PrintIn New York, where Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week is something of a cultural institution, the shows are a familiar and celebrated spectacle. But what happens behind those chic curtains? Cameron Russell, an economics major in the School of General Studies, founder of the community-based documentary project Interview New York, and working model with a dozen seasons under her belt, discusses the world of high fashion.
What’s the process of booking a show like?
It’s different for a new model than it is for a more established model. As a young model, you have to run around before Fashion Week, going to lots of castings, trying to walk as many shows as you possibly can. As a more established model, the designers already know whether or not they want you in their shows, and it’s also less important to walk in so many because people already know who you are.
Do you enjoy doing Fashion Week? What goes on backstage and how does it feel to walk the runway?
I don’t think any model will tell you that Fashion Week is her favorite time of year—unless maybe a reporter asks her. But I have made some of my best model friends sharing hotels during Milan and Paris show weeks. Backstage, you catch up with friends, spend an hour or more in hair and makeup and wait for them to call first looks. It depends on the show, but sometimes [when walking the runway] you’re just focused on keeping your shoes and clothes from falling off. I like shoots better: you spend more time with the team, and you get to work together to produce something rather than showing up after a designer has worked for months and taking part in a five-minute show; [it’s] the culmination of someone else’s hard work.
How do you find time to do school work?
If I did a full season of shows like I used to—that’s 60 or 70 shows in three or four cities—I probably wouldn’t have the time. These days, I only do a few shows in each city, which leaves me time for school and to develop Interview New York.
Do you think of fashion as art?
It can be. I respect fashion because it’s a universal language. If you walk into a room wearing a sexy Yves Saint Laurent dress, it garners the same reaction whether you’re in New York, Paris, or the United Arab Emirates. The downside is that fashion is often focused on status and consumption.
How does one become a model? Is it talent that can be honed, as reality television would have us believe?
Honestly, to have initial success as a model it’s simply a matter of having the right look—and that’s not really something that you have control of. To have longevity, as in most fields, you have to be able to get along with the people you work with.