From Casting to Campaign is one of several Beyond The Show panels happening during New York Fashion Week.
On February 10th the second panel of the day included IMG models Precious Lee, who walked for Brandon Maxwell and Christian Siriano this season, and Candice Huffine, who also walked for Siriano and designs for her own sportswear brand Day/Won. The panel also consists of Senior Vice President (SVP) of IMG David Cunningham, and Emma Grede; CEO and Co-Founder of Good American. The conversation, moderated by Teen Vogue’s Jessica Andrews, focused on the development of Good American and how the clothing brand thrives with an ongoing goal to be inclusive of all women when casting their models, the #GoodSquad, a process done through open calls.
The overall message of the afternoon was to be inclusive. Huffine put it best when she asserted, “It is 2019, there are clothes that exist, we are not doing this anymore.” She continues to address businesses who don’t prioritize inclusivity in castings by explaining, “You’re just being lazy and you’re not being creative enough. You brought the curvy girl here. She’s supposed to have a moment in this magazine, women at home are supposed to feel something from seeing her. Make the change you know is right.”
While it’s up to agencies to submit women to auditions, the models reminded all women that the way they present and carry themselves is also extremely important. “Your personality is definitely more at the forefront of every job,” Lee stressed, backing the idea that looks certainly aren’t everything.
