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A Model Life

Photo illustration by Sophia Lemon/Gazette

It’s not unusual for Feras Amacheh to be walking to class and receive a phone call, prompting him to skip class for the day, and hop on the next Greyhound bus to Toronto. It’s just as likely for him to miss an entire week of classes at time in order to disappear to the city for his part-time job.

Amacheh is a second-year business student at Western. He’s also a professional fashion model.

“My goal was to go to Ivey, but I don’t know if that is what I want to do anymore,” Amacheh explained.

Amacheh was scouted by Norwayne Anderson model management, one of the leading model agencies in Toronto, while walking into the Eaton’s Centre this past summer.

“I thought it was very cool, but I had no idea what I was getting into.”

Now represented by PUSH models out of Toronto, Amacheh has done print, editorial, and campaign work. He most recently walked the runways for fashion bigwigs — including Roberto Cavalli and Dirk Bikkembergs — at LG Fashion Week this October.

But it’s not all flashing lights and runways for Amacheh. Pursuing a career in the modelling industry has left him in a precarious balance between his modelling work and his academic studies.

“It is extremely difficult, because you never know where you will be tomorrow,” he said. “I had to miss a whole week of classes during fashion week. So I always have my books with me to study on the Greyhound or the train.”

Susan Chlipala, a Western criminology student signed with London agency, The Agency Models, agreed it’s a struggle to strike a balance between school and work in the modelling industry.

“When you have modelling opportunities, it can interfere with your class schedule or schoolwork. You already need enough discipline to eat a healthy diet, drink lots of water, exercise regularly, and get enough sleep.  But, you need even more to organize your life to work out evenly.”

Chlipala grew up with a love for fashion and being on camera. She finally took her passion into her own hands at 19, when she approached her agency and was signed the same day. She said she tries to keep an even balance between her schoolwork and modelling.

But for Amacheh, modelling takes top priority for now.

“Just because I am still young and I can always go back to school [...] But, it is very stressful.”

Local agent, Anita Norris, returned to London after travelling the world as a model, and later, an agent for top modelling agency, Wilhelmina models, in New York City. Now she runs her own agency, where students make up the majority of her client base.

“Generally, any talent that we’re interested in is in school. My youngest new face is 12 years old, and she’s high fashion; she’s five foot nine, and she’s in elementary school,” Norris explained. “Most of my new faces are in high school, so they’re in grades nine and 10. So, we’re used to it, it’s the norm.”

Part of her role as an agent is helping models balance their life on the runway with their life in the classroom. Along with maintaining their measurements and appearance, models are encouraged to keep up with the school work, which Norris believed plays an important role for models.

“To a certain extent, I like them having something else going on in their lives, because this job is not a full-time job, ever. You need to have something else going on,” she explained.

“It’s very competitive, it’s marketing yourself. So, if you don’t have something secondary going on, it can be a little overwhelming. It’s too fickle an industry to base your livelihood on, and just to keep your sanity, it’s important to get that brain function going.”

Still, if an important opportunity comes up, the models are expected to set their studies aside.

“If a big job comes, we make it happen. So, hopefully their grades are high and they can leave school.”

While some of his friends have part-time jobs on or around campus, Amacheh didn’t feel they were equivalent to the demands of a career in modelling.

“No, no, not at all, it doesn’t even come close. If they’re working, say, at the mall or whatever, they can always go back home. They don’t have to worry about travelling or spending four hours—two hours going to Toronto, two hours coming back. That just kills the day. They don’t have to worry about missing class because of their job. Their hours are around their class schedule most of the time, but for me it’s like, if I get a casting call, I’d have to maybe miss a whole day of lectures,” he explained.

“My schedule is around my job, my job is not around my schedule.”

While none of Norris’ Western models have ever dropped out to pursue their career, it’s not uncommon to take a semester off, or a gap year, to travel abroad to pursue modelling opportunities, Norris noted.

“One of our models, she’s no longer in school, she’s 19, and she decided to take a year off. She’s travelling worldwide. She’s, right now, in Sydney, she’s off to Hamburg next week. She’s making six-figures, she’s nineteen. So, it’s a great way to start your life if you did want to take a year off and just have this flow, it works.”

This idea appeals to Lucas Crosby, a fourth-year kinesiology student who is signed by FORD models in Toronto, and represented by Norris in London.

“I would like to take a year off and do some travelling, hopefully through modelling and agency representation in Europe or Asia,” Crosby explained, noting the stress of juggling his budding career with his last year of studies is sometimes overwhelming.

“It is very difficult, especially when I am two and a half hours away from Toronto, which is where about 95 per cent of my work is.”

Crosby was discovered on campus two years ago when he walked in the CAISA fashion show, often a launching pad for student models. Since then, he has done campaigns for the Gap, as well as walked runway shows for Banana Republic, American Apparel, and Mundo Unico.

Like Crosby, Amacheh has considered taking some time off to travel and work, possibly leaving his second semester to model in Tokyo, Japan. In the meantime, it’s a daily struggle to maintain the balance between school and work, and he said he sometimes feels he’s missing out on the full university experience.

“It’s really hard. When I’m not in school, when I’m not in London, I’m working. If I’m not working, there are events sometimes at night that I have to go to, industry events or whatever. When I’m in London, I’m trying to catch up on my studies so it’s kind of hard, I can’t really go out and party with my friends. I do [feel like I’m missing out] on the whole Western experience thing.”

Despite the unstable schedule and high demand,  Amacheh admitted there are some perks to the job.

“The excitement of everything about the industry, the travelling, the people that one meets in the industry are very nice. I love how there is no routine,” he said.

“And, of course, the free clothes.”

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