An agency based in Cologne that took its name from a David Bowie song has set itself apart from other equivalent businesses around Europe simply because of the way they go about their video castings. Nine Daughters And A Stereo make what seems more like video art than your typical video castings – we got the lowdown from Eva the manager and her colleague Kira.
Is it risky to set up a modeling agency in a town that’s outside the International fashion map? It wasn’t our intention to have any impact on the world of fashion; it only started out as a final year graphic design project. Rosemarie Trockel used the first models we got on board for some of her films and she recommended we took a look at some new faces. Cologne is not so much about fashion; it’s more about art since it’s the city where artists such as Rosemare Trockel, Sigmar Polke and Andreas Gursky come from. Besides we are right at the centre of Europe, only a few hours away from every catwalk you can imagine.
Do you believe it was your video castings that set you apart from the mould; do you view them as an independent art form? That’s a great compliment. We simply do what we like the most – we’ve been doing these videos for some time now and each season we send out a DVD showcasing all our new models. Our new site is our latest project and I think it clearly comes across that the people we represent really like working with us.
Do you favour any work you’ve done or models you’ve worked with more than others? Every face we represent is unique and has its own character. It is very interesting how they stand out in big fashion shows in Milan or Paris. Lucas R did the Arena Homme Plus cover by Willy Vanderperre. We’re very proud also about the new faces we’ll be working with for the Raf Simons/Jil Sander show.
What drives you to represent a new face in the field? We do the castings ourselves, what we look out for is a special look and a youthful enthusiasm. We’re looking for an interesting detail to inspire us and that can be enough on its own.
