Ford Models facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Ford Models

Type	Private
Industry	Fashion
Founded	1946; 79 years ago (1946)
Founder	Eileen Ford Gerard W. Ford
Headquarters	11 E. 26th St., 14th Floor, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
Owner	Privately Owned

Ford Models is a famous international modeling agency based in New York City. It was started in 1946 by Eileen Ford and her husband Gerard W. Ford. They wanted to help new models find work and become successful.

History of Ford Models

Starting in the 20th Century

Eileen and Jerry Ford began their business right from their home in Manhattan in 1946. By the end of the 1900s, Ford Models became one of the most important and well-known modeling agencies in New York City.

In the 1970s, Ford Models started to face more competition. Other big agencies like Women Management and IMG Models also became popular.

In 1980, Ford Models created the Ford Models Supermodel of the World contest. This contest became very popular, with over 60,000 people from all over the world trying out each year. Today, a similar contest called the V/VMan Ford Model Search still happens.

More competition came in the 1980s when John Casablancas opened Elite Model Management. This made the modeling world even more competitive for the biggest agencies. Over the years, Ford Models has worked with many different kinds of models and famous people.

In 1995, the Fords' daughter, Katie Ford, became the main leader of the agency. She led the company for 12 years.

Ford Models in the 21st Century

In the early 2000s, Ford Models grew even more. They started Ford Artists to represent talented people in hair, makeup, and clothing styling. The company also used social media like their blog, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube to connect with more people. Ford Models even put its name on a series of teen novels from Random House. These books tried to make working with the agency seem exciting and glamorous.

In 2007, John Caplan became the chief executive officer of Ford Models. Later that year, the Ford family sold some of their ownership to a company called Stone Tower Equity Partners. This company changed its name to Altpoint Capital Partners in 2009.

In 2011, Altpoint increased its ownership in Ford Models. Also in 2011, the company started to get involved in the art gallery business.

In 2020, Ford Models Brasil bought Ford Models from Altpoint. This happened during a time of big changes in the fashion industry, partly because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ford Artists Division

Besides representing models, Ford Models also helps other talented people in the fashion world through its Ford Artists division. This includes people who do hair, makeup, nails, and styling. They also work with set designers, prop stylists, art directors, and photographers. Ford Artists has offices in Chicago and Los Angeles.

Office Locations

Ford Models has its main office in Manhattan, New York City. They also have offices in other major cities around the world, including Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Paris, and Barcelona.

Famous Models Represented

As of early 2022, Ford Models represents many well-known models. Some of them include:

See also

• List of modeling agencies