Our Mission

Through strategic research, policy initiatives, and campaigns, the Model Alliance promotes fair treatment, equal opportunity, and more sustainable practices in the fashion industry, from the runway to the factory floor. As a small nonprofit, we punch above our weight and our impact is far-reaching. A decade ago, we established child labor protections in the modeling industry and created the first and only industry support line. Today, we’ve served thousands of individuals with work-related concerns and championed legislation that allowed time-barred survivors of sexual assault to hold their abusers accountable, including a former President of the United States.

Our work is centered around the truth that despite fashion’s glamorous façade, the industry is rife with human rights abuses and has been built on the backs of mostly women and girls across the globe who experience debt bondage, sexual abuse, and human trafficking. That’s why we’ve pioneered a new model of labor activism – one that centers workers’ expertise to establish meaningful standards and ensure dignified working conditions in the fashion industry.

Our community occupies a powerful platform to campaign for transformative change. Fashion workers – particularly models, who are literally the faces of the fashion industry – are some of the most visible workers in the world, and the multinational companies we represent have a disproportionate impact on public health, our environment, and working people’s lives. To affect change, we all need to have a voice in our work. That voice can take many forms, from industry surveys to committees and campaigns.

By assisting fashion workers in understanding the laws applicable to them, and by encouraging them to have a voice in their work, the Model Alliance identifies common areas of concern, conducts strategic research with leading research institutions to inform policy initiatives, and educates the industry and the public about our core issues.

From creating protections for models and content creators from financial and sexual exploitation, to calling for transparency and accountability across global supply chains, we need to inject a labor consciousness into fashion. The Model Alliance aims to lead this effort.

To receive updates about our work, please join our mailing list. We welcome your ideas and involvement as we join forces to create a more just fashion system and world.

Thanks for your support,

Sara Ziff, Founding Director, Model Alliance