Life's not a catwalk

The atmosphere in the green room was abuzz with excitement and tension in equal parts. Around 20 models flitted about, some tending to their hair while others peered into long mirrors lined with bulbs, fixing their makeup. “I asked you for a face cleaner. Not a nail polish remover,” said a model, irritation in her voice, as the makeup artist hurried to make amends. Tempers were flying high, but for most, it was just another day of fashion week frenzy.

“We get to wear the best clothes, attend crazy parties and live a glamourous life in general, but that's not all there is to it,” says 25-year-old Akshita Mehra*. Mehra has been walking the ramp for a little over three years and this is her first time at the recently-concluded fashion week, one of the biggest in the country. For the newly-inducted lot like Mehra, the money they earn is hardly glamourous. “We get paid just around Rs8,000 for the whole day. When you take into account the 14-15 hours we put in every day during fashion week, we are horribly underpaid,” she says.

Contrary to how it may seem, fashion weeks are less about the money and more about visibility, in terms of building up your portfolio. “If you refuse to do it for the money you're getting, your client will find someone else,” she says.

Smart spending

With the economy on a downward spiral, the trouble of managing expenses haunts models too. Seasoned model Alesia Raut says that while the situation is a bit tight, she learned early on how to manage her money. “When I was 18 and began modelling, I continued my studies and my dad made me invest all that I earned in a new house. It was the best decision.”

Models need to sustain a certain standard of living owing to the world they are a part of and this can get difficult in expensive cities like Mumbai. “More than half the money I earn goes in paying rent. You have to be spend smartly,” says Sunaina Rai*, a model from Kolkata. She picks up high fashion brands at sales and scours city markets for brands' export surplus merchandise, a much cheaper option.

Not the fab life

A hidden truth about ramp shows are the negotiations that happen between the client and the model. The client is known to ask for a discount of at least 10-20% from models, an accepted norm in the industry. Raut says, “The first thing clients ask is how much of a discount are you willing to give? I actually feel sad for newcomers since they're already earning less.” She adds that the laws pertaining to the industry are loose and there's a tendency to take people for granted.

Nethra Raghuraman echoes her sentiments adding that discounts can collectively account to 50-60% over the course of a week. “I've personally put my foot down a lot of times. The overall inflation applies to models as well and clients sometimes ask for a 40% discount. It's not worth it,” she asserts.

In a country like India, it's easy to gauge where the money is – Bollywood. When it comes to endorsements, sports and film celebrities rule the roost. Rarely are models seen as the face of a brand, with the exception of a few cosmetic companies. The names that made it to the recent Forbes list of highest paid models in the world had a sizable proportion of their incomes from brand endorsements, a fact that is lacking in the Indian industry. “While there is good money in TV commercials, they want more 'known' faces and a lot of them believe that ramp models do not fit in from a commercial angle,” says Mehra.

Not just that, Bollywood has also ascended onto the ramp, a domain that was previously reserved just for models. “We know our garments. It's not an easy job because if you don't have the 'it' factor, the outfit won't translate on the ramp,” believes Raghuraman, pointing to how certain designers respect models and believe only they can bring a certain level of grace and charm to their clothes.

Aside from fashion shows, models are often seen gracing the covers of glitzy fashion magazines. While a lot of them get editorial shoots, the bitter reality is that more often than not, they don't get paid for the same. “I have no idea how/why this happens and who decided the norms but it's very unfortunate. Apparently, being featured in a prominent magazine is a big deal and they don't seem to think money matters,” says Rai bitterly, pointing to how 'stars' instead laugh their way to the bank for a similar cover or shoot.

Changing Face

Raghuraman says that when she started out 13 years ago with other models like Tupur and Tapur Chatterjee and Diandra Soares, the industry was different. “Today, money has shrunk and discounts have gone up. If you're among the higher paid models, the work you do will automatically reduce,” she says, adding that she doesn't rely just on modelling and explores other avenues like TV, live shows and dedicates time to her new online venture, Little Red Tote.

Raut quips that the increase in the number of fashion weeks and individual shows is a good indicator of business and talent, both. Ankit Mehta, CEO of Inega Model Management, dismisses all negative conjecture and is seemingly upbeat when he says that the industry is on an incline. “Making comparisons on a global level is unfair because the Indian fashion business is still fairly nascent and our structured retail market is hardly 20-30 years old,” he says adding that most models rely on the ramp to shape their career and in terms of endorsements, there really aren't too many Indian high fashion brands.

“With more competition, talent and increased awareness by brands and designers, the industry is getting better with time and we're in for an exciting decade,” smiles Mehta.

Here's hoping his words ring true for India's promising modelling brigade.

India payscales (Approximate figures)

Beginners – Rs5k-Rs10k*

Mid-level – Rs25-Rs30k*

Senior models – Rs45k-50k*

*All figures are per show or per day (in case of certain fashion weeks, excluding discounts)

Forbes list of highest paid models in 2013

1. Gisele Bündchen ($42 million)
2. Miranda Kerr ($7.2 million)
3. Adriana Lima ($6 million)
4. Kate Moss ($5.7 million)