Singapore Strut

Four local models reveal the pains and pleasures of Fashion Week in London, Milan and Paris, which kicks off every September

- Carmen Sin

Every September, thousands of models descend on the world's fashion capitals - New York, London, Milan and Paris.

The waifish girls and boys, waists no larger than the standard women's 24 inches (61cm) and men's 29 inches (73.7cm), are anxious to walk the runways of the cities' back-to-back Fashion Weeks. They pay their own way, banking on booking fashion shows there.

It is a blood sport.

Fashion brands average 40 to 70 looks a show and have their pick of a global supply. For Singaporean contenders, up against the pale, mono-lidded Chinese and Korean faces that are the blueprint for "Asian" beauty, the odds of getting cast are further depressed.

At local agency Basic Models, some 10 models out of 70 have walked in the "big four" cities. At Ave Management, it is three out of nearly 40 based here.

Welcome to the rag trade's annual marquee, also known as fashion month, where to bag a small show is a relief and to pull a high-fashion name is a moon landing.

Ahead of the Spring/Summer 2026 season starting in New York on Sept 11, The Straits Times speaks to four local models who pull back the curtain on Fashion Week.

A PHILOSOPHY OF RADICAL DOUBT

Castings begin two weeks before the shows. Models, tenuously shortlisted as "options", travel to brand headquarters in New York, London, Milan or Paris to be appraised. They meet maybe 200 others in the line.

It is a two- to three-hour wait for about five seconds to make an impression, says Ms Chloe Lau, who worked full time in Paris for a year. This is the time it takes to hand a sheet printed with their recent portraits, measurements and shoe size - or in industry-speak, the "comp card", short for composite card - to assessors, who have them walk 5 to 10m.

If they say "thank you", you have probably been rejected, says Ms Lau. "Sometimes, they don't even look at you."