shared stories of late payments and non-payments, and made the case for financial transparency. “It is demoralising and humiliating to have to beg to be paid,” Elson began. “Young creatives entering the fashion industry don’t have the means, nor the support that I do.
Senator Hoylman backed Elson up: “If a supermodel like Karen Elson can’t get paid on time, how do we expect the thousands of models who aren’t well known and creatives that work behind the scenes to get their check and have the protections that every worker in New York State deserves?” he asked. According to his figures, the fashion industry constitutes 5.5% of New York state’s workforce, and brings in $11 billion in wages and nearly $2 billion in tax revenues each year.
The Fashion Workers Act follows on the heels of landmark legislation that made California the first state to require hourly wages for garment workers. This announcement came on the 111th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. Hoylman made a connection between the labour movement spawned by that tragedy in which 146 garment workers, mostly young women, died, and the goals of the Fashion Workers Act in 2022.
“Exposure is a fancy word for cultural cachet,” Quinlivan said at the conclusion of the press conference. “But exposure doesn’t pay the rent, exposure doesn’t put food on the table, and exposure won’t be there for you when you’re sick and uninsured in the hospital. This whole speech comes down to one thing: money and its role in changing lives and bringing equity.
It’s worth noting that the Model Alliance has experience promoting pro-labour legislation; it was behind New York’s Child Model Act of 2013, which ensures underage models are given the same protections as other child performers working in the state.
MrPISHiSunak protect the models