The disability equality charity Scope estimate there to be approximately 13 million disabled people in the UK, this is a large percentage of the population who should be casted for mainstream advertising campaigns the same as any other talent.

Models Direct’s ethos is to offer all models the same opportunities whether disabled or able bodied within the talent and modelling industry. Whatever disability you have there is a need to be inclusive when it comes to disabled models and not just to advertise wheelchairs! We believe disabled talent/models should also be considered by casting directors and advertising agencies for able bodied characters and roles too, similarly with models, let’s not just used disabled models to model disabled products or services!!

Models Direct are very proud to represent a variety of very talented disabled people and we have done for the last 30yrs! The disability has never been a focus for Models Direct, the agency considers their application in the same way as an able bodied model, it’s their enthusiasm, determination and commitment that shines through! A large percentage of the disabled talent Models Direct represent have been successful in being selected for work, for example:

“Yesterday I had my first assignment with a company called Hive and I had a fantastic first shoot. They sent me a taxi to get to the location and I arrived in good time. Everyone was so friendly and reassured me as I was slightly nervous with it being my first assignment. I had to try on some different outfits to play wheelchair tennis. When they chose the outfit that they liked the best I then had to do action shots with a tennis racquet as if I was leaving my house. Everyone from the wardrobe stylist , photographer and producer were amazing and put me at ease. They also arranged for a taxi to take me home. They were all very helpful and accommodating towards my disability. I can honestly say that I really enjoyed my first shoot and I look forward to more in the future! Thank you so much Models Direct for all of your help in getting me my first assignment and keeping in touch regularly and giving me all of the information that I needed for the assignment!” – Clare Watson

“I had the most brilliant day, led by a super-talented crew, and enjoyed watching from behind the scenes as much as being involved as the driver who had broken down!
Leading up to the actual day, I found myself picturing the shoot, well, guessing really. Imagining. My vivid imagination hadn’t accounted for any possibility of the most beautiful blue skies; we happened to be filming on the warmest, clearest day of the month. Perfect!
This was my first assignment and, from being met at the station by Jacqui upon arrival, I can honestly say I enjoyed every minute! It was a joy to shoot scenes with Mark from RAC, reassuring to be clearly and patiently directed by talented Tom and his crew, all of whom answered our questions with a smile… and empowering to be sat in the driver’s seat of such a stylish car! I was particularly interested in shooting the same scene again from different viewpoints, some very close up, some at long range.
Thank you Molly at Talent Management for your endlessly cheerful emails; you really enabled me to be fully prepared for yesterday. Thank you, too, for introducing me to close camera work with such great people, for a company that is so relevant to me. I can’t wait for the next one!” – Frances

“Hi, I have just had a fabulous experience on my first assignment with Models Direct, courtesy of Molly at Models Direct and working with Ingenious on behalf of Heathrow Airport.

Natalie met me on arrival, such a lovely lady, offering refreshments and kept me posted on the time frame and set up status of equipment etc. We started promptly at noon, Steve and Magnus, the team responsible for the shots, were great, made me feel relaxed and confident. We had an initial chat then onto some shots before an informal interview whilst being pictured.

The whole experience was simple from start to finish, everywhere was of course accessible, parking was easy, directions and contact info all provided, just very very easy. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience, and hope to promote diversity and inclusion as a wheelchair user in more campaigns such as this in the future. Many thanks to everyone involved in the selection process, it’s been a privilege.” – Alex

Slowly slowly changes are happening and key influencer’s on social media are finding their voices and making changes to how visible disabled people are in the commercial/talent world. Models Direct are delighted by this and hope to be able to successfully promote more of their talent with different abilities for these key roles.

A recent article on the BBC https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/disability-45601646, featuring actor, model, vlogger, presenter Grace Mandeville, who has teamed up with photographer Linda Blacker on a project starring disabled actors and models photographed in roles that are usually given to non-disabled talent.

The point of the campaign is to show that disabled models and talent should be considered by casting directors and producers for roles of able bodied characters, not a role that is purely focused on their disability. #MoreThanADisability – BBC

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bn_oD9wHdOc/?taken-by=gracemandeville

All models featured in this blog are represented by Models Direct – bookings@modelsdirect.com

For more information about Models Direct or if you have a disability and would like to be considered by the agency please visit Models Direct

In all the excitement to see the sun and feel the warmth it can be easy to forget to protect our skin,   so the Models Direct beauty team have put together some helpful reminders on how to remain safe in the sun while of course achieving a gorgeous sunkissed glow!

There is lots of information in the media about how harmful UVA/UVB rays are to our skin and with  longer expsire times to it in the Summer months it’s really important to protect your skin from them.  Too much sun  can  age a person and cause discolouration to the skin, this is something models are particularly careful of and will use a high factor suncream and  avoid too much sun.

There are lots of moisturisers  on the market which have an SPF,  to protect your skin everyday use one of these on your face and body . You might want to consider using a hydrating serum in the warmer weather , being a lighter product it will feel nicer on your skin, but still hydrate and protect you with the  SPF factor.

Dry lips are something models will avoid,  when you’re infront of the camera  a model will want to have well moisturised lips, so keep them protected in the sun!  Purchase a high SPF, moisturising lip balm and be sure  to apply a good layer to your lips if you are outside.

There’s something lovely about having a shower when you have spent time in the sun, your skin feels warm and glowing, so  to cool your skin down be sure to turn the temperature of your shower down to avoid any further dehydration to your skin. Warm water dehydrates the skin, so keep the water temperature cool.

Exfoliating is an important part of the Summer skincare routine, make sure you buy a good quality one that you can use all over your body and also  a separate facial scrub. If you are infront of the camera or under lighting alot as a model you will be wearing alot of make up on your skin, so it’s essential to remove it all correctly and also use a scrub to help remove any dry  and dead skin . This will make your skin appear brighter and smoother which is ideal if you have an assignment coming up.

Body moisturiser is essential in the Summer as more of our skin is on show!  When modelling you may be wearing different clothes, be on camera or be walking the catwalk, you will want your skin to look the best it can. Moisturise your body while wet after a shower, by doing it this way  you will lock in more moisture  so your skin will stay hydrated for longer.

In the Summer months, don’t forget your legs!! When wearing dresses and skirts it’s nice to make sure our legs look the best they can, so give them an extra exfoliate and moisturise morning and evening.

For models hair is a big thing!!  Models will spend alot of time ensuring their hair is well hydrated, glossy and in great condition, so don’t let the sun dry it out! To avoid this you can use a UV protective styling balm before blow drying or a UV protective product which can be applied after blowdry, this will protect your hair and keep it in tip top condition!

We of course all want to achieve that beautiful, golden sunkissed glow and  if you live in the UK are very aware we don’t get as much sunshine as other parts of the world, so can be guilty of binge sunbathing to achieve the perfect tan, however sometimes it is better to fake it!! In the modelling  world  we are not looking for sunburnt skin or tan lines, so consider one of the  amazing numerous tanning products on the market today, alot less harmful to the skin!!

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The team here at Models Direct are really excited about London Plus Size Fashion Weekend which takes place on 15th and 16th February 2013 – running in parallel with London Fashion week.

This will be the first official plus size fashion weekend in the UK and will be held in the glamorous Shoreditch. This is great news for plus size models who want to be up to date with the latest fashion and get inspiration from some of the top plus size fashion designers and retailers all in one place!

The event is foundered by Remi Ray, owner of the blog trapped in a skinny world,  and a former student that struggled to be accepted into that fashion world because of her look not being socially accepted. She now designing her own capsule collection and contributing to various other projects that can help other plus-size women to be comfortable in their own skin.

Designers at the event include Simply Be, Syreeta Badu, Live Unlimited London, pauline et Julie, Curvissa and Carolyn de la Drapiere.

Models Direct represent real models of all shapes and sizes so it is great to see that voluptuous women now have a fashion weekend dedicated to them!