ASS Model Agency — a Nizhny Novgorod modeling agency that has been operating in Nizhny Novgorod and the Region since the mid-1990s and calls itself the city's first major agency [1]. It organizes the fashion festival Zolotoy Podium ("Golden Catwalk"), held for the first time in 1995 [2].
What the agency does
The agency combines two lines of work: training models and placing them for photo shoots, runway shows, presentations, exhibitions, and promotional events. It presents itself as a representative of the international agencies IMG Models, Next, and Cosmopolitan, and holds castings for work with them [1][3].
For a long time the agency ran its own Zolotoy Podium festival independently [3]. Through it and through beauty pageants the agency is connected to the city's fashion scene: Collections are shown by Nizhny Novgorod designers, and pageant winners receive vouchers for tuition at the modeling school [1].
In addition to its own festival, the agency takes part in the projects Russky Siluet ("Russian Silhouette"), Volzhskaya Palitra ("Volga Palette"), and Platye Goda ("Dress of the Year") [1][3].
Modeling school
A modeling studio operates as part of the agency. The course runs two months, three hours of classes per week, predominantly on Saturdays; it accepts young men and women between the ages of 14 and 25 [1].
An earlier description of the studio listed a different set of disciplines: gait, dance class, makeup, style, psychology, and dietetics [3]. The agency presents the training as a first step toward a career rather than a guarantee of a contract: the program prepares students both for runway work and for everyday life [1].
The studio's disciplines include runway walking, photo posing, acting, styling, psychology, makeup artistry, and dietetics [1].
Overseas castings
A separate part of the agency's work involves recruitment for foreign agencies. In 2006, ASS held a casting call in Nizhny Novgorod for the international agency Next: the audition took place at the Palace of Pioneers at the corner of Piskunova and Ulyanova Streets, next to the entrance of the Nizhegorodsky supermarket [4].
Out of nearly sixty Nizhny Novgorod women aged 13 to 21, fifteen were selected for the final round. After Nizhny Novgorod, similar auditions were held in ten more cities across Russia, and the finalists gathered for a joint concluding casting call [4].
The rules of the audition were simple and strict: arrive without makeup, bring a swimsuit and heels, and minors must be accompanied by a parent [4].
"Golden Podium"
The Golden Podium fashion festival was first held in 1995 and for a long time remained the only fashion forum in the regions of Russia [2]. It was held twice a year [1][3].
After a hiatus of many years, the festival was revived on April 25, 2013, at the LP Fashion Gallery shopping arcade. Three people organized the revival: agency director Olga Sedova, Elena Ivanova, and Mikhail Iosilevich.[2] For the first time in its history, two runways were built simultaneously. In addition to the shows, masterclasses were held: on the model walk — by Yekaterina Bagrova, winner of the show "Top Model in Russian Style," and on posing for photographs — by photographer Maria Pushkova [2].
| Designer | Designer |
|---|---|
| Elena Donskova | Olga Rykhlova |
| Olga Fadeyeva | Aleksandra Lisina |
| Irina Shorokhova | Tatyana Kazakova |
| Natalya Smirnova | Anna Kopa |
| Aleksey Pavlov | Anastasia Solovyeva |
| Anastasia Borisycheva | Tatyana Bednyakova |
| Elena Zhivnina |
The goal of the Golden Podium is to develop the fashion industry in the Volga Region, and to support and promote talented fashion designers. [5]
Today
The agency continues to operate under a second name as well — "ASS Career Development Agency." It invites models to interviews for work in the modeling and advertising business abroad, conducts preparation and training, recruits for its modeling school, and selects models for city events [1].
Sources
- acc.nnewer.ru — ASS Model Agency — Agency History
- web.archive.org — Golden Podium (archived copy) — Individual Designer Clothing Festival "Golden Podium 2013": festival history and results (archive)
- fashiontime.ru — Modeling Agency "ASS Model Agency" — agency profile
- web.archive.org — ASS Model Agency (archived copy, May 2, 2006) — Casting for models to work abroad — international agency Next (archive)
- nn.aif.ru — AiF — Nizhny Novgorod — A fashion festival, "Golden Podium," to be held in Nizhny Novgorod. 2013 (archive)