Fashion Exposed: The Model Salary

What's the difference between a Vogue Paris shoot and a H&M campaign for a model? Seems like the same amount of work, but in reality, the difference is thousands of dollars payment. Last year,  Anna Maria Jagodzinska, Karmen Pedaru, and Ania Cywinska, switched from Next Models to Ford Models, and Ford decided to sue Next for holding out payments from the three models. Pedaru claimed to be missing $400,000; Jagodzinska said Next owes her $230,000; and Cywinska was waiting on $30,000.

All three models were looking for $1 million compensation from their former modelling agency, and documents from the lawsuit later hit the internet, revealing just how much models earn for their various work. A bank statement belonging to Jagodzinska leaked, which showed the big difference in payment between publications and advertisement work.

 click images to enlarge

In the statement, it shows that Jagodzinska was paid a mere $125.00 for a Vogue Paris shoot, while H&M handed the model a whopping $60,000.00 for an advertisement campaign which was basically the same days work.

J. Crew also handed the model a further $15,000.00 in the same month for fronting their campaign, while she was also owed two payments from Vogue US, both for $250.00. In short, the difference between work for fashion publications and advertising? Huge.

Also included in the statement is a further $35,000.00 which was given to the model by Laird + Partners for her work in campaigns for Bottega Veneta and Donna Karan - yet more proof that advertising work is by far the most lucrative aspect of modeling.

If models are paid so much more for advertising work, then why do they agree to appear in photographic editorials? It's simply a case of getting their face well known. Along with the leaked bank statement, was Karmen Pedaru's modelling contract with Next, which also makes for some interesting reading. The model much get a 'voucher' signed at the end of each assignment to prove that the client is sufficiently happy with the work the model has done, and if she is paid is cash, she must later pay her agency the 20% booking fee.

There are other components on the contract too, which state that if a client does not pay a model, she is still required to pay the 20% booking fee to Next, and must also pay for her own legal assistance in order to get the money owed to her from the client.

Most surprisingly of all, the contract states that Next agency may also take any deductions they feel necessary from the model's account as they see fit.

What about catwalk appearances? According to one online source, newcomer models can get paid roughly $300 per appearance while more established models can expect to receive around $1000. The source places an emphasis on Australian models, including Abbey Lee Kershaw who they say pocketed $200,000 from both Chanel and Gucci when she appeared in their campaigns - not bad for two separate days of work.

So, it pays to be a model - at least the ones lucky enough to land advertising gigs.