Traditional modelling agencies have dominated the industry with rigid ideas and unattainable standards on what it takes to be a model.
These standards are reflected in popular culture, influencing our ideas on beauty and creativity. We have slowly begun to bend these rules as a society, welcoming people of all genders, sexual orientations, size and age to take the spotlight in mainstream media.
Melbourne-based Duval Agency sought to speed up this cultural shift by promoting a truly inclusive and collaborative environment for both talent and clients. “We believe it’s up to the agent to challenge preconceived notions of beauty and promote a realistic body image and diverse representation across gender, race and size,” says Jon Duval, director and founder.
In partnership with international creative agency Paper Stone Scissors, Duval unearthed its “What We Stand For” pillars to bring its unique proposition to realisation.
Duval and Paper Stone Scissors collaborated on a 360° website relaunch involving a complete redesign and re-platform, with one of the major revisions to the site addressing inclusivity head-on. The directory is divided into three categories: Creatives (photographers, stylists H&MU and more), Talent (which houses all the models on Duval’s books) and Emerging (up and coming models).
The key difference is that every person, regardless of gender, race, age and size falls under one of the above categories. The extended search feature allows the user to refine the search by pronoun, encouraging clients to think in a less binary way when it comes to beauty and gender.
The commitment to change extends with Duval’s move to become a social enterprise, committed to donating 15% of each booking fee to one of four charities combatting significant issues in the fashion industry: Seed Mob, The Ocean Cleanup, Canopy and Clean Clothes Campaign.
Jon Duval; “We believe society is moving in the right direction, but at a snail’s pace. Let’s fast track our future. Let’s change the world today.”
