Model Alliance Moves to End Backstage Harassment At NYFW, Now Offers Private Changing Spaces
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As New York Fashion Week moves into full swing, Model Alliance cofounder and executive director Sara Ziff talks with Vogue about the impact of the #MeToo moment on the industry. “Models have been dealing with these issues for decades, and this behavior has been an open secret, and now we finally have permission not only to talk about it but to act,” shared Ziff on the phone from the Model Alliance’s New York office. “I think a lot of people in our business want to do the right thing, but they haven’t had adequate support; we need to create the infrastructure and enact change so that there is accountability across the board.”
One of the first changes involves private dressing rooms for models backstage during the shows. Announced yesterday, the collaboration between the Model Alliance and Council of Fashion Designers of America adds a new layer of privacy behind the scenes. Previously, models changed backstage, often in view of photographers.
