How does The Cast Index rank models?

Each Index Rating is a weighted score out of 100: Runway Presence and Exclusives 40%, Campaign and Commercial Blue-Chips 30%, Editorial Authority 20%, and Cultural Impact and Aura 10%. The desk assigns pillar totals from reviewed evidence; weights are applied automatically. Every profile displays its confidence state and an “editorial pillars” provenance label.

Are the published point tables calculated automatically?

Not yet. The sub-metric tables are the public audit rubric the desk uses when setting pillar totals. Line-item automation is on the roadmap; until then scores are honest editorial assessments against that rubric, not a black-box traffic rank.

How does time decay work?

An achievement from the current index year keeps 100% of its value. It retains 50% in the following year and 10% from the second year onward. Historic achievements remain visible, but current work drives the ranking.

How recent must a model’s work be to qualify?

A ranked model must have meaningful, source-backed runway, campaign, editorial, or cultural work within the rolling five-year eligibility window, currently 2021–2026. Work from 2024–2026 receives priority. A historic career alone does not qualify a profile.

What happens when two models tie?

Ties are broken by (1) the higher Runway sub-score, then (2) more recent dated evidence, then (3) alphabetical order. Models that remain tied display the same rank number with a shared-rank marker.

Can a model, agency, or brand pay for rank?

No. Paid placements, directory listings, advertising, and People’s Choice voting are kept separate from the editorial Index Rating.

How are models discovered outside the major Western fashion markets?

The review pool is global and has no fixed country list. Strong domestic runway work, respected local covers, regional campaigns, cultural attention, and international crossover can trigger an audit. Geography never reduces a model’s score; regional house and title equivalents are scored against the same four pillars (see Appendix B).

When does a regional model enter Rising instead of the Global 50?

Repeated attention at a national fashion week or in respected local fashion media can qualify a model for the unnumbered Rising board. A Global 50 rank additionally requires verified major-brand work, a high-authority international editorial, or sustained cross-market runway evidence within 2021–2026.

What is the difference between Index, Movers and Watch?

Index is the numbered Global 50. Movers lists only real Index Rating deltas between Monday snapshots — never invented buzz. Watch is unnumbered: the Rising board plus established names just outside the Global 50 cutoff. Watch is never mixed into Global 50 rank order.

Is the score an objective fact?

No. Bookings can be counted, but prestige weighting requires editorial judgement. The formula, cited evidence, update date, and confidence label are published so readers can challenge the assessment.

Transparent by design

Formula v1.3
Effective 13 August 2026

How influence
becomes an index.

The Index Rating turns verifiable work into a comparable 0–100 score. It measures current fashion influence—not beauty, character, or human worth.

Quantitative evidence establishes what happened. Editorial weighting reflects how much that work matters within the industry. Every published score shows both. For a reader-first walkthrough, see How to read the Cast Index.

01 / The formula

Four signals.
One current score.

40%

Runway presence

Verified show volume, weighted by house prestige and market. Opening and closing positions add value; a documented city or worldwide exclusive receives the strongest single booking bonus.

Show volume
Open / close multiplier
Exclusive bonus
Cross-city consistency

30%

Blue-chip campaigns

Global luxury campaigns carry the highest weight. Major beauty and commercial contracts follow; regional or social-only placements contribute less.

Luxury house tier
Global usage
Beauty contracts
Ambassadorship term

20%

Editorial authority

Solo covers for the major Vogue editions lead the category, followed by high-authority fashion titles, independent culture magazines, and inside editorials.

Major covers
Independent covers
Photographer authority
Inside editorial depth

10%

Cultural aura

Engagement quality, measurable fashion-week conversation, media impact, and official ambassador roles capture influence beyond traditional bookings.

Engagement quality
Media impact
Cultural moments
Global ambassador roles

The formula, exactly

Index Rating = 0.40 × Runway + 0.30 × Campaigns + 0.20 × Editorial + 0.10 × Cultural. Each pillar is scored 0–100, then weighted. Ratings are rounded to one decimal. Ties are broken by (1) higher Runway sub-score, then (2) more recent dated evidence, then (3) alphabetical order — tied models display the same rank number with a shared-rank marker.

How scores are produced today · v1.3

Pillar totals are editorial assessments against the published point tables below. The site then applies the weights automatically. Profiles are labelled Editorial pillars so readers can see provenance. Automating every line item remains the integrity roadmap — until then we publish the rubric, the evidence, and the confidence state rather than pretending the board is a closed-form ledger.

Index — scored Global 50 only.
Movers — real Index Rating deltas between Monday snapshots. No snapshot pair → no movers list (empty is honest).
Watch — Rising board plus names just outside the Global 50; unnumbered; never mixed into Global 50 order.

Worked example

Anok Yai, July 2026: Runway 98 × 0.40 = 39.2; Campaigns 97 × 0.30 = 29.1; Editorial 98 × 0.20 = 19.6; Cultural 100 × 0.10 = 10.0 → 97.9. Sub-scores, dated evidence items and source links are printed on the profile.

02 / Scoring detail

Every point, published.

The point values behind each pillar — the public audit rubric. Caps keep one dominant booking from deciding a pillar on its own. Desk pillar totals are set against this table; they are not yet summed from an automated booking ledger.

Runway · 40% of rating
Sub-metric	Points
Verified show, standard house (tier C)	2 per show, max 30
Verified show, blue-chip house (tier B)	4 per show, max 40
Verified show, top-tier house (tier A)	6 per show, max 48
Opening or closing look	+4 each, max 16
Documented exclusive (city / worldwide)	+8 / +12, max 12
Cross-city consistency (3+ cities in a season)	+8

Campaigns · 30% of rating
Sub-metric	Points
Global luxury campaign	25
Major beauty contract	20
Commercial global	12
Regional campaign	6
Social-only	2
Global usage multiplies the line item	×1.5
Ongoing ambassadorship	+5 per year, capped at 15

Editorial · 20% of rating
Sub-metric	Points
Big-Four Vogue solo cover	25
Other major-market cover	15
Independent/legacy indie cover	8
Inside editorial	2–6 by title tier
Photographer authority multiplier	×1.0–1.2

Cultural · 10% of rating
Sub-metric	Points
Engagement-rate band vs platform median	0–30
Verified fashion-week conversation volume	0–25
Non-fashion media impact	0–25
Official ambassador/advocacy roles	0–20
No measurable proxy, no points	—

03 / Eligibility window

Current work or no rank.

The Global Index is a live measure, not a hall of fame. Every ranked model needs meaningful evidence dated within the last five years.

Priority window: 2024–2026 work drives selection and score movement.
Maximum window: 2021–2026 work can establish continuing relevance.
Before 2021: Historic work can add context but cannot qualify a model by itself.

04 / Global discovery

Attention can start anywhere.

The candidate pool is not limited to a country checklist or the Big Four circuit. Local authority can be the first signal of global potential.

Repeated domestic runway attention can trigger a Rising review
High-authority national and regional covers establish local relevance
Major-brand work or a recognised international editorial is required for the Global 50
Sustained cross-market runway work can independently establish Global 50 eligibility

Geography is a discovery signal, never a score bonus or penalty. Once admitted to review, every model is measured with the same four pillars and published confidence standard.

05 / Time decay

Fashion has a short memory.

Current-year achievements keep their full value. One year later they retain half. From year two onward they contribute ten percent.

100%2026 / Current

50%2025 / Prior

10%2024 & earlier

Example: a 100-point major cover contributes 100 weighted units in 2026, 50 in 2027, and 10 from 2028. Source records remain visible even after their ranking value decays.

06 / Evidence standard

A number is only as strong as its sources.

High confidence

Current work, fully reviewed

Every pillar supported by ≥ 2 first-party or recognised industry sources inside the current window; zero open disputes.

Medium confidence

Strong, partial record

Central claims sourced; one pillar relies on a single source or pre-window evidence.

Baseline

Audit still in progress

Identity verified; audit incomplete; the score is labelled provisional and excluded from headline rank comparisons.

07 / Cadence & corrections

Recalculated. Corrected. Versioned.

Recalculation: The index recalculates every Monday at 06:00 UTC.
Corrections: Corrections sent to desk@thecastindex.com are applied at the next recalculation.
Versions: Formula changes ship as numbered versions with a public record on the methodology changelog. Scores are never retroactively rewritten without a changelog entry.

Appendix A

House tiers.

Runway points are weighted by the showing house’s tier. Tiers are reviewed each season by the editorial desk; tier changes are logged in the changelog.

Tier	Band	Houses
A	Top-tier	Chanel, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Gucci, Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Hermès, Valentino, Versace, Fendi, Givenchy, Schiaparelli (couture), Armani Privé
B	Blue-chip	Burberry, Bottega Veneta, Loewe, Miu Miu, Celine, Ferragamo, Jacquemus, The Row, Victoria Beckham, Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen, Maison Margiela, Ralph Lauren, Proenza Schouler, Simone Rocha, Erdem
C	Standard	All other verified show participants on official calendars

Appendix B

Regional equivalence.

Geography never adds or subtracts points. These mappings keep non–Big Four work comparable when the desk sets pillar totals — local authority first, Global 50 threshold unchanged.

East Asia

Runway: Seoul / Tokyo / Shanghai major calendars; Blue-chip domestic houses treated as tier B when show volume and press match
Editorial: Vogue Korea / Japan / China; W Korea; high-authority local titles map to “other major-market cover”
Campaigns: Regional luxury and beauty contracts score as regional until global usage is verified

South & Southeast Asia

Runway: India Couture Week, Jakarta Fashion Week, and peer calendars; repeated opens/closes at national weeks trigger Rising review
Editorial: Vogue India / Singapore and peer authorities; national covers establish local relevance without a geography penalty
Campaigns: Domestic luxury and beauty work counts; Global 50 still needs major-brand or cross-market proof

Africa & Middle East

Runway: Lagos, Johannesburg, Cairo and peer weeks; documented exclusives weighted like any other market
Editorial: Vogue Arabia / Arabia editions and peer titles; cultural impact never substitutes for missing bookings
Campaigns: Regional campaigns and ambassadorships score on the published campaign table

Latin America

Runway: São Paulo, Mexico City and peer calendars; cross-city seasons score the consistency bonus when verified
Editorial: Vogue México / Brasil and peer authorities map to major-market cover bands
Campaigns: Regional luxury usage ×1.0 until global buy is sourced

Methodology FAQ

The rating, answered

How does The Cast Index rank models?: Each Index Rating is a weighted score out of 100: Runway Presence and Exclusives 40%, Campaign and Commercial Blue-Chips 30%, Editorial Authority 20%, and Cultural Impact and Aura 10%. The desk assigns pillar totals from reviewed evidence; weights are applied automatically. Every profile displays its confidence state and an “editorial pillars” provenance label.
Are the published point tables calculated automatically?: Not yet. The sub-metric tables are the public audit rubric the desk uses when setting pillar totals. Line-item automation is on the roadmap; until then scores are honest editorial assessments against that rubric, not a black-box traffic rank.
How does time decay work?: An achievement from the current index year keeps 100% of its value. It retains 50% in the following year and 10% from the second year onward. Historic achievements remain visible, but current work drives the ranking.
How recent must a model’s work be to qualify?: A ranked model must have meaningful, source-backed runway, campaign, editorial, or cultural work within the rolling five-year eligibility window, currently 2021–2026. Work from 2024–2026 receives priority. A historic career alone does not qualify a profile.
What happens when two models tie?: Ties are broken by (1) the higher Runway sub-score, then (2) more recent dated evidence, then (3) alphabetical order. Models that remain tied display the same rank number with a shared-rank marker.
Can a model, agency, or brand pay for rank?: No. Paid placements, directory listings, advertising, and People’s Choice voting are kept separate from the editorial Index Rating.
How are models discovered outside the major Western fashion markets?: The review pool is global and has no fixed country list. Strong domestic runway work, respected local covers, regional campaigns, cultural attention, and international crossover can trigger an audit. Geography never reduces a model’s score; regional house and title equivalents are scored against the same four pillars (see Appendix B).
When does a regional model enter Rising instead of the Global 50?: Repeated attention at a national fashion week or in respected local fashion media can qualify a model for the unnumbered Rising board. A Global 50 rank additionally requires verified major-brand work, a high-authority international editorial, or sustained cross-market runway evidence within 2021–2026.
What is the difference between Index, Movers and Watch?: Index is the numbered Global 50. Movers lists only real Index Rating deltas between Monday snapshots — never invented buzz. Watch is unnumbered: the Rising board plus established names just outside the Global 50 cutoff. Watch is never mixed into Global 50 rank order.
Is the score an objective fact?: No. Bookings can be counted, but prestige weighting requires editorial judgement. The formula, cited evidence, update date, and confidence label are published so readers can challenge the assessment.

Four signals.One current score.