I Walked 40 Fashion Shows and Barely Broke Even. But It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way.

By Teddy Quinlivan

My name is Teddy Quinlivan, and I’m a model. As a trans woman, the modeling industry was my ticket out of my biggoted hometown and into New York City, where I’d come to work as a model for high fashion brands including Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Dior. Yet despite my success, I’ve been subjected to astonishing levels of financial exploitation at the hands of my management companies that I never would have imagined. 

During my first Fashion Week season, I walked in over 40 shows. As a new model, my management company neglected to tell me upfront that I was responsible for paying for all of the associated business expenses myself: flights to shows, accommodations, website fees, agency fees, and more. When I first learned about these expenses, I shrugged them off as no big deal, figuring that I was walking in so many shows and well on my way to becoming a top model, so it would all pay off in the end. I was wrong. After working all 40 shows that season, I had merely broken even after the many unexplained expenses were deducted from my account. The fractional remaining money left to be paid out to me remained elusive for months. Sure, these shows afforded me exposure, but exposure doesn't pay the bills. Modeling is work, and expecting us to work for “exposure” is inexcusable. 

There is a misconception that modeling is a profession of glitz and glamor, but to get to the runway, there is an enormous amount of work and insurmountable odds stacked against you in the context of a largely unregulated industry. For many models and creatives, this leads to a toxic cycle of debt and indentured servitude to our management companies. The cruel practices that have become so commonplace in the fashion industry need to be addressed.

That’s why I joined the Model Alliance to introduce the Fashion Workers Act, a New York State bill that would correct the exploitative practices that I and so many others have experienced by creating basic rights and protections, including timely payment and greater financial transparency. We’re confident we can make the Fashion Workers Act a reality, but we need your help. Please consider joining me in making a donation towards our $20K goal by Labor Day to support our campaign and invest in a safer, more equitable fashion industry.