flavin. She married Sylvester Stallone. I was also well acquainted with him, since before that he had met with another model from my agency. And one day at a meeting he asked me, using his name, to get for his wife a cover of Vogue. I said: "It's impossible. At it not that type. I helped her to appear on the cover of Cosmopolitan - she's a sex bomb - perfect for Cosmo. But she can never be on the cover of Vogue. " Then Stallone got angry and took her from the agency. But on the cover of Vogue so she never appeared.

That's why I say that you can not buy a career when you're in Paris or in New York.

For girls it is very important to understand that this is not only a matter of beauty, but also professionalism, charisma. To get a large contract, the model must be special.

There are many beautiful, special girls, but not all become supermodels. Perhaps, fate is also important? Well ... we all sometimes need to be at the right time in the right place. But I also think that talent and hard work are very important. I will tell you an example of "fate" Heidi Klum. For several years she worked in one of the agencies. And one day she wanted something more from life: she came to me. I thought - what can I do here? Cute, sexy blonde, beautiful eyes, big breasts ... you know ... Not very interesting as a person ... At that time I called her "German sausage" - she was so! It's good, but not too much, you know what I mean? Not caviar, but sausage. But ... Klum is running ahead. The German, after all! At that time, we had one very good agent. His name was Louis. I asked: "And what can we do with this sex bomb?" After a little reflection, he organized a photo session for Vogue with her. Oh, she was good ... And it worked! She began to follow one after another. Today she earns millions of dollars. She's a superstar! It was real luck.

How to create a fashion for models? Now the fashion industry is in the hands of very stylish people. Fans of their business, professionals. Fashion for skinny girls comes from designers, because they know: thin will look elegant even in not very beautiful clothes. And the thinner the girl, the better it will look clothes. Also, a considerable influence is exerted by gays, who have a sharp sense of beauty. Therefore, women-models look very stylish, but not very sexy. Today, gays occupy many positions in the world of fashion and design. Often they are genius.

In my agency there were agents heterosexual and homosexual. So the first one liked that the model was artistic and cheerful, while the second one was punctual and serious. And since in the fashion industry about 80% of gays, the models are appropriate.

When I started my career, most of the agency managers were either gay or female. I, as a heterosexual, saw the girls in a different perspective. But about the top models, our opinions usually coincide.


At one time, I chose only those girls who seemed interesting to me. This, of course, not all of the agency arranged, but I did not care. And in the end they had to accept. Because as soon as the girl got on the cover of the famous magazine, all the designers wanted to see her on their shows. After all, no one cares if Paris Hilton is short? But all the designers invite her to their shows, as she is famous. It's the same with models!

And what today? Now the typical career of the model looks like this: the agent finds the girl, leads her to the agency, she is selected for the show, and she goes to the show in Milan, Paris, New York. There the editor-in-chief sees it and thinks: "Oh, it works for Dolce & Gabbana! She's interesting! I'll take it for filming in a magazine. " And when her photos go out in the magazine, they see in the same Dolce & Gabbana and think: "Oh! I'll take it for my advertising campaign! "Understand? It always depends on the decision of those people who select girls for filming, shows. And usually the agent does not know how to work with a girl, if she is not invited to the show. I'm from the old school. If I take a girl to an agency, then I do not care if nobody invites her to the shooting. I work with her. I dress, train, take care of its image and send it to castings. There she is refused - I again work with her and again send to castings. Again failure - again work, etc. And eventually it becomes better and better. And, ultimately, I'm right: she gets a job. Of course, sometimes I'm wrong. But rarely.


One model I sent about ten times to casting for a photo shoot in the EPE, and she was always told not. One day she went to a party where she accidentally met the editor of the EPe, who said: "Oh, you are so beautiful! How about shooting for us? "And she starred for the cover. After me another editor called and asked: "Why did not you send this girl to me before?" And this is a typical story in the modeling business!

The image of a beautiful girl is constantly changing. What do you think it will be like in the future?

I believe in universal beauty. I think that the sense of style is always valuable always. Those girls that I discovered in the 70s, 80s and 90s - at any time would be stars. Just like Twigi, who was famous in the 70's, she would certainly become a supermodel today. Trends are changing, but the basic things remain. Cindy Crawford, Kate Moss - they are still famous! Because beautiful and stylish.

Probably, it is very pleasant to work in an environment of such beauty, but, most likely, it was necessary to endure many vagaries?

When you make money, you close your mouth. If you are a financial director and work with a star, but she is a difficult person - just do your thing. Some things you just need to be able to swallow. But with the models the biggest problem is not their behavior, but those people who are next to them - boyfriends, moms, girlfriends ...

How can they interfere? Close, of course, always want to be "good." Especially for a star. First your mother goes with you to Paris to prepare food for you. After a while, you start making money, and she does not need a cook anymore. And then what do the typical mom and boyfriend do? Try to show how important they are, and start behaving like agents. That is, "do" my work. "I will protect you from this agent! He only wants your money! I love you. I know everything better than him! "," Oh! How could he make you do this terrible job? I would never have! "Or" He paid you only 10 thousand dollars for this work? I would pay much more! "Sometimes, of course, there are close people of the model who help to work with the girl. But rarely.

And who, if not a secret, brought you the most headache?

Mmm ... I think that the hardest was Giselle Bundchen. I was her agent from the age of 14 to 19.

I remember her still angular , with an ugly nose, without a breast, and just at the moment when Giselle began to become the number one in the world, she took her portfolio from my agency and went to another: "You pay me a tidy sum for the portfolio , I practically do not pay commissions - and I turn to your agency. " For me it was a shock. It was just the time of its rise! Usually the model leaves you, because you do not make it a superstar. And here - on the contrary. Such a case, when so cruelly and prudently leave, was the first in my career. Besides, we were friends! She was friends with my wife, came to our house. And then one Friday night, as usual, she was visiting us, smiling, and saying "Until Monday!", Kissed us on the cheeks and left. And on Monday I was in another agency! So ... she's a bitch from hell!

John, as a Ukrainian girl who has all the data for a supermodel, to climb to the top of the model business?

She needs to do a few things. First, look at yourself in the mirror. It is important for her to be as honest with herself as possible. Is she really beautiful or just pretty? If the girl is below 170 cm - she will never be a top model. Maybe an actress if she likes the camera. Or a photographer, an editor in a fashion magazine. Secondly, she can not listen to those who say that she can never become a model. It turns out, on the one hand, it must be very self-confident, and on the other hand it is self-critical enough. Then she must understand that fashion is a business where for every job you receive, there will be 100 works that you will not get. I'll have to go through 100 castings just to get you selected on the 101st. She should be ready for this. Must be strong.


She must also be an interesting person. She can not be boring. Some of the supermodels that I know are stupid, others are very smart, others are funny, the fourth is melancholic. Someone is bitchy, someone is very nice ... But they all have something that makes them interesting. And this is an individual quality and allows them to become stars.

Then the girl needs to find a really good agency and a good agent. Not one that will sell it to some oligarch, but one that actually will be interested in it. Let him not be so professional, but will really worry about her career.

And then - to work and work. Well, you remember - once to be in the right place at the right time.