The handbook / know the industry
The Guide
Straight answers to the questions everyone has about fashion week and modelling — what it is, whether you can get in, and how new faces get signed. Factual, sourced, and free of the usual myths.
Basics
14 min read
What is Fashion Week? The complete guide
Fashion week is a trade event for buyers and press, not a public festival. The Big Four, how many weeks there are, and whether the public can attend.
9 min read
Can you buy fashion week tickets? An honest answer, city by city
The main fashion week shows are invitation-only and have no ticket price. What London, Paris, Milan, New York, Copenhagen and Seoul open to the public.
11 min read
How to read the Cast Index (and when to ignore a rank)
What an Index Rating is, what it is not, when Rising beats a number, and who should skip the Global 50 entirely.
Calendar
12 min read
The fashion week calendar, explained
What SS27 and AW26 mean, why shows run six months ahead, and how couture, menswear and resort fit around the Big Four, with the 2026–27 dates.
Careers
17 min read
How to become a model in the UK (honestly)
How to become a model with no experience: what scouts look for, how to submit digitals to a reputable agency, height realities and scams to avoid.
7 min read
Model height requirements: what agencies actually say
Is there a minimum height to be a model? We read the application pages of IMG, Elite, Storm, Next, Premier and five more London agencies. None states one.
16 min read
Modelling at fashion week: the complete guide
How casting really works, what you need, the legitimate routes in, money, under-18 rules, and the scams to avoid.
8 min read
Modelling under 18: what you need to know
Extra protections for young models, how to start safely, and why The Cast Index is 18+ for submissions.
12 min read
Managing money as a new model
How models are paid, what official data says models earn (there is no UK figure), how fast a UK agency must pass on your money, and the traps to avoid.
Beauty
11 min read
What is runway beauty? Hair, makeup and the season’s looks
How show hair and makeup are decided, who leads them, and how a look travels from runway to shelf — without pretending we tested every product.
14 min read
K-beauty vs J-beauty vs UK glow
K-beauty, J-beauty and British glow compared: Korean prep, Japanese complexion polish and UK glow finishes, the products behind each, who should skip it.
9 min read
Skincare routine order: what goes first, morning and night
The order for a morning and night skincare routine: where vitamin C, niacinamide, retinol and acids go, SPF last and under make-up, and what to pair.
City guides
12 min read
New York Fashion Week: the insider guide
Who runs NYFW, when it happens, why it opens the season, and who should skip the tents-and-celebrities version of the story.
13 min read
London Fashion Week: the insider guide
How London Fashion Week works: BFC dates, why London is the talent pipeline, and which public events and livestreams you can actually attend.
11 min read
Milan Fashion Week: the insider guide
CNMI, dates, why Milan is houses and craft, and when to skip it for London experimentation or Paris couture.
13 min read
Paris Fashion Week: the insider guide
When Paris Fashion Week runs, who organises it (FHCM), how couture differs from ready-to-wear, and why there are no public tickets to the main shows.
10 min read
Lagos Fashion Week: the insider guide
West Africa’s flagship week: Omoyemi Akerele, Style House Files, why it is a talent engine, and who should skip a Big-Four-only map.
9 min read
Jakarta Fashion Week: the insider guide
Southeast Asia’s largest week: 2008 origins, modest fashion, batik, and why it belongs on a global casting map.
10 min read
São Paulo Fashion Week: the insider guide
Latin America’s pre-eminent week: 1995 founding, 2009 diversity quotas, and how 2026’s October edition sits next to Rio.
13 min read
Seoul Fashion Week: the insider guide
Seoul Fashion Week SS27 ran 1–6 September 2026 at DDP and Lotte World Tower: who runs it, how the public can attend, and why it is not a Big Four city.
13 min read
Tokyo Fashion Week: the insider guide
Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo: Asia’s largest week, avant-garde and streetwear, and a disputed “Big Five” claim. Who runs it, and who should skip it.
Reference
A–Z
Fashion week glossary
The terms — Big Four, SS/AW, couture, casting, looks — defined in one place.
From the handbook
Quick answers
Can you buy tickets to fashion week?
- Not for the main shows. Organisers such as CNMI in Milan and the FHCM in Paris allocate seats by invitation, and stream many shows online. Some cities, including London and Seoul, run public events around the week. Fashion week tickets, city by city →
How do you become a model in the UK?
- Send simple, un-retouched digitals and your height through a reputable agency’s own application page or advertised walk-in. You do not need experience or professional photos, and UK law bars agencies from charging models upfront fees for finding work. How to become a model →
Is there a minimum height to be a model?
- No industry-wide minimum is published. None of the 10 London agency application pages we read on 1 October 2026, including IMG, Elite, Storm and Next, states one. Model height requirements →
How much do models earn?
- There is no official UK figure. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median wage for models at $23.30 an hour (May 2025), but that survey excludes the self-employed. Managing money as a model →