By: Alva Ree
The modeling industry is often discussed in dark and dramatic terms. Scandals, unsafe situations, harsh standards, irresponsible agents, broken expectations -all of this has shaped a troubling image of the fashion world. But is that really the whole story? Why, despite everything, do thousands of young women still dream of entering this industry? And can fashion become not a space of fear and closed doors, but one of growth, respect, and connection?
We spoke with Anastasia Soldatova, founder of MAG Model Agent Group and the international project Global Fashion Code, who has spent more than 25 years in the modeling industry advocating for a more mature, ethical, and human-centered future for fashion.
Anastasia, if we are honest, the modeling industry is often discussed more negatively than positively today. Why do you think it has developed that image?
Because negative stories are always louder. Scandal attracts more attention than stability. Drama generates more discussion than professionalism, growth, and real results. If something painful happens, people will talk about it for a long time. But when a young woman works for years, supports her family, builds a career, gains international experience, and later creates a business of her own, that rarely becomes a headline. And yet those stories are far more common than people think.
I believe society has simply become used to seeing the modeling industry in a very one-sided way. Yes, there are real problems, and they should never be denied. There are unprofessional agents, unsafe situations, and serious mistakes. But that is not the whole industry. That is only one side of it. There is another reality too: thousands of young women who become independent through modeling, achieve financial freedom, support their families, and grow both personally and professionally.
So you believe the industry’s positive side is simply underrepresented?
Absolutely. And the positive side is not made up of ten inspirational stories we tell ourselves to feel better. It is made up of hundreds and thousands of real lives. Young women earn money through modeling, learn languages, travel, develop discipline, mature quickly, and broaden how they see the world. Many later invest that money in education, in business, in their own projects, and in their future.
Sometimes I ask a very simple question: if the industry is truly as terrible as people often say, why do so many girls around the world still dream of becoming models? Why are they still drawn to this profession? Because behind all the noise, there is still a very real world of opportunity. It is not perfect, and it is certainly not a fairy tale. But it is real. And I think it is important to speak about that honestly, without naivety and without demonizing the industry.
What, in your view, is the real value of a modeling career for a young woman today?
For me, it stopped being only about shoots, runways, and beautiful images a long time ago. For many young women, modeling is their first serious step into a much bigger world. It is a path toward independence. It teaches discipline, communication, self-awareness, and adaptability. It offers international exposure and a chance to understand a completely different professional standard.
Sometimes modeling becomes a true turning point in a person’s life. She starts seeing herself differently. She values her time differently. She begins to understand her own potential more clearly and becomes more conscious of how she presents herself to the world. That is where I see the real value of the profession. Not in the gloss. Not in the surface. But in its ability to reveal strength, maturity, inner substance, and self-worth.
And yet many parents, and many young women themselves, are afraid to enter this industry. And that fear is understandable. What would you say to them?
I would say something very simple: it is normal to be afraid of entering any major industry blindly. And the modeling world is no exception. No one should step into a serious profession without understanding who is in front of them, what kind of environment they are entering, what the rules are, how transparent the process is, and who is taking responsibility.
But the answer is not to scare everyone away from modeling. And it is not to pretend that everything in fashion is perfect. The answer is to make the path into the industry clearer, more professional, more ethical, and safer.
It matters deeply to me that new faces do not enter fashion through chaos, fear, or accident. They should enter through real contact, through understanding, through a proper professional environment where they can ask questions, see who they are dealing with, feel the level, and not build a career on blind trust. For me, that is one of the most important principles of my work.
Is that what led to the creation of the Global Fashion Code?
Yes, absolutely. Global Fashion Code was born from a very clear belief: fashion should unite. It should not intimidate people. It should not push them away. It should not create the feeling that the industry exists only for a select few or only for insiders. On the contrary, it should connect people, agencies, new faces, scouts, and professionals, and make the path into the industry more conscious and more accessible.
I wanted to create a format for young models and agencies to meet in person. Not through endless online applications that disappear into the noise. Not through a beautiful but distant digital image. But face to face. I wanted new faces to have the chance not only to dream about an international career from afar, but to step into a space where they can truly be seen, heard, and evaluated by professionals who make real decisions.
But for me, Global Fashion Code is not simply about presenting beautiful girls. It goes much deeper than that. It is an attempt to foster a healthier culture of interaction within the industry. One that is more transparent. More respectful. More professional. A culture in which a dream is given the right environment to begin.
What does it mean to you personally to unite the fashion industry? You speak about that often.
For me, it is a matter of principle. As someone who represents a mother agency, I have seen over many years how often the industry weakens when it operates under constant opposition. When everyone pulls in their own direction, when there is no culture of exchange, when there is no respect for each other’s work, it is not only agencies that suffer. First of all, the models suffer.
I believe in something different. I believe in cooperation. I believe in friendship between mother agencies. I believe in professional alliances. I believe in sharing information, contacts, and experience. I believe the industry becomes stronger when it is shaped not only by competition, but also by partnership. When people know how not only to take, but to build. Not only to seek advantage, but to create a system in which a model has guidance, direction, understanding, and a real chance to grow.
When the industry unites, it becomes more mature. More professional. Cleaner. Safer. And I believe that is exactly what fashion needs today: a new culture of interaction. Not everyone is against everyone, but a sense of shared purpose and shared responsibility.
What values do you personally want to communicate through your work and through Global Fashion Code?
For me, it is very important to restore respect to the modeling industry. Respect for a young woman’s dream. Respect for a model’s work. Respect for the agency’s role. Respect for the family that entrusts its daughter to the industry. And respect for the profession itself.
I want the modeling world to stop being a space where the loudest voice is automatically treated as right. I believe much more in an approach built on reputation, guidance, professional ethics, honest dialogue, and the understanding that behind every model there is not just a face, but a person, a life, a family, and a future. The moment we forget that, we lose the profession’s human foundation.
For me, Global Fashion Code is also about exactly that. Not only about opportunities. Not only about contracts. Not only about meetings with agencies. But about making new faces feel that their path can begin with dignity. Not through chance. Not in a grey zone. Not through a lack of transparency. But in a strong professional environment defined by selection, standards, respect, and real dialogue.
What do you hope to change in the way people perceive the modeling industry through your work?
I want people to see the modeling industry more deeply. Not only through frightening stories and loud headlines, but through real careers, real opportunities, and real lives. I want there to be more honest conversations. I do not want girls who dream of modeling to feel that their dream must either be mocked or turned into a cautionary tale.
It matters to me that the industry be seen not as a space of destruction, but as a space of becoming. A place where a person can grow, become stronger, widen her horizons, and learn to stand firmly in the world. But that is only possible when the industry itself becomes more professional, more ethical, and more responsible. That is why my team and I create projects that do not simply look beautiful, but seek to change the very culture of entering the profession.
And if you were to sum it all up, how do you see fashion today?
I see fashion as a space of opportunity. An environment where not only careers can begin but also character, perspective, international connections, and personal growth can take shape. I do not see it as a territory of destruction, but as a territory of unity. Because at its core, fashion has always been about energy, movement, dialogue, and influence. But today, that alone is no longer enough. The fashion of the future must not only inspire. It must also stand for something.
For me, those values are humanity, respect, cooperation, ethics, professional honesty, and conscious growth. I want those values to be heard more clearly in fashion. Because the true strength of this industry lies not only in beauty, but in the way it treats people. And if fashion can learn not to break people, but to reveal them, not to divide, but to connect, then it truly has a beautiful and powerful future.
IG @soldatovanastya
Model Agent Group IG @modelagentgroup
www.modelagentgroup.com
Global Fashion Code IG @globalfashioncode
