Grygla Eagle Newspaper | February 28, 2024
Written by Kari Sundberg
It’s the stuff dreams are made of.
Imagine it for a second, will you? One of the biggest fashion events in the world.
Milan Fashion Week.
You’re about to walk the runway for the first time ever. You’re nervous. You’re wondering who is sitting in the elite “invite-only” crowd out there.
It’s ten minutes until go time and you’re approached for what you think is a last-minute touch-up.
Then you’re told, “You’re opening the show.”
[Let’s pause for some dramatic effect.]
YOU ARE OPENING THE SHOW.
Not only is Vogue Italia, one of the top magazines in the entire world, present at the show, but they take your picture, and they publish it.
This might just be the definition of “making it” but for Minnesota-based model Gabby Caldwell, she’s just getting started.
From portfolios, to agencies, to signing, to casting, Gabby explains the wonderful whirlwind that’s taken her from Moundsville, Minnesota, straight to the runway in Milan, Italy.
And all in just a few short months.
Milan Fashion Week took place in Italy Feb. 20-26. Walking in one of “The Big Four” events is a goal most models have when they get into the industry, but few ever get to experience. “The Big Four” refers to the four biggest events in fashion around the world: Paris Fashion Week, Milan Fashion Week, New York Fashion Week, and London Fashion Week.
It’s the stuff dreams are made of, but for Gabby, those dreams have turned into a reality.
Background
Gabby graduated from Irondale High School in 2022 and was very involved with a variety of activities. She was a stand-out in varsity basketball, volleyball, and track. She also participated in band and DECA. Gabby is currently attending the University of Minnesota and will graduate with her B.S. in Family Social Science/Pre-Law this coming May. When fashion week wraps up in Milan, Gabby will be coming back to Minnesota to focus on her studies but hopes to travel more in the future. Afterall, she is a professionally signed model with quite the photos to show for it. Especially that one Vogue Italia took!
Taking a chance
“I wasn’t always into fashion, but since being a part of this industry, I have come to appreciate the creativity behind the clothes, make-up, hair, and concepts as a whole,” she admits.
In fact, modeling kind of fell into Gabby’s lap. It was something she was interested in for a while, but never acted on until last September of 2023 when she attended an open casting call. She ended up signing with a mother agency (thought of like a home base) where they promote their models to booking agencies around the world. Booking agencies get the modeling gigs, while the mother agency negotiates on behalf of the model, finding all those bookings. Gabby’s mother agency is Caryn Models in Minnesota; her agency in Milan is Boom Models.
Boom had gone on a scouting tour through the United States and had appointments at Caryn Models. That’s when Gabby was able to meet them in person and was ultimately chosen last December and given a year-round contract. That contract wasn’t solely intended for Milan’s Fashion Week, but she intentionally went abroad, hoping to be a part of it. That trip included a 7-week stay in Italy with her aunt accompanying her. “I was very nervous to fly to Italy. Staying there for seven weeks is a long time to be away from home, too,” Gabby shared. She was thankful for the company of her aunt and said the two got to do everything tourist-related in Milan before castings picked up, so the time flew by.
Up until the last seven weeks, Gabby had only a few months of professional experience. That included modeling for businesses and brands, everyday ads, social media campaigns, as well as e-commerce shoots. She was also featured in ELLAS Magazine Dragged edition last October 2023.
Milan
Gabby has been in Italy since Jan. 16. She was able to walk in two shows. The first one was for Accademia Del Lusso; the second show had not happened as of press-time, so Gabby was unable to confirm the designer at the time. Due to the exclusivity of most of Milan’s fashion shows, her aunt was not able to watch in person as most of the “invite only” guest lists are made up of designers, buyers and production companies, celebrities, photographers, and media. However, there was a live stream available and a link on YouTube, so Gabby’s family could watch the shows she modeled for.
Getting to Milan required being signed with an agency, but that didn’t guarantee a gig during fashion week. “There are many castings with hundreds of girls waiting in line to compete for only a few slots,” Gabby explained. “After castings, there are fittings, and then confirmations. You may not know if you are in a show until hours before. With that being said, you could also be completely ready for a show and get pulled from the line-up right as you are about to walk out. It’s very last-minute and chaotic, but that’s part of the fun of fashion week,” she said.
With this being Gabby’s first season in Milan, she said that most models are cast and walk 0-2 shows just to get the experience. The following seasons, models can be pre-booked, which is why many of the spots for these shows are already chosen and filled.
Getting to the runway
Each show has a concept and a very specific look the designer is going for. Most bookings have less to do with the value of the model, but more if they fit the concept. “Brands will look through all the models in a show pack presented by the agencies and choose who they think fits the look and who they want to see in person. It’s very cut-throat if you don’t fit the image, but that’s just the way they create beautiful, cohesive shows,” she says, confidently.
Gabby gave great insider info on how the show works. She said each show is about 30-minutes long, assuming it’s not a huge collection. There are usually about 50-100 looks and about 30 models, 25 of which are pre-booked. Some models wear multiple looks, some wear only one, it’s all up to the designers.
The models get no say in what they wear, and everything is pulled together at the very last minute. Gabby said she wasn’t ever dressed in her full looks until minutes before walking out. As for the hair and make-up prep, the artists use techniques that allow them to do full faces in only ten minutes. Each model has a stylist that may have been the designer for that specific look. Gabby noted that the stylists are so sweet and make sure the models have everything they need.
Models are also given no training when it comes to hitting the runway; they are expected to already have their walk perfected.
Lights, cameras, action
As mentioned, Gabby was able to score two shows for her first season, which is really great. “I was shocked,” she described. Ten minutes before her first show, she was told she would be opening. “I was so nervous getting ready because I wasn’t sure who would be watching me walk. Then I found out I’d be opening. Opening when I had never walked before was quite an experience, but after modeling the first look, I was on a high and super excited for my next look.”
Making connections
While in Milan, Gabby has been able to meet so many fellow models from all over the world. Not only has she also gotten some great photos to build her portfolio, she has also gotten the chance to show her face to many different casting directors. With this, she hopes they recognize her face and name in future seasons.
With checking her first season in Milan off the list, Gabby hopes for a bright future, which would involve landing a few more shows this coming fall during fashion week. Her future goals include getting signed with agencies in London, Paris, New York, Chicago, and Greece.
Those goals seem pretty achievable, considering how fast she went from Minnesota to Milan.
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