“LA Fashion Week (LAFW) 2024” was held from March 24th (local time) at The New Mart in Los Angeles, USA, where five Japanese models were hired.
The recruitment selection was handled by Japan’s leading model agency elite Japan and ChatNoir Co., Ltd., and it was a collaboration project with Kentaro Kameyama, a Japanese designer active in LA.
First up in our introduction is Sara Yagami, who won the “Discover World Runway” held in 2023. She won out of many models, and as a result got herself a ticket to the world runway, and made her grand debut as a model.
She completed her first model runway with great style, wearing white underwear and obi tied around her waist, an attractive design with a Japanese feel.
And Seiji Yamauchi, 55 years old and 175 cm tall, who became a hot topic on YahooNews. His model debut being an international one means he’s certainly the type of person who will show results anywhere he goes.
Seiji Yamauchi
※Seiji Yamauchi (freelance)
Next up is Sofia, a mixed race model. She showed us some wonderful walking indeed.
Summing up, this five Japanese models made their mark on the world stage at this spring’s LAFW.
In addition, Miya Kuroda, the representative of elite Japan, wants to create a place where more and more Japanese people can spread their wings around the world. She wants to show and amaze the world with the goodness of Japanese models, saying she will be making more and more models make their world debut.
Both ChatNoir and elite Japan is currently recruiting models and companions. If you are interested in becoming a model, please contact us!
2024-2025 Autumn/Winter Women’s Paris Collection is held in Paris from February 26th to March 5th. Japanese model KIKO, who has become a regular model at Paris Fashion Week is drawing attention, with offers constantly coming in.
◆KIKO (Elite Japan) The currently 26 years old, 181cm tall model KIKO, moved to Paris at the age of 19, and is a fashion model active for 7 years both in Paris and Japan. She is already flooded with offers from 8 brands at Paris Fashion Week, which is being held from February 26th to March 5th, 2024.
Japanese models who were active at Paris Fashion Week include Ai Tominaga, An, TAO, and Kiko Mizuhara. While they’re popular in Europe, they aren’t very active in Japan, and therefore aren’t very well known in their country.
“KIKO” (26) is currently attracting the most attention in Paris. In fact, her appearance has been decided for 8 brands’ shows at the Paris Collection. And she still keeps receiving offers from designers.
※designer： nae atelier
※designer： LUR BE YOURSELF
Other designers she works with during Paris FW: Francini K Chandra Keyser Jolia July Saint Barth Amir Sali Jorge Paz
At the end of last year, KIKO signed an exclusive contract with Japanese agency Elite Japan, and is now preparing to set up her own base in her home country. We certainly look forward to working with her in the future!
KIKO was born in Tokyo in 1997, and was scouted and debuted as a model when she was a 12-year-old middle school student. She then studied abroad in Canada, where she worked as an international model. Later she suffered from severe anorexia and moved to Paris alone at the age of 19, where she began working as an ethical model. She has appeared in fashion shows around the world, including Paris, London, Berlin, and New York.
The winner of the 1st “World Fashion Show in Japan Audition” was transgender model Sara Yagami, and she’s about to make her world debut alongside the world’s top models!
Fashion weeks are fashion festivals held around the world, including Paris, Milan, London, New York, and LA. It isn’t an exaggeration to say that the stages of these shows are a dream for the world’s top models.
The first contest to support models towards this dream was held in Japan last month, and the winner was Sara Yagami. With this, she has successfully earned her debut as an international fashion model!
The contest was sponsored by elite Japan model agency, and was held with the cooperation of Kentaro Kameyama, a successful designer in LA, known as the winner of the 16th season of the popular American reality show “Project Runway.”
Only a handful of fashion models from all over the world are able to appear at LA Fashion Week, which is one of the world’s top five fashion weeks along with Paris, Milan, and London.
The winner, Sara, will make her debut as a model at LAFW in March 2024.
With a slender figure and a height of 175cm, the sight of her standing on the same stage as the world’s top models is drawing attention.
Although she was born as a male, she struggled with gender discomfort from an early age and came out when she entered high school.
After moving to Tokyo at the age of 18, she began cosmetic surgery and hormone treatment, and in her early 20s underwent gender reassignment surgery and finally became registered as a woman.
At the age of 28, she opened and became the owner of her bar GENIE in Roppongi, started her own incorporated association, and continues to engage in a wide range of activities. She currently appears regularly on the popular YouTube program “Reiwa no Tora”.
Los Angeles Fashion Week, one of the world’s most spectacular fashion shows held every year, was held at THE MAJESTIC DOWNTOWN from October 19th to 22nd, 2023.
Each brand’s fashion show attracts media attention every year, with many Hollywood stars and VOGUE editors attending.
Elite management Japan is one of the agencies that sends many Japanese models to fashion shows around the world.
Elite Model is the world’s most famous model agency with its headquarters in Paris, and produces the most top models in the world.
From Elite Management Japan, four female models went to LA from Japan and made their spectacular runway debuts at LAFW.
Let’s introduce these models!
Nao Matsumura
She is an exclusive model of Elite JAPAN, and is also a model with a strong presence who has attracted attention in many media as a round girl for the boxing event “3150fight” hosted by Koki Kameda.
She has also worked as an advertising model for cosmetics brands, and with her 171cm tall slim figure and small face her popularity is likely to increase overseas as well.
Yuna Hirai
18 years old gen Z model who has attracted a lot of attention this time as well.
While attending high school in Okayama Prefecture, she worked as a model in Tokyo, and once again caught the eye of Elite Japan representative Miya Kuroda.
She has also been featured in an advertisement for a Japanese company’s hair care products in LA, and has appeared as a model on a New York Times billboard.
*October 26, 2023
She has expanded her range of activities overseas and is a major newcomer who is attracting attention.
Rima Hiragi
She has a well-balanced figure and recived very good feedbacks overseas too.
Although she is a newcomer, she has been making her presence felt in LA following NYFW, and is definitely a model to keep an eye on in the future.
Marcia
The fourth person is Marcia from Peru. Although she has a unique character with her hair shaved and tattoos on her arms, her warm Japanese-like manners and performance that makes people smile is the secret to her popularity.
Although she made a late debut as a model, she proved at LAFW that “people can become who they want to be at any part of their lives from any part of the world.”
She showed us that it’s never too late and that with hard work and action, dreams can come true.
NYFW in 2024 is scheduled to be held in February, and LAFW in March.
Also, for next year, elite JAPAN and ChatNoir model agency are launching a project for models who want to take on the challenge overseas.
Just as fashion trends come and go, a company’s growth also changes with the times. As part of a rapdily growing comapny, I imagine that companies that can predict the future and assess the next generation of AI and state of world, will continue to grow.
We selected the top model agencies that are likely to rapidly grow in 2024.
The following is our selection of “Popular Model Agencies 2024 “ Estimated based on the company’s growth and performance in 2023.
No.1 in the rapid growth prediction ranking of popular model agencies for 2024!
Elite is the world’s No.1 modeling agency with its headquarters in Paris and around 30 branch offices on 5 continents.
This agency attracts worldwide attention, producing world-famous top models, with the majority of models appearing at Paris Fashion Week, and top models appearing on the cover of VOGUE. The Japanese branch took on a new look and was launched in 2023, training many new models and sending them around the world.
Models who want to work overseas and top models on fashion shows belong to this agency.
A long-established and stable agent with a large number of employees. If you are not only a model but also a talent or actress, this is the place for you.
Although it’s an agency with a strong focus on entertainers, including Tsubasa Wakamasu, Maryjun Takahashi, Yu Takahashi, and Kayo Sato, there are many people who are active as models.
Similarly, there are many foreign and half-Japanese models.
There many other model agencies in Japan from small to major companies, such as Wildflower, Watanabe Entertainment, Pearl, SOS, and NAME Management.
In addition,
the initial registration fee which includes having a professional photographer take your photo, creating a composite, and creating a book that is essential for auditions can range from 30,000 yen~100,000 yen,but if the registration fee is more than 100,000 yen, you may want to compare it with other agencies and reconsider.
However, it takes a lot of effort and self-investment to make a living as a professional model. Models walking in fashion shows are responsible for their own walking lessons and transportation to auditions.
Still, it is a dream job.
It seems like a dream come true to have a job that everyone dreams of, and I’d be happy if this website could be helpful to such dreamer young people!
Mixed-race (or “half”) Japanese models are often chosen because their image isn’t as strong and powerful as foreigners’ but not as soft/natural as Japanese models’. And generally, Japanese people tend to prefer half-Japanese faces.
While using foreigner models can give a very cool and high-end image, sometimes they lack friendliness.
In such cases, mixed race models are the most likely to be used.
Also, recently Korean stars became popular not only in Japan but globally as well, so there is a growing demand for Korean-like features in the industry.
Let us introduce you some mixed-race male models who are likely to be a big hit in 2024!
Management: elite Japan Age: 18 Quarter Argentine x Japanese 180cm
Models have a wide variety of jobs, including corporate advertisements, commercials, fashion shows, catalog, editorial, and many more.
There is no doubt that the demand for half-Japanese models will increase in Japan, where companies are incorporating international culture and inbound tourism is expected to accelerate.
What should I do when looking for an event agency?
If you are wondering this, please read this article to the end!
Here are the most important things to consider when choosing an event agency!
In the first place, check the agency’s profile! And check if some of the following points may be right or may have occured already:
■Suspicious activities
■Troubles with paying employees’ remuneration
■Difference between the real job and the one you were told about
Then look for some more details:
■Check the firm’s corporate history! Some suspicious firms have already been in trouble, or have closed their doors after a court decision in the past…
■Choose a firm that has been doing this business for at least 10 years and that does not have any incident or bad reputation on the Internet!
■The firm should have a website and have the kind of work you want to do! This is also very important.
And finally, if you think: “I got interviewed and was accepted! But the job is not matching at all with what I thought.” “I got the job but the management is kind of awkward and there is no following-up.”
Then, it’s probably not a good place to work at…
But finally, after making a minutious selection, you will be able to see on the list some good places to give it a shot.
So let’s introduce you to our recommended event agencies in Osaka.
Founded in 1997 in Osaka, Chat Noir Inc. is an internationally active firm with its headquarters in Tokyo and branch offices in Osaka and Los Angeles. The company has been in business for 26 years and is one of the top-ranked firms in the industry with over 1,500 employees. The company also has English and Chinese language staff, and interpreters. It is also recommended for those who aim to become narrators or announcers.
We interview newcomers very carefully. First, at the interview, we explain “this is what a promotional model does”.
We also explain the job contents, hours of work, remuneration, pay system, and other important details.
Chat Noir has been established in Osaka since 1997, and has been a leader in the industry since its establishment.
With more than 1,500 talents, it is one of the top-ranked firms in the industry. The company has strong language skills, including English, French, Chinese, and Korean talents.
In addition, the agency also focuses on modeling, so it is possible to work in a wide range of fields.
Besides, Chat Noir has a very good reputation, and the managers are very polite and kind, working hard to help all talents as much as they can.]
Lastly, the enrollment systeme is very flexible and there are no big restrictions, meaning that you can register with other offices as well!
So why don’t you use your free time and try to work with us?
We also offer narrator training, walking school, and makeup lessons for those who want to become narrators, talents or models!
And please remember that it may be dangerous to be scouted by suspicious agencies like in Umeda and Shinsaibashi. So please check their website first.
If you are scared of taking a wrong decision, you can still contact us and try then to give it a try.
The agency is getting pretty active in overseas expansion as you can see on Instagram.
Back in the days, the agency was founded in 1997 and was first established focusing on promotional models, event hostesses and narrators for event-related business.
RECOMMENDATION #２
SOS Model Agency Founded in 1972, this is a stable modeling agency that has been in business for over 50 years.
RECOMMENDATION #３
Stadium Promotions Located in Esaka and established in 1983, this is a solid modeling firm with over 40 years of experience.
That’s all of for this time! Do you think you just found the right place for you?
One of the criteria for choosing an agency is that it is not a recently established company, but one that has a proven track record of success. A track record means the number of jobs they have done. It is important to know how many jobs the company has done, rather than a company that makes a profit by taking lesson fees from models.
One tip: Check the linked websites to see the number of jobs they have done. It is a good idea in order to see if there are jobs that you would like to do yourself if joining one of them…
Let’s introduce you some of the best agencies for hostesses and promotional models in this article.
But what is a promotional model or an event hostess in the first place?
Let us explain it that first!
In fact, there are various kinds of work that a promotional model can do. But there are two main types: _ Hostess / promotional model for an event _ Hostess / promotional model for a party
In the first case, the person hired contributes to represent a brand on a booth, and help making the promotion in different ways.
In the second case, she supports services at a party or banquet hall, by serving beverages and food for example.
Usually, the parties are 2 to 2.5 hours long, with a 3 to 3.5 hour commitment, including meeting & standby, meeting an hour before the show, getting together to do hair, changing into costume, and meeting & standby, although the guaranty varies from region to region. In Tokyo, the market rate is around 9,000 yen to 11,000 yen.
For the event side, depending on the exhibition or event, most of them have a full day commitment, such as 9:00 am to 5:00 pm or 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, but unlike a regular part-time job, you will most likely have a two-hour break. Duties will often include responses such as “reception”, “calling in customers”, “sampling”, “tasting”, and “taking surveys”. For those jobs, clients look for beautiful looking people between the ages of 18 and 30 who have completed training as service professionals. The remuneration is about 12,000 yen to 15,000 yen per day for 8 hours of work.
Now, we would like to introduce you to one of the most popular & reliable firms in this kind of companion industry.
Founded in 1997 in Osaka, Chat Noir Inc. is an internationally active firm with its headquarters in Tokyo and branch offices in Osaka and Los Angeles. The company has been in business for 26 years and is one of the top-ranked firms in the industry with over 1,500 employees. The company also has English and Chinese language staff, and interpreters. It is also recommended for those who aim to become narrators or announcers.
Recommendation #２
S.R Company This company focuses mainly on party promotional models, but can provide a wide range of services in Tokyo and has a full staff of personnel. They are often hired for New Year’s parties, year-end parties, corporate parties, etc.
Offices are located in Tokyo and Nagoya. Costumes can be provided, and personnel may be available for unique cosplay.
Understand better the job itself and the differences between both sub-categories?
Indeed, even if they are the same kind of agencies, all three agencies mentioned above have different specialties, characteristics, and way of working.
If you are interested in this business, I think you can find better work if you look for a firm that specializes in such an area.
In the industry, in general the work process is the same: A job request from a client arrives to the office → profile gathering & screening → selection & decision by the client.
Every office always creates a profile with your photo on it and the client will select the candidates based on this profile.
Therefore, even if you apply, you have to wait for the result of either acceptance or rejection. In short, it is a world where you are chosen by the client to get the job.
It is hard work, but it is also rewarding, and the pay is supposed to be better than other part-time jobs. Besides, many part-timers are students or single mothers because the jobs tend to be flexible.
Many event agencies are small companies, often started by experienced staff who have started their own companies.
And it would be easier to work with a company that has a manager who will manage the work properly and teach you the contents of the job and the hours of work in a gentle and polite way.
“I like to be in front of people!” “I am good at serving customers with a smile!” “I’m good at approaching people!” “I want to be involved in a variety of jobs, not just the same one every day!”
If you are such a person, we recommend you to give it a try as an event or party staff, hostess or promotional model then.
There are many modeling agencies in Japan, large and small.
I want to be a model, but I don’t know how to become one. I don’t know which agency to join… If you are not sure, we will introduce you to the most recommended agencies!
It depends on what kind of work you are looking for, but here is a good place to start!
RECOMMENDATION #１
If you are good at English or Chinese and your height is over 185cm for men and 175cm for women, you may have a potential to try modeling abroad! And with the recent depreciation of the yen, Japan has the lowest average annual income compared to other developed countries.
However, how do you approach the modeling business in other countries?
In fact, there are few agencies specialized in such a business. Yet, there is a model agency in Japan that has a global presence and that can support you!
The agency is getting pretty active in overseas expansion as you can see on Instagram.
Back in the days, the agency was founded in 1997 and was first established focusing on promotional models, event hostesses and narrators for event-related business.
RECOMMENDATION #２
BON IMAGE Founded in 1980, this is a very well-known agency in the industry. With many foreign models and a wide range of advertisements and shows, it can be said that they are a reliable agent.
RECOMMENDATION #３
OSCAR PROMOTION Oscar is an agency that has produced numerous celebrities ranging from models to celebrities to actresses. It is a good agency for teenagers, as I have the impression that they provide good education such as walking lessons and acting lessons.
RECOMMENDATION #４
SATORU JAPAN The name of the company is taken directly from the name of the representative. Like Chat Noir and Bon Image, this agency has also been taking its models abroad and has been using a wide variety of foreign talent.
The company has a large number of Caucasian, Asian, half-Caucasian, and Japanese models on their roster. They also have a 20-year track record here, and it is assumed that the number of jobs is stable.
This company has a lot of talents and actresses. If you are interested in becoming a famous celebrity in the future, this is THE place for you.
RECOMMENDATION #７
PEARL A few years ago, thanks to the fashion magazine Camcam models Moe Oshikiri and Yuri Ebihara became very popular. This is the model agency that they both belong to.
RECOMMENDATION #８
NAME Management This company has branches in Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya. There are no famous models here, though there seem to be actresses as well as models. If you live in Nagoya or Osaka and want to challenge yourself in Tokyo, this might be another good place for you since they have a branch office there.
RECOMMENDATION #９
Star Ray Productions, Inc. Although it is more of a talent, if you want to become a talent or actress from modeling, you may want to try this agency.
RECOMMENDATION #１０
SOS Model Agency This agency has branches in Tokyo, Osaka, and Fukuoka, and has a 50-year history. They do not seem to have many famous models on their roster, but they do have a large number of members.
That’s all of for this time! Do you think you just found the right place for you?
One of the criteria for choosing an agency is that it is not a recently established company, but one that has a proven track record of success. A track record means the number of jobs they have done. It is important to know how many jobs the company has done, rather than a company that makes a profit by taking lesson fees from models.
One tip: Check the linked websites to see the number of jobs they have done. It is a good idea in order to see if there are jobs that you would like to do yourself if joining one of them…
