Comfort, performance and style are seldom co-habitants when it comes to footwear.
Pier59's Federico Pignatelli Proposes a Model's Bill of Rights
April 23, 2018 4:00 PM
Federico Pignatelli, founder and owner of Pier59 Studios and the Art and Fashion Group Company and Industry Model Management called for a gathering of the fashion industry on Thursday night as a call-to-action for equitable treatment and professional management of models.
A “Model’s Bill of Rights” was bestowed upon entering guests in a legislative fashion, rolled and bound by a black cord. The document declares a necessary “fundamental change in how agencies operate and interact with models,” apportioned into eight commitments.
About an hour after the event commenced at Pier59 Studios, the 100,000 square-foot photography studio at the Chelsea Piers, Pignatelli took to mic and stage to provide a précis of the Bill of Rights and to urge the industry follow in his path.
The Pier59 executive comes from a background in international finance, investment banking and brokerage, and is certainly not one unfamiliar with contracts or conducting business, also noting that he read an exhausting number of model contracts in New York. One of the biggest surprises accompanying these contracts is that the models are in fact often not in possession of their contracts, or moreover, never even signed one. Pignatelli also reminded the audience of the prevailing issue of “unpaid invoices,” a plague of the fashion industry that affects all artists, designers and models, alike. Unfortunately, lack of pay most often stems from negligence on the part of the model agencies rather than from non-paying clients, which the “Model’s Bill of Rights” hopes to address with a clause requiring models to be paid within 5 to 9 business days from receipt of payment, and never to exceed 60 days, regardless of payment from the client. Pignatelli echoed that “ ‘The client has not paid’ is not an excuse,” and that it is none other than the agencies’ job to collect payment from clients.
“Clarity, clarity, clarity,” was another recurring motif of Pignatelli’s speech, because these issues addressed are intensified by the age of aspiring new models who are usually still in their teens. On top of that, they are often international or non-native English speakers, adding another layer of complexity to their careers, the O-1 Visa and sponsorship process, as well as more room for misinterpretation.
These matters of education and understanding, equity and transparency, seem not unlike basic worker’s rights, and so it comes as a shock that such regulations have not found their way to the modeling industry. The commitments laid forth by Pignatelli and Industry Model Management are only the beginning, but we hope they can ring loud and clear as the “voice of necessary change” that must be enacted in the industry.
WRITTEN BY HOLLIS DE LANEY
PHOTO CREDIT: Courtesy of Pier59 / Industry Model Management
related posts
KIMIKO EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW / Fashion story
KIMIKO Exclusive Interview / Fashion Story "Kimiko" is now available!
Namilia NYFW S/S18 Ready-to-Wear
Berlin-based design duo Nan Li and Emilia Pfohl have stuck to their guns and carved out a niche for their relatively young label ...
"Freedom" Enisa x TWELV VIDEO
“FREEDOM" ENISA x TWELV video is now available!
TWELV Magazine NYFW SS18 Party @Better Days
To celebrate the anxiously awaited September moment– New York Fashion Week SS18– TWELV Magazine held it's biannual NYFW party at "Better Days," the newly reopened Lower East Side location...
Elodie Yung EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW / FASHION STORY "Elodie Yung"
Elodie Yung Exclusive Interview / Fashion Story "Elodie Yung" is now available!
Check inside for the Full Page Editorial.
The Legacy of Yves Saint Laurent to be Honored at New Marrakech Museum
Yves Saint Laurent is not the first to call Morocco muse, but the legacy of his interweaving the North African nation’s vibrant aesthetic into European fashion continues to this day,...
"Close Encounters of the Third Kind" Behind the Scenes Video
"CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF A THIRD KIND" behind the scene video is now available!
View the video on the right and check inside for the Full Page Editorial.
Fashion Story "Close Encounters of the Third Kind"
FASHION STORY “CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF A THIRD KIND" is now available!
Check inside for the Full Page Editorial.
TWELV Magazine Celebrates Hissa/CHAMA's Birthday @Public Hotel
TWELV had the pleasure of celebrating the birthday of Editor-in-Chief Hissa/CHAMA Igarashi at the Public Arts space...
Fashion Story "Ane Amour"
FASHION STORY “Ane Amour" is now available!
Check inside for the Full Page Editorial.
Gucci F/W2017 Collection Explores Strange New Worlds
Boldly going where no fashion house has gone before, Gucci launches its latest Fall/Winter 2017 collection with a full-on...
Giuseppe Zanotti X Jennifer Lopez Second Collaboration
After a successful first collaboration, Italian luxury footwear designer Giuseppe Zanotti and ...
TWELV Magazine Party "Summer Soirée" @Kola House
As the Men's New York Fashion Week came to a close, TWELV hosted a party for everyone in need of an unwind during this blistering summer.
Dior F/W2017 Haute Couture Collection
It's impossible to overestimate the impact of Christian Dior's first collection when it was shown in Paris in 1947.
Louis Vuitton Recruits Jaden Smith & Sophie Turner for Series 7
Unveiled earlier this month, Louis Vuitton’s Fall/Winter 2017-2018 campaign continues to impress as the brand remains...
Miu Miu F/W2017 Campaign Starring Kate Moss and the Aboah Sisters
The Miu Miu Girl has always been bolder and sexier than her patrician elder sister, the Prada Girl.
Just Cavalli F/W2017 Collection
In releasing its latest campaign, Just Cavalli has teamed up with...
René Caovilla F/W2017 COLLECTION
Italian designer René Caovilla has tapped into a new kind of sensual feminine energy with the launch of...
Rihanna x Manolo Blahnik Final Collaboration, #SoStoned
For their third and final collaboration, Manolo Blahnik and Rihanna have released the...
Beau Souci Fashion Story "Beautiful Worries"
BEAU SOUCI FASHION STORY “Beautiful Worries" is now available!
Check inside for the Full Page Editorial.
Berenik Opens Soho Boutique & Talenthouse with Dance
Last week, genderless Swiss fashion label Berenik celebrated the opening of its New York City boutique and Talenthouse at 419 Broome...
Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between
“Rei Kawakubo is one of the most important and influential designers of the past 40 years,” said Andrew Bolton, Head Curator of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute...
MIU MIU "ROOM303" BY Alasdair McLellan
By emulating an all familiar, oversaturated photographic aesthetic—those snaps of friends in the club, a family packed in a restaurant booth, an evening traversing the city, or an illuminated sea...
Nomos Glashütte Aqua Series Watch Collection
Independent German watchmaking house Nomos Glashütte has just released the...
Roberto Cavalli F/W2017 Campaign Starring Eva Herzigova
With the launch of Roberto Cavalli’s Fall/Winter 2017 campaign comes a bold retelling of the classic Italian love affair.
3.1 Phillip Lim Fashion Story "3.1"
FASHION STORY “3.1" is now available!
Check inside for the Full Page Editorial.
BEAU SOUCI VIDEO STORY "LIFE GOES ON"
VIDEO STORY “LIFE GOES ON" is now available!
View the video on the right and check inside for the Full Page Editorial.
Giuseppe Zanotti F/W2017 Collection “Le Rouge Et Le Noir”
Italian designer Giuseppe Zanotti delivers a refreshing dose of dichotomy with the introduction of his Fall/Winter 2017 campaign.
Louis Vuitton x Jeff Koons: The Power of Icons
An L and a V. The combination of these two letters has become one of the most widely recognized trademarks in the world, let alone the fashion world.
“Who is Gabrielle?” #GabrielleChanel
Everyone knows Chanel 2.55, the bag famously created by Gabrielle Chanel in February 1955 and named after the month and year of its birth.
JIL SANDER × NENDO OBJECTEXITILE CAPSULE COLLECTION
Fashion meets design in the conceptual Nendo x Jil Sander Capsule Collection debuting during Milan Design Week.
DKNY FASHION STORY "VASILISA IN DKNY"
FASHION STORY “VASILISA IN DKNY" is now available!
Check inside for the Full Page Editorial.
Tiffany & Co. New HardWear Collection with Lady Gaga
Last year, TWELV introduced the new Tiffany & Co. “Legendary Style” series. The campaign series began in Fall 2016, and featured Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o and actress Elle Fanning...
INTERVIEW / FASHION STORY "CLAIRE DE REGGE"
Interview / Fashion Story
"CLAIRE DE REGGE" is now available!
Check inside for the full page of editorial
KISSES FROM JILL STUART NYFW F/W2017 BACKSTAGE
The runway is a facade for designers to stage their vision, the strictly choreographed back-and-forth of models shinning a never-ending flow of clothes.