Models Direct has some great tips to share which will help make the first day of school a positive journey and memorable experience. Here’s how you can help your mini-me or tween to get the best out of their first day.

Get a good night’s sleep
Sleep is vital. You already know that – it’s talked about (and written about) so often but we had to put it at the top of our list. Your child needs a good night’s sleep before their first, second, third or any day for that matter, particularly after a long summer where their routine might have fallen a touch out of sync. You can help by talking and setting up an early bedtime routine for them. Hopefully, their body clock will readjust to the new change fairly quickly.

Are school essentials all ready?
Hands up, anyone who left their kids’ school essentials till the last minute? Did you encounter the, “email me when it’s back in stock” option when you were looking for uniform? Yup, we’ve been there too, unfortunately. It’s best to start picking up items as early as the beginning of August to slowly get through your list of stuff to avoid the out-of-stock dilemma. Getting all the school essentials rounded up in advance will make the first day at school run much smoother.

Comfy footwear
It’s a given that footwear needs to be as comfortable as possible, especially for those little (or big) feet that’ll be walking around school premises and in the playground majority of the day. Make sure your child breaks into new shoes at home so that they’re used to them – it’ll be one less thing to worry about for the first day.

Get there early
Getting late for school (even if you want to after the weeks off for the summer) might not be the best way to kick-start your first day. If you’re planning on taking your child to school, they go with mates or travel solo, be sure to wake them up early so that they have plenty of time to prep and arrive on time.

Stay calm & smile
At the best of times, it’s hard to stay calm and remember to smile especially when anything new can cause some degree of stress. Ask your child to practise breathing exercises especially if they feel anxious, and not to forget to smile.

We hope your child settles into school well. They’ll enjoy their time building new friendships and learning new content and concepts. MD hope these tips help and hopefully, they’ll look forward to going to school!

It’s nice to be in the know and see what’s set to dominate online and offline in the fashion world and this time Models Direct will be looking into children’s trends. Children aged under 16 make up a large amount of the population – 12.7 million* in 2019 in fact – so it’s likely you’re a parent, guardian or someone who knows a child.

So, as the weather is beginning to warm up, let’s get the children summer ready with summer brights and British summer trends for 2021.

Tie-dye

This popular print has made a comeback with teens and adults this year so it’s no surprise we’ve been seeing it filtering through children’s fashion too. Versatile, summery and not to forget colourful of course, tie-dye has shown that isn’t going anywhere this summer. Tops, t-shirts, shorts, dresses, you name it, tie-dye isn’t going anywhere any time soon.

Tropical prints

Aside from the typical floral and summer fruit prints we see during the warm season, tropical prints are also the latest we’ve seen in children’s fashion. Vibrant and bold, tropical prints make you feel like you’ve stepped onto a hot beach in the Bahamas! What’s not to love about this tropical statement?

Colour block patterns

If you’ve not come across colour blocking before, you will this year. This abstract look is popping up in plenty of children’s apparel. Colour blocking is where two, three or four totally different colours together make a bold statement. Abstract and playful this pattern is contemporary and eye-catching.

Camouflage prints

This neutral print sums up children’s innate characteristics – active and adventurous! A classic print that is making summer more fun and reminding us of the great outdoors. We’re seeing this trend pop up in sibling outfits which makes it a great matching print for children who love to move about!

Evolving looks

Each season brings its delightful array of great looks and with a splash of contemporary pizzazz and uniqueness. Some trends are a blast from the past with a modern twist, making some of us smile who remember the looks when we were younger ourselves.

Child modelling

If you have a child or are related to or know one, you might be thinking that they would make a great child model – and they most certainly would! Our modelling agency, Models Direct, has established a strong presence in the modelling industry. We say what we mean and are all about helping our models connect with our prestigious clients.

Even though we cannot guarantee work and never mislead our models into thinking they’ll be selected for every assignment that comes to our table, we certainly try our best to push our models forward whenever their look is requested. Ultimately the decision lies in the hands of our clients. But what we do guarantee is that we will negotiate the best modelling fee and deliver the best and safest experience. 

After the assignment has been completed, within 5 working days our models receive their payment, and in the case of our child models, naturally, their parents or guardian will be the recipient. Our process is straightforward and each of our talented models is assigned to one of our dedicated team members who will take care of their modelling journey at every touchpoint. They’ll only be a phone call or email away bringing our models closer to what is happening within the world of modelling and how their profile is being handled. And there you have it! Apply to Models Direct today to kick-start your little ones modelling journey!

*Population estimates for the UK, England and Wales Scotland and Northern Ireland: mid-2019. Available from: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/bulletins/annualmidyearpopulationestimates/mid2019estimates

There’s been enough coverage recently regarding restrictions, furloughs and lockdowns, with some companies being put “on hold”. However, the general consensus is that the world will be in a much better place come early 2021 – great news for everybody! Though it’s not expected that everything will return to normality anytime soon, “social bubbles” are still likely to be utilised – and this is where families can really stand out as models.

We’ll use one example where a company (client) regards families as gold dust for modelling assignments, and where a family is far more effective than an individual for advertising purposes. The sector we’ll choose is travel / holiday operators – i.e. tourism.

When tour operators wish to market their holidays, they’ll often choose a family. The location could be a sun-kissed beach or an alpine escape surrounded by lakes and mountains. Whatever the scenic background, families convey the perfect image for holidaymakers: a fun, happy, well-deserved break that will be remembered for years to come. In fact, we’ve supplied models for Heathrow Airport and Oliver’s Travels – one of the UK’s top travel companies specialising in villas, cottages, beach huts and chateaus in several of the most desirable countries in Europe and beyond.

But don’t just take our word for it – this is the feedback from Coral, mother of the lovely Golding family, who had the opportunity of filming with James Clancy and his crew at The Gate Films last year for an Oliver’s Travels brand campaign:

“We have just got back from the South of France where we filmed a commercial as a family for Oliver’s Travels. It was a truly amazing experience! We stayed in an unbelievable villa and saw some beautiful sights! Thank you so much Models Direct for getting us this job!! We absolutely loved it!”

And even better news – in 2021 the tourism industry might boom because more people will want to make up for 2020 – a lousy year by anyone’s standards! This means more advertising, and more opportunities for family models. This could be the case for some time to come!

Of course, there are other modelling examples where families excel – Christmas being an obvious one. Families portray a sincere, warm image, sothey rarely need to practice prior to modelling shoots (although choice of clothes is open to argument!). A family’s chemistry is never underrated by our clients, and this is one of the reasons why we have many happy families on our books.

Clients also regularly want to hear from diverse families. Whilst the “average” family with “2.4 children” is highly valued, the modelling world casts its net much wider, so many clients no longer simply want Mum, Dad and the children. Unique families have a story to tell, and the demand for remarkable families from all backgrounds is increasing week-by-week. Don’t be shy – if you’re a same-sex family or have exceptional children with unique qualities, we’d love to hear from you!

Our client list is diverse and customer-driven. We’ve supplied family models to the NSPCC, G Tech, Santander UK, Newbury Racecourse and Microsoft – to name but a few.

So there are plenty of reasons to “keep it in the family” for modelling assignments. To be considered as our next “model family”, please click on the link below. You’ll also find oodles of reviews from other families who have tasted success with us. We look forward to hearing from you – and your family.

We’ll leave you with a thorough review from Rebecca Friend, just to get your modelling juices flowing:

“Working as a modelling family is a mixture of excitement and apprehension. As any mum knows, if you’re going anywhere with your children you want them to be on their best behaviour.

This is no different on a photo shoot, so when three of your children are asked to stand up straight, smile, look continuously happy while taking direction from the photographer, it can be challenging!

Luckily, we work with Models Direct and have always been so well looked after, from lunches for the children, to overnight accommodation, to letting the children have fifteen minute’s timeout so they can chill, go on their iPad etc.

We have now had seven assignments, over £6,000 in modelling fees and I can’t believe how lucky we are – my son says it’s all down to his fantastic good looks!

When I first signed up to Models Direct I was a little sceptical, after hearing stories of people paying thousands of pounds for pictures to be done because the agency they had chosen had asked them to do so… then signing a three-year deal and not getting a single job. When I spoke to Molly for the first time from Models Direct she immediately put my mind at ease. She said she only needed photos that we had taken ourselves (nice, natural photos work the best), so the client could get a real feel for who we were and how we looked in front of a camera.

I told my children we’d be extremely lucky if we got just one job. Here we are several years later and now on our 8th job! We have managed to do so much with extra money that has come in from our job, just little things like being able to spoil the kids a little, to a weekend away for the family to now having our garden landscaped and having a hot tub fitted. My husband and I are so proud of our children. It’s hard work, but we haven’t looked back and look forward to the next seven assignments.”