How to become a model in London

London is where most British fashion careers are built. The major agencies, the magazines, the casting directors and London Fashion Week are all here, and so is a lot of noise. Very few working models were stopped in the street. Most applied with honest photos, met an agency and spent their first year testing and going to castings. The process is the same whether you live in Hackney or Glasgow.

What London agencies look for

For fashion and editorial work, agencies look for a distinctive face, a camera that likes it and a frame that clothes hang well on. Height matters more here than in any other kind of modelling: for runway and editorial, women are usually around 174 cm and taller and men around 185 cm and taller. Agencies make exceptions for faces they cannot stop looking at, so if you are close, apply anyway.

Less talked about, and just as important, is reliability. Clients rebook models who arrive on time, look like their digitals and stay easy to work with on a long day.

How to apply

Almost every serious agency takes applications online. Send simple digitals: daylight, a plain wall, fitted clothes, no make-up and no filters. A head shot, both profiles and a full length are enough. Add your height and measurements, taken barefoot and accurately.

You do not need professional photos to apply. Never pay for a shoot before an agency has seen you.

Where scouting happens

Scouts still find people in the street, at festivals and at universities, and more and more on Instagram and TikTok. A scout from a real agency gives you their name, points you to the agency's own website and asks you to apply or come in with someone you trust. They do not ask for money, and they do not ask to meet you anywhere private.

Your first year

New faces usually start on a development board. The agency arranges test shoots to build your book, prepares you for castings and go-sees, and introduces you to clients when you are ready. In London the fashion calendar shapes the year. Show castings build in the weeks before London Fashion Week in February and September, and many new faces get their first runway experience then.

Expect plenty of castings that come to nothing. That is normal and says nothing about your future. Our guide to what to expect at a casting explains how they run.

Money and safety

Reputable agencies earn commission on the work they find you. They do not charge joining fees, and they set out their terms in writing before you sign. If someone asks for money before finding you work, or pressures you to sign on the spot, walk away. Our guide to spotting a modelling scam lists the warning signs, and complaints about an agency in the UK go to the Fair Work Agency.

Before you sign anywhere, ask the questions in our guide to choosing a model agency. They apply just as much in London.

London and Scotland

Tartan Models scouts and develops new faces in London, Edinburgh and Glasgow. If you live in Scotland, you can start there and travel to London as the work grows.

If you are 18 or over, apply to Tartan Models from your phone. It takes a few minutes.