The RESPECT Program
A Fashion Industry Built on Respect and Accountability.
Born of the direct experience and unique understanding that models have of the industry, the RESPECT Program was designed to replicate many of the benefits of unionization without any of the potential legal issues, and set a new global industry standard. The program aims to enable a working environment in which creative collaboration and self-expression flourish, and everyone can work without fear of harassment, abuse, discrimination or violence.
A Tested and Effective Approach
This model is a “powerful example of the Protect, Respect, and Remedy pillars of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.”
— United Nations
The Model Alliance’s RESPECT Program - one of the “most ambitious solutions” - is “a set of comprehensive industry standards developed by models to govern behavior, rights, payment and recourse, as well as a detailed list of consequences and processes.”
— The New York Times
Among the “most important social-impact success stories of the past century.”
— Harvard Business Review
HERE’S HOW IT WORKS:
Create a Workplace Code of Dignity and Respect: Drawing on the expertise of models and their experience within the industry, the Program will outline and implement a rigorous Code of Conduct designed to protect models from sexual harassment and abuse wherever they perform modeling and related services.
Educate models and all stakeholders on their rights and responsibilities under the Program: Participating companies and agencies will be required to provide education and training for everyone in the workplace — including not only models, but also staff and other contractors — designed to ensure that models are aware of their rights under the Program and of how to bring complaints if they suffer harassment.
Protect transparency and models’ right to speak up: The Program will include all of the necessary ingredients to ensure that models’ rights under the Code of Conduct are implemented on the ground. For example, the Program will include an independent, transparent enforcement body to monitor the workplace and address complaints of harassment, as well as a safe, confidential and accessible complaint mechanism, which models can use without fear of retaliation.
Go beyond voluntary company policies to enforceable commitments: Without a concrete commitment to enforce a set of standards, we know that the long-standing problem of harassment and abuse will ultimately persist. In the RESPECT Program, fashion brands, publishing companies, modeling agencies, and other businesses will not only publicly commit to the core principles of dignity and respect, but also sign a binding agreement with the Model Alliance to ensure that everyone working for their company is living up to the RESPECT Program’s standards. In the case of serious or repeated violations of the Code by a photographer or other service provider, publishing companies and fashion brands will be required to no longer work with that individual. Participating fashion brands and publishing companies will give business preference to other participants that are signatories to the Program.
Address economic vulnerability: To reduce the vulnerability of models to abuse, participating businesses will be required to ensure all models are paid for all of their work in a timely fashion, that there is transparency concerning any wage deductions, and that models’ income is not reduced by unreasonable fees.