Paul Fisher On Changing The Narrative In The Fashion Industry

Paul Fisher is a man on a mission. His goal–to make the fashion industry a much healthier place to be, not just for the models, but for the people who look up to those in industry.

Fisher started out as a modeling agent at the age of 21 and made his name as a modeling industry legend. His talent at being able to find star power allowed him the chance to represent modeling superstars like Naomi Campbell, Carol Alt, Stephanie Seymour, Carla Bruni, Brooke Burke, Kimora Lee Simmons and Carré Otis. However, despite the fame he garnered, he said that he got into the business for all the wrong reasons, and now he wants to create a positive change in the industry that is much more long-term. “I’m trying to do things the right way this time,” he said. “I want to repent for the sins of my past.”

One way he’s planning on making good is The Network, his new venture that is now 50 modeling agencies strong. The purpose of The Network, which handles about 14,000 models around the world, is to have like-minded small modeling agencies band together in order to create a safe harbor for young models in the industry. According to Fisher, he has experts of every kind, including health experts, depression experts, counselors, etc., on hand for the welfare of his models, who he treats like his own children. He also makes sure that his staff and agencies have women on staff. Due to how his own experiences in the past with his modeling agency, he feels that women-run agencies are much safer.

It could be surprising to hear a modeling agent say that he is the last person you should talk to if you’re considering becoming a model due to the horrors of the business. “Run from guys like me,” he said. “If you’re a parent, I don’t care how beautiful your kid is–this is one of the worst businesses in the world. Do you want your kid being judged 24/7 on their looks? There’s something wrong when the most beautiful person in the world takes a look in the mirror and hates the way they look. I’d rather them go back to school.” However, he said that if a person feels like they can make a difference and become a role model for others through their photos, then they have more of a social maturity than he had at their age. “I wish I would have been a better role model,” he said when talking about his former modeling agent life.

In an effort to be the role model he feels he should have been, he makes sure his models stay grounded. “Just recently, I had a model land a Prada campaign, and instead of saying, ‘That’s amazing, you got Prada,’ I said, ‘Now go help out with the homeless. Go do something where you quit thinking about yourself,'” he said. “You can ask all of my models–I always tell them to go do something for the world.”

Aside from making sure his models stay tuned into the world, Fisher is also adamant about reforming the industry as a whole in order to erase the idea that beauty only belongs to the “hanger” models–the models that are either a size zero or one.

“It starts at the top,” he said, saying that many of the problems in the industry stem from the designers themselves and work downward. “They [the designers] pay my bills and I’m going to war with them. It’s not only people that emulate the models–the makeup artists and photographers emulate the designers. We look up to these people, and designers are too damn worried about their bottom line. What is a ‘plus size’ model? These are normal girls! The average woman is 5′ 4″ and 140 lbs. These are normal girls, these plus size models. There are models sticking their fingers down their throats and they [the designers] do not care. I’m going to affect their bottom line. I don’t care how pissed off they are.”

Eventually, there will be a unified voice against the horrors of the business, said Fisher. “Sooner or later, you’ll see a shift of consciousness. There are people in the industry around the world that believe in me. But it’s bifurcated; there’s not one unified voice that can put their foot down and say ‘Enough!’, but that’s the goal of The Network, to bring them all together so we can say ‘It’s enough, stop it!’ We’re all beautiful.”

“Remodeled” premieres Tuesday, Jan. 17 at 9 p.m. ET on The CW. Make sure to check out the preview videos at The CW or below this post.