Words by Isobel Preece, Writer

18 year old Raphy Magne is signed with Select Models and began her modelling career in London. In this interview Raphy recounts her experience starting her first year at Bocconi University whilst working during Milan Fashion week in October. She reveals what it’s like working for the fashion industry and reminds us of the difficulties working for a looks based industry- despite remaining hidden behind a glossy façade.

You can follow @raphymagne on Instagram.

How were you scouted?

I was 15 and walking around Westfields in my school uniform, and a lady came up to me and asked if I’d ever considered modelling. And I literally replied “I need to ask my mum,” and she gave me her card. We called them and they asked us to come into the Office and they offered me a contract on the spot.

What was your first paid job?

It was in lockdown this year and I was excited to be doing something productive. It was really exciting because it was the first time I realised this job was a real option to make money off! It was a lovely shoot, a campaign for a Scandinavian PJs brand called Tekla, and just shot in Hackney so not too far. It was a closed set so not too many people, and it was a great way to ease myself into it because I was 17 and incredibly nervous.

What did your everyday schedule look like during the Milan fashion week in October?

Actually insane. The castings at the time were the most insane thing. It was the most awful thing on the planet- I remember sending a screenshot of my calendar to all my friends and being like ‘this is just in the morning.’ It was one of my first weeks of Uni too, so I was still trying to settle in whilst having to go left right and centre.

It was an incredibly hard process- not just because I was busy all the time- but because you also face rejection all day. Like the majority of castings are rejections that you have to deal with. When you start off you don’t realise how bad it is, but then very quickly it’s this disheartening feeling of walking into a room and you’re being judged entirely on your appearance. At the end of the day, you can do a whole day of castings where you know it didn’t go well, but that feeling when your agent calls you to tell you you’ve booked something is also pretty incredible- in those moments you’re like ‘oh it was actually worth it!’

But most moments aren’t actually fun or glam. You learn not to take it personally, and you learn to laugh about it. Like I remember I walked into a casting during Milan fashion week with a friend, and they didn’t even look up at us- we just walked out and started laughing. It’s so ridiculous, it can be a very superficial industry sometimes and casting directors can feel like they have the most power in the world.

What’s been your most embarrassing experience in the industry?

It was my first presentation during Milan fashion week, and I fully slept through call time! It was 1.30pm- I was fully still in bed- and my friends had to come wake me up because my agents were calling like ‘where are you!?’ and I was like: ‘uhhh I’m on my way.’ I was very, very late.

Which direction do you see the modelling industry moving in within the next 10 years?

Even more racially diverse- I hate how inaccessible the industry was beforehand- I hope everything is cast blindly regardless of race. The other main thing is the rise of body positivity and range of models. It’s not enough to just call it a day when you have just one token plus size model in a show- and I’m careful to use those words because what the industry considers plus size is already unrepresentative. How are people meant to look at clothes on a body type that’s not their own and want to buy them?

What are the relationships like within the modelling community?

I’ve honestly had the best encounters with models, it’s always been positive and definitely encouraging. One time I met this model who is 26, and she gave me advice and helped me with my walk before fashion week started. All she wanted to do was help me as much as possible when she realised I was starting out.

All models travel abroad and are living in a country that’s not their own- it’s a very lonely thing. You travel to cities by yourself, they put you up in a hotel room, but you’re just by yourself. You’re very prone to meeting new people… and the people you meet are other models. You end up at the same castings or whatever and it’s very automatic to then just be like ‘we should get coffee’ or ‘let me get your Instagram’ so we can then just stay in touch.

Final question, what’s your dream runway?

My dream runway to walk down would be Chanel in Paris, it’s just so incredibly iconic! Their fashion shows are above and beyond at every point and even now with Virginie Viard in charge it looks like an incredible experience. That’s the dream dream.

You can follow @raphymagne on Instagram.

The Modelling Industry: Behind the Scenes with Raphy Magne