Whether models are permitted to keep the clothing they wear depends heavily on the context of the job, the value of the items, and the specific terms outlined in the contract. Industry practice dictates that the clothing remains the property of the designer or brand, though exceptions exist. Models are compensated for their time and image, not for the wardrobe itself.
The General Rule: Why Models Do Not Keep the Clothes
Models do not keep the apparel because the items are specialized business assets, often existing as unique samples. These garments are prototypes created for design presentations, press previews, and lookbook photography, not items intended for immediate retail. A single sample piece embodies the designer’s intellectual property and represents a substantial investment in materials and specialized labor.
These samples are used repeatedly for various commercial functions, requiring immediate return to maintain the brand’s workflow and production schedule. Stylists and production teams meticulously account for the garments and ensure every piece is returned to the fashion house or showroom immediately after the shoot. Allowing a model to retain a garment would disrupt future scheduled uses, potentially delaying marketing campaigns or production timelines.
Context Matters: How Job Type Changes Clothing Ownership
The rules for clothing ownership fluctuate significantly depending on the type of modeling assignment. In high-fashion environments, such as runway shows, the garments are unreleased prototypes or couture pieces, making the return policy rigid. Due to the high value and proprietary nature of these items, models are never expected to keep them, as they are often required for buyers’ appointments shortly after the show.
Editorial and magazine shoots involve clothing borrowed from designers or showrooms by the stylist. The stylist acts as the custodian of the wardrobe and must return all borrowed items to maintain professional credibility and access to future collections. Even if a model is featured in a magazine, the clothing is on loan and is packed up by the stylist’s assistant before the model leaves the set.
Commercial and catalog shoots feature clothing for direct retail and sometimes operate with looser policies, especially concerning lower-value items. While most clothing is returned for inventory purposes, a brand shooting a vast volume of inexpensive pieces might occasionally allow a model to keep an item. This is considered a small marketing expense, but it remains the exception rather than the standard practice.
Scenarios Where Models Receive Clothing
A model may legitimately acquire an item of clothing, though it is seldom the high-value pieces seen in editorials.
Gifting and Seeding
One common practice is gifting, sometimes referred to as “seeding,” where a brand explicitly gives items as a thank-you or for promotional purposes. These gifts are typically beauty products, accessories, or lower-priced items, rather than main garments like dresses or coats.
Payment in Trade
In some cases, especially when working with smaller brands or for lower-budget jobs, the model’s agency may negotiate payment in trade. This arrangement allows the model to keep a specific piece of clothing as part of their overall compensation package, often in place of a portion of the standard fee. This is negotiated upfront and formalized, transferring the item from inventory to the model.
Promotional and Damaged Items
Models may also receive promotional items that are not high-value samples, such as branded t-shirts, hats, or accessories used during a commercial shoot. These items are often mass-produced merchandise, and the cost of retrieving, cleaning, and tracking them is higher than the cost of letting the model keep them. Items that have been permanently altered, damaged, or cannot be resold, such as undergarments or swimwear, are also sometimes offered to the model or crew.
What Happens to the Garments After Production
The journey of the garments after the model has finished wearing them focuses on inventory control and future use. Immediately after production wraps, the clothes are meticulously checked, cleaned, and returned to the fashion house or showroom from which they were borrowed. High-fashion pieces are often routed into an archive, serving as historical references for future design teams.
Garments used extensively for photoshoots and fittings are eventually liquidated through different channels. Many fashion companies hold employee or industry-only sample sales, where models, stylists, and company personnel can purchase items at a significant discount. This allows the brand to recoup investment while ensuring the clothes are sold discreetly, separate from the main retail collection. If shipping back low-cost samples is uneconomical, or if an item has been heavily used, a brand may simply write off the product rather than incurring the expense of return logistics.
Other Compensation and Perks for Models
Professional models are compensated for their work primarily through a modeling fee, which is payment for their time and the usage rights of their image. The value derived from the job is the rate negotiated by their agency, not the acquisition of the clothing itself.
Beyond the modeling fee, models receive several non-cash benefits and perks. These often include paid travel and accommodation for destination shoots. Models frequently receive free beauty products, makeup, and skincare items used on set, which are gifted by the brand or the makeup artist. The exposure gained from the work also provides networking opportunities and career advancement.