Roberta Manganelli: "We have to question the processes of the fashion industry!”
Ms. Manganelli, how have you personally experienced the last weeks?
By now, we can talk about months even. We decided to close the agency to visitors mid of march, to apply the necessary social distancing measurements required by the COVID-19 risk. The most difficult moment has been the necessity to release my team. The essence of our job is the human contact; physically interacting and working together. It has been clear from the first news about the global outbreak that we were going to be fully hit by this pandemic.
Personally, I have the luck to live in a large space, filled with light and a terrace; my partner and my son being with me.
What effects did the lockdown have on your agency Stellamodels?
The agency itself is closed, but, as the director, I am of course in constant contact with models, clients and colleagues from all over the world. In these times, the most important thing is to keep the information flow up and to communicate, making sure that everyone is safe and not in need, and naturally to try to get a bigger picture in order to be ready to restart asap.
The menswear and haute couture shows in the summer have been cancelled - from an economic point of view: can the creative break caused by the lockdown still be made up for this year?
The people in the fashion industry are used to ups and downs, we are positive, creative individuals, but especially our economy is global now. Every step of the process needs its full chain of infrastructure to function properly. We could recover from 2-3 months break, but this will take longer to cope with, especially on an international level. I believe we should all be satisfied with ending 2020 with smooth and bearable losses, keeping costs under control and preparing for a great 2021.
Eventually, we should use this historical period to reconsider important aspects of the world we are part of. Starting with the production aspects, the overload of collections, the actual impact fast fashion has on everyone, not only the fashion industry and so on.
Regarding the immediate future, we will have to act local for a while. Austria should have the impulse to reconsider bringing back a lot of activities lost to close countries for mere profit reasons, let it be sourcing local talent or bringing back production into the country.
Personally, many had to struggle with the "new normality" - how did your protégés deal with it?
I am so proud and thankful to call them my models... All of them are safe, well humored and busy with smart activities. I miss them, they are my bigger family, and I am happy to see them again, soon.
What exactly does it mean for a model not to be allowed to travel and walk any shows for a season?
For a full time, high level international model, it is very hard. Not only has the financial loss a big impact, the " fashion calendar" that has established itself over years has changed radically. Waiting has always been the hardest part of a model's job, even before the crisis - there can be a calmer period followed by a hectic schedule. Of course, this will also show who is resilient and will come out of this crisis stronger. Naturally, everyone who has been able to handle the job professionally should have enough reserve to be back on track once requests will come in again.
What countermeasures have been implemented, for example with regard to increased social media interaction?
We as Stellamodels took this period to feature all our models and characters daily to express our gratitude and closeness. Social media, in this case, have proved to be a great tool to stay in touch from a distance.
The industry will also have to adjust to new conditions in the future - which trends do you see coming?
I hope this will be a chance to rediscover quality against quantity, in all terms. We live in a world of plenty, every industry produces over quantities: tons of perfectly good products are thrown away daily to make room for the next batch, numbers are more important than lives. Our wardrobes are full, our fridges are full, yet overconsumption never stops, in fact, it is encouraged. On the other hand, without getting political, we should think about fair wages, fair working conditions, especially talking about fashion, there is an urgent need for change in all levels and parts of the chain, also when it comes to the model fees. if a handful of people are able to earn on the level of international actors, the majority is getting a few euros per hour. This gap in wages stands in no comparison to the worth and the amount of work that is put into the production.
These ideas did not emerge during this crisis, the conversation has been going on for years with effectively no change of the processes. Maybe now, that we have scaled back, is the time to restart with a new approach in mind.Personally, I believe we should all be more selective in our resources, concentrate more on what is really the essence of fashion, which for me is one of the highest forms of applied arts.
This new situation should also be used to finally give an institutional voice to all people involved in the creative processes in the fashion industry in countries like Austria, where, unlike Italy or France, no specific voice is given. Institutions like the Camera Moda or the Chambre Syndicale represent the fashion industry on a political level, supporting and structuring the countries industries and it's workers. It has been clear now how there is no kind of category protection, we are all left to our own capacities and resources.
How will these developments change the job description of the model and also that of the booker?
We discuss and use new technologies since decades, but they are just a support to our passion, consulting skills, experience. The profession of models and bookers will not change in its essence. It is our job to consult both clients and models, build international, stable careers and to make sure that the production team, the model and the end client will achieve the best result. Currently, of course, we are focusing on local productions, as always, ensuring the safety of our models. As this crisis stabilizes it will be possible again to work gradually on a more international scale, surely starting with the European Union first.
As a full-service agency, you are one of the few who are lucky enough to have several pillars to stand on - can you describe the offer a little more concretely?
For almost 30 years, our core activity has always been the development of individual careers on an international scale. It was always important to us to represent a diverse mixture of people, including children, characters and interesting talents that are able to make a difference with their looks and professionality. We work together with photographers, wardrobe and hair stylists and makeup artists that are essential to our business, with their culture, dedication and inspiration. Our main goal is to connect end clients, models and production teams to guarantee a successful production and outcome.
In which direction do you want to further develop your agency here in the next few years and are you still looking hopefully at setbacks in the future?
We are considering merging with other players as a smart and productive development entity, using common resources and synergies as a big possibility and always keeping our profile and ethics.
We have been through all kind of crisis, international and even personal, and are still here. As long as I wake up and the only place I want to go is my desk, in our beautiful Stellamodels office, facing it as the very first day, the future can come. We will be ready.
