How do you end up doing this? How do you go from growing up in countryside Normandy to scouting models in the Baltics or Scandinavia, fixing a model flat’s broken fridge one minute and negotiating rates with Chanel the next?
As far as I can remember, I’ve always been into fashion, just not in the way you’d expect. As a kid, it was medieval armor. Then it was Peter Pan. I was eight, fully obsessed with the outfit, the vibe, the idea of just… leaving. My mom genuinely thought I might jump out of my third-floor bedroom window in a homemade costume. Commitment was never the issue.
Then came Bowie. The Rolling Stones. Led Zeppelin. Fashion wasn’t just about clothes; it was about attitude, identity, and performance. I didn’t know it yet, but I was already circling the industry. Fast forward: I graduate from Estienne Design School, convinced I’m about to become a designer. Reality check—job hunting hits like a brick. You start to consider a rejection email a small victory. At least someone saw your name. Most of the time, it’s just silence. You, refreshing your inbox as it owes you money. I had interviews everywhere. A toaster company. Random design agencies doing things I barely understood. Then one day, a Parisian modeling agency calls me in, they’re looking for a graphic designer for their art department.
Somehow, it just clicked. The art department in a modeling agency is basically the image factory. You’re handling everything—websites, comp cards, model books, social media. You’re shooting digitals, filming videos, retouching faces at 2am. It’s chaotic, but it’s fun. I liked it. A lot. But not enough. After a few months of cutting comp cards and editing images, I began to glance over at the booking table. That’s where the real action was. Deals, negotiations, last-minute chaos. I wanted it. Then this call came: New Madison Models. They needed an assistant. Hell yeah, let’s have it.
The first few weeks at the booking table felt like being dropped into a foreign country where everyone speaks at 200 words per minute and expects you to keep up. You don’t understand anything. The information flow is insane. Everyone is faster than you, sharper than you. Your fashion culture? Non-existent compared to theirs. And there’s no school for this. You learn by surviving.
Best strategy: listen, observe, and try not to say anything stupid. (You will. It’s part of the process.) What I quickly realized is that this job is basically problem-solving on steroids. You’re not just booking models—you’re fixing lives in real time. Have you ever had to find a dog sitter in Brussels overnight? Book a Schengen visa appointment in Kampala? Now you know there’s no French consulate in Khartoum.
One time, we had to buy paint because a model decided to redecorate her apartment walls with graffiti. No warning. Just vibes. In a modeling agency, every day feels like a new episode of a slightly unhinged sitcom. The human factor is everything, and unpredictability is the only constant. One day, a client calls to tell you your model had a few too many drinks at catering and is now dancing half-naked on set. Which raises an important question: why is there alcohol at catering?
During fashion week, it’s another level. Models land in Paris, sometimes their first time in Europe, and suddenly you’re coordinating everything: flights, drivers, apartments, SIM cards, metro passes. You’re part agent, part travel agency, part therapist.
After about a year of booking test shoots, flights, and manicures, I got my first clients. Then you build slowly. Brick by brick. Client by client. Photographer by photographer. Stylist by stylist. New Madison was my school. It taught me patience, diplomacy, and how to stay calm when everything is very much not calm. Over time, I started handling top casting directors, bigger clients, and stronger models. Seven years in, I felt it: time for something new. So I left. Took a break. Went to Mongolia. Came back to Paris. Signed with GIRL MGMT.
Now I’m managing the image board, the part of the agency focused on runways, editorials, and high fashion. At this level, it’s less about chaos (well, slightly less) and more about vision. Art direction. Strategy. Building and protecting a model’s image at the highest level. And then there’s scouting. That’s the fun part. The addictive part. We’re constantly searching for new faces, traveling to meet local agencies across Scandinavia, the Baltics, Latin America, Asia, and Africa. You meet people from everywhere, all with different stories, different energies. It keeps you sharp. It keeps you curious. It gets intense at times. Actually, it gets very intense. But that’s kind of the point. My former director at New Madison once told me, “I don’t think you realize yet where modeling is going to take you.”
I think about that a lot. Because honestly? I still don’t. And I can’t wait to find out.
Check out some of the editorials, campaigns, and shows booked by Quentin below!
