One of the biggest industries in the world is Fashion.
Clothing and accessories make up a huge percentage of sales in many countries. In order to sell these products, models are hired to wear them and show them off in the hopes of enticing the public to buy these things. While it may seem like being a model is easy, as what they do is only walk and pose, the opposite is true. To even make it in the spotlight is already a challenge on its own. Nonetheless, there are a lot of models who remain undeterred despite the competitiveness in the industry.
The First Steps to Becoming A Model As A Foreigner in Japan
Japan is among the many countries that are known for new and bold fashion trends. A lot of models aspire to make it big in the Japanese fashion industry. However, it may be a bit of a challenge for aspiring foreigner models to make it big in Japan. Some of the possible challenges that they might face in the modeling industry in Japan are the language barrier and the probable culture shock.
Hence, probably a great asset that a foreigner model can have in Japan is to be able to speak the Japanese language fluently. Still, there are a lot of other aspects that would play a great role in the modeling career of a foreigner model in Japan. These include their physical qualities as well as their determination and willingness to expand their network and horizon.
Modern fashion trends in Japan may be a bit unique compared to the global fashion trends that most are aware of. Hence, foreigner models must familiarize themselves with the local trends in Osaka and Tokyo. Furthermore, it is important for foreigner models to learn everything about the culture in Japan. To know what the Japanese people find attractive and “hip” would be a huge help when starting out modeling in Japan.While learning Japanese is a great asset in the industry, foreigner models do not necessarily have to speak the language fluently. Learning the basics that would be relevant to the job should be enough. After all, Japanese people in the fashion industry are already familiar with how to talk to foreigner models who speak in English. Nonetheless, showing one’s willingness to learn the language and to understand the Japanese is a plus.Before one’s application in Japan, it is advised that aspiring foreigner models look for a few local jobs. While this is not necessarily a requirement for the job, it is highly recommended by many. Because modeling agencies in Japan put a great deal of investment in foreign models, they may be a bit hesitant to hire an applicant that does not have a resume.The modeling profession may just be a whim for some people. This is why proving one’s commitment to this profession is important to a lot of modeling agencies. Because of how much money they invest in foreign talents, such as sponsoring and securing the talent’s work visa and accommodations, they want to make sure that the foreign talent would not just quit.
There are several modeling agencies in Japan that work particularly with foreigner models. Most of them would probably have an English website where one can apply. Look out for these agencies, as they are more susceptible to hiring foreigner models.While modeling agencies that work with foreigner models typically cover the travel and accommodation expenses of the talent, other expenses such as food would have to be shouldered by the model. Hence, it is imperative that aspiring foreigner models save up before making the trip. This is to ensure that they would still have enough money for the other expenses that they would have to pay for. This is especially important for foreigner models who would just be starting up as a model in Japan.It is common for magazines to look for models that have features far from common Japanese looks. This is to catch the eyes of Japanese readers who are already used to seeing Japanese faces everywhere they go. Magazines tend to gravitate towards tall foreigner models who have green or blue eyes. Highlighting the features that set the models apart from the common Japanese look is recommended.
Challenges that Foreign Models in Japan May Face
Modeling gigs generally pay well in Japan. However, not every foreigner model is lucky to have a constant source of income through modeling gigs alone. There are certain obstacles that foreigner models might have to go through in order to be able to make modeling a stable profession in Japan.For one, some talent and modeling agencies in Japan and in the West are a bit different from how they work. In the West, it is the agent that does the work for the talent. However, in Japan, it is the other way around. Some say that agents get at least 50 percent of the amount of money that is paid by the studio. Hence, only a little amount may be left for the talents.Another problem that foreigner models might face in the industry is supply and demand. The idea should be that the less foreign faces there are in the industry, the higher the demand and salary. However, due to the increasing amount of foreigner models wishing to enter the Japanese entertainment industry even at a small price, getting gigs that actually pay well can be hard.Making money doing modeling work is still possible. However, it may also be important to note that a lot of talent agencies in Japan take at least two months to pay up. There are even some agencies that take up to six months to pay out the talents.
This is where the tip of saving money before starting out as a model comes into play. For the times that one has no modeling gigs books and has not been paid yet, the living expenses would be shouldered by the talent. Their savings would help a lot in alleviating this issue.One tip is to always look out for credible Japanese talent agencies. There are a lot of amazing modeling agencies in Tokyo and Osaka that would provide their talents with great salary and benefits. On the other hand, there are also others that would take advantage of foreigner models who are just starting out their modeling career in Japan.