Before reading this list of top cities to model in, it’s important to emphasize that the ‘top cities’ depends on what type of modeling is being discussed. For example, the biggest and most prominent city for commercial modeling is tends to be New York and Los Angeles. While runway and high fashion modeling is biggest in Milan, London and Paris.
The size of the city doesn’t determine how good their modeling is.
That being said, here are the top cities to model in based on popularity and market size. This list is in no particular order.
*These are the biggest cities to model in. Not necessarily the easiest.*
Photo by: Tariq Johnson
New York
New York is home to the biggest fashion week in the world. The biggest designers in the industry attend this event and have their designs displayed by the top supermodels today.
The main element that sets New York apart from the ‘Big Four’ is its diversity. The ‘Big Four’ are the four biggest modeling cities in the high fashion industry. These cities include:
- New York
- London
- Milan
- Paris
New York is known for being one of the most diverse cities in the modeling industry. You can find models of various heights, backgrounds, ethnicities, sizes and genders.
Since New York is so diverse, it’s filled with endless opportunities to become a model. There is a market for pretty much anyone. That being said, this city is also one of the most competitive markets in the modeling industry.
Los Angeles
When people think of modeling, Los Angeles is one of the first cities that comes to mind, and it’s not even part of the ‘Big Four’!
Los Angeles is known for its celebrities, parties and supermodels. Everyone comes to LA because this is the place where your dreams can become a reality.
Similar to New York, Los Angeles has countless opportunities to be a model. It’s home to countless modeling agencies and is also extremely diverse.
LA also has a huge advantage over other cities and this is because it has Hollywood. This is where people dream of growing up, because this is the ideal lifestyle in everyones eyes. Acting is a huge part in LA and oftentimes, it goes hand-in-hand with modeling.
Los Angeles is not as much of a high fashion city as the Big Four. LA tends to be more lifestyle/commercial modeling.
Sydney
This is an unlikely city to be in the top cities for modeling, but it’s true! Sydney has several modeling agencies and their models are known for having the beach, Californian look.
Sydney is growing fast in the modeling world and is definitely a city to keep an eye out for.
Paris
Paris is also known for its fashion weeks and has some of the biggest brands in the world; Chanel, Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton, Nina Ricci, Valentino, and many more. (Fashion Innovation)
Although this is one of the biggest cities to model in, it’s very difficult to become a successful model. Height is a huge requirement in Paris, London and Milan. They want their models 5’10 and thin.
Tokyo
Tokyo has a huge modeling industry that a lot of people tend to underestimate/not think about. Several top models that walk for the biggest fashion weeks are form Asia.
Additionally, the biggest international modeling agencies tend to place their agencies in Tokyo, because the market is so amazing. Unlike Paris, Milan and London, Tokyo has a big market for women on the short side. A lot of agencies will send their smaller models to Tokyo, because height doesn’t matter so much in that market.
Tokyo is known for its street style, but is growing enough that some people are considering it to be the fifth element of the Big Four.
Milan
According to Fashion Innovation, “Milan Fashion Week is known for its sex appeal and extravaganza.”
Milan is similar to London and Paris in the sense that it’s extremely difficult to become a model, because of the height requirement.
However, these cities have various agencies.
London
According to Fashion Innovation, London, “is the youngest and the shortest of the Big Four. It lasts for 5 days and always happens right after NYFW. “
The thing that separates London fashion week from others “is that it has always put a focus on talented young designers with diplomas from prestigious schools and benefitting from significant support from institutions.” – Fashion Network.
Wrap-Up
This cities are spread throughout 4 out of the 5 continents. The modeling industry is getting increasingly more competitive, especially because of the technology. Models are starting extremely young and modeling agencies have way more models to choose from than they did a few years ago.
This is a very hard agency to get into and become successful in. That being said, it’s important to keep practicing, whether that’s taking pictures or working on your runway walk, it’s important to prepare. Further, getting signed to a modeling agency in one of these cities will be a huge help, but it’s not required.
There have been several successful models who are from Africa and South America. Some countries in these continents are also growing their modeling industry rapidly.
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