When I'll Work for Free

I live in an amazing city. The ocean, nightlife, culture, they all inspire an attitude towards fashion that's as diverse and exciting as the people who live here. One of my favourite parts of the industry here is the incredible local designers I'm lucky enough to work with.

When I first started modelling, I'd jump at any opportunity for a photoshoot. While I met some amazing people, I also ended up with a lot of time wasted on shoots where the team was disorganized, unprofessional, or just plain uncommitted. As much as it can be frustrating, it can also leave you feeling like you're being taken advantage of as a model. Since then, my criteria for the shoots I'm willing to become involved in has changed a lot. It's lead me to do TFP very rarely, and mainly focus my time on paid jobs organized by professional artists. While there are some great TFP shoots out there, for the most part I'm now working much more with teams that are fully committed to creating stunning work.

That being said, there's one scenario where I'll waive my rates every time - working with inspired student designers. I'm happy to work for free when I know that the people I'm collaborating with are completely dedicated to their art, and these students go above and beyond. When someone spends fifteen hours a day designing, creating, and fitting a piece exactly to my body, I want to make sure the world sees that creation. If I can help move the career of someone who creates truly unique designs, then I'll work for free, work in the rain, and work on my days off. I want to see these people on the cover of Vogue, and I want to be able to help them get there.

Vancouver has an incredible design scene, and I'm blessed to be a part of that. I'm looking forward to some shoots with a few great local designs, so expect to see some truly new work on it's way soon!