The new rules of feminine dressing
Away from the catwalks, designers rely on model test-drivers to help bring their new ideas to life, finds
Of the 79 models who walked in the Burberry show during London Fashion Week, 19-year-old Hebe Flury knew designer Christopher Bailey’s collection the best. The student from Wimbledon, who is about to begin her first term on the University of York’s environmental science degree, had spent hundreds of hours in Bailey’s studio over the summer, road-testing every single piece as it was developed.
“You get to see the whole show come together,” she says of her role as a fit model, one of the fashion industry’s lesser-known jobs. It’s one that offers no public exposure, but unprecedented access to the designers in their studios.
“It’s really cool to see how they develop an entire collection from a picture on a mood board, or just a small piece of fabric.”
“You’re literally a walking mannequin,” says 20-year-old Phillipa Hemphrey, who fulfils the same duties for Jonathan “JW” Anderson at his eponymous brand, as well as Paris Fashion Week label Loewe where Anderson serves as creative director. “You are there so that they can see the clothes on someone who walks and moves, on a human being, and consider how comfortable or easy the design might be to wear in real life.”
Mannequins they may be, but Flury and Hemphrey (who were both discovered by, and are signed to, London’s Premier Model Management agency) say that their fly-on-the-wall experiences in the ateliers have been fantastically educational. Both take an interest in the business discussions happening in front of them – “how much would it cost to make this coat in Italy”, or “how will the retail price be affected if we choose an alternative fabric supplier” – and they get to observe two of the UK’S top creatives in action on a day-to-day basis. It’s work experience that many a fashion student would kill to add to their CV. “One day someone brought a vintage military jacket to the office and Christopher liked the details and the buttons it had,” explains Flury of watching a key element of the new Burberry collection unfold. “He said, ‘can we find some more of these’, and after lunch the team came back with five similar styles in other colours. He started draping them around my body and he made this jacket into a skirt right in front of me.”
Hemphrey, who was spotted by one of Premier’s scouts at her local Waitrose in Kent and is studying environmental policy and economics at the London School of Commerce, has had similar experiences. “A few seasons ago Loewe made these transparent trousers,” she says. “Jonathan just picked up a ziplock bag one day, put it next to my leg and asked, ‘what would this be like as trousers?’ He found a bunch more and pinned them all together into a pair while I stood there. That was the first prototype. It was so much fun to watch.”
Being a friendly (and patient) face behind the scenes can pay dividends
– Hemphrey and Flury have both been hailed muses by the designers they work for and have been regularly cast in the brands’ catwalk shows and marketing materials in the seasons since they began infiltrating their workplaces.
As modelling gigs go, being a fit model is about the closest one can get to an office job.
“I started off doing runway but that’s only twice a year,” says Flury.
“There are magazine shoots and campaigns in between, but it is really nice to have something that you know is a steady job.
“It’s good to get to know people properly too – at a show you’re there for a few hours and that’s it, but at Burberry I’ll sit down and have lunch with everyone.”
“In an industry that’s so irregular and fickle, it’s so nice to have something consistent,” Hemphrey agrees. “As a model, though, your job is never really in your hands. It’s always up to other people picking you – and they might want a new girl next season.”
Being a fit model pays a minimum of £40 per hour, which may make standing still for ages sound like money for old rope. Trouble is, your figure must be absolutely consistent in size in order to develop a sample from start to finish, not to mention that any other commitments like university courses could scupper your availability.
Both women possess the apparently “perfect” measurements for a fit model; 6ft tall, with a 32in bust, 24in waist and 34in hips. “It’s such an honour while it lasts, and to think that you’re the person who they like enough to want to spend such a lot of time with,” Flury acknowledges. “You appreciate the work that goes into these clothes and it changes the way you shop for yourself as you’re much more open-minded to what might suit you.
“Most of all you learn a lot about the industry and make great contacts. You feel like you’re part of it, which is a real privilege.”
Caroline Leaper