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SECTIONHEAD_C7
oct/nov 2009
19
The notion that image is eve-
rything is nothing new for Mar-
tin Walsh, Managing Director of
Chadwick Models (above), the
agency most famed for repre-
senting Elle Macpherson, Megan
Gale, and radio presenter Jackie
O, writer/model Tara Moss and TV
identities Sophie Falkiner and Ka-
rina Brown.
Starting out as a model him-
self and rising through the ranks
has taught Walsh about the ins
and outs of an industry based on
the superficial, and he has plenty
of knowledge to impart to rising
clothes-horses and aspiring per-
sonalities.
"From the beginning I treated
it like it was my own business
and then started to look at it like
a salesman, and that is what I
tell the [Chadwick] models. I tell
them to look at what they're do-
ing, which is selling a product.
The more products they sell, the
more clients will keep bringing
them back. No matter what hap-
pens in the industry, those basic
rules still apply. The more adept
they are at thinking that, the more
successful they will be as models.
"Fashion is such a huge busi-
ness. It's based on image and it's
always evolving. Models need to
adapt to that and interpret the
trends, and be aware of particular
looks that are popular, often driv-
en by editorial in magazines, which
then filters through to advertising.
I've worked all over the world but I
think Australian fashion has really
come into its own, probably more
so in the last ten years.
"I tell them to look at
what they're doing,
which is selling a
product. The more
products they sell, the
more clients will keep
bringing them back."
Terry Biviano
Martin Walsh, MD of Chadwick Models