Monday, July 22, 2013

RIP-John Casablancas

   On Saturday 20th of July the founder of Elite Model Management, the man credited with launching the most important model careers in the fashion industry such as Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista died in Rio de Janeiro, (where he moved in 2000 with his wife Aline and kids) at the age of 70. John passed away on the day his great discovery-Giselle Bundchen was born, 20 th of July. He was a great person, mentor for those who had an opportunity to meet and work with him and "the father"of Star System, scouting organisation which John Casablancas created with his business partner Jeremie Roux in 2008 just after leaving Elite after 25 years and for who I have an honour to work and represent in Australia (www.starsystem.com). 


John Casablancas (1942-2013)


Jeremie Roux business partner in Star System 




John Casablancas born in Manhattan in 1942, founded the model agency in Paris in 1972, straight away challenging with than dominants-Ford and Wilhelmina."The American agencies(Ford, Willhelmina, Zoli, Stewart)controlled the business.The European agencies were just the "farms"where models were formed and than shipped to US, where they made all the money.(...)The look mostly dictated by Ford was Wasp, Scandinavian(Grace Kelly)(...)In Europe, the only place where models actually made meaningful amounts of money was Germany and(...)Italy.I knew I was an outsider, and as a strategy from day one I chose to put in opposition to the European free lifestyle charm and sensuality against the austere, puritanical, prim and proper approach of Eileen Ford.((...)I knew I need to be original and provocative because I had no prior connections within fahion industry, said John Casablancas in one of the latest interview for the models.com from 5th of April 13'.

 Linda Evangelista

 Stephanie Michelle Seymour 
 Claudia Schiffer
 Cindy Crawford
 Naomi Campbell
Ana Beatriz Barros
Giselle Bundchen 

"Models were just models"Casablancas told New York Magazine in 2005 of the period before he founded Elite.

"WHATEVER YOU DO DON'T LET ANYBODY TALK YOU INTO DOING SOMETHING ABOUT THE WAY YOU LOOK EVER"

- John Casablancas







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