One of the most promising start-ups in the Egyptian fashion industry is C Town Model Management. Fortunately for us, the minds behind the modelling agency found a gap in the continuously growing fashion industry that needed to be filled and started working on it.

Having only begun this year, they are already carving out their name and successfully working with the big names in the game to create stunning photoshoots. We wanted to know more about what it took to get this modelling agency into the fashion scene, so we spoke to one of the team members, Ahmed Hisham, proudly one of our ex-team members, to get more details.

How did you get the idea?
Being a former magazine editor in Identity Magazine, I was always intrigued by the photoshoots. I always liked to tag along even though I had nothing to do with the fashion editorials. Sometimes, I asked my friends to model when we were stuck and needed a model on the spot.

Then it all started merely by chance. I was hanging out with a well-known Egyptian designer and he needed a new model; I introduced him a to couple of my beginner models friends and they worked together. Later, a designer friend of his also wanted models for a photoshoot so he called me and I helped him out. It all started on a friendly basis, then I started to think if I’m good at it, why shouldn’t I turn it into a business? And I knew that I could easily do it because I was already doing it.

Who are your partners, and how do you split the responsibilities?

We started as four partners: Suzanne el Hussainy, Feras Zein, Ali Bahr, and myself. Ali Bahr handles everything that has to do with media. Suzanne is responsible for choosing and training the models. Feras and I handle the clients and the photoshoots.
Karim Khashaba is the head of our social media team and Ahmed Khaled is the head of the creative department.

How did you start? 

It was actually a coincidence. One of my current partners, Suzanne, models every now and then as a hobby. Someone called her to model in a photoshoot so she told them that we started a modelling agency called C Town and offered to send them modelling profiles to pick from. The client was Zaam Designs. When I later had a meeting with Zaam he referred us to Nada Akram, who needed a model urgently, and we sorted it out. Those were C Town’s first two projects with big names; that’s why there was a buzz.

When did you launch?

We launched January 9th of this year.

What are the challenges that face you? 

Well, first of all, I deal with models between the ages of 18-22 who are extremely hard to handle. For example, many clients book a 5 hours session, but the photoshoot can extend to double that time.

How do you choose your models? 
Suzanne is the one responsible for the models, but there are different criteria. There are models for beauty photoshoots, fashion photoshoots or fashion runways.

Your models are mostly beginners. How do you train them?
Suzanne teaches them how to pose, walk and act. Most of them are beginners, but around 10 of them are already very experienced.

How many models does C Town have now?
Around 50 models (Males and Females).

Are they only Egyptians?
No, we have a couple of freelance Russian models and we’re planning on having more.

How do people contact you? And how do you market yourself?
Right now, we are totally depending on word of mouth and social media. It’s working great so far, but we’re working on launching a website that will be ready in around a month or so.

There are a couple of other modelling agencies in Egypt. What differentiates you from them?
We only deal with A-class clients and only hire A-class models. The models are well-educated, professional and extremely decent while dealing with the clients. Other agencies hire models for their looks; it does not matter to them if they are well educated or not.

What are the shoots you’ve done so far?
We have done shoots for the latest collection for Nada Akram, Kojak, Zaam Designs, a cover/photoshoot for Identity Magazine, the Valentine’s Guide for Enigma Magazine, a shoot for Baraka Optics and the summer campaign for OR.

Which one was your favourite? And which one was the easiest?
I think Zaam’s because it was my first one and it was totally different. We also had to do a video shoot; it was definitely a change. The easiest one was Enigma’s; it only took 3 hours.

What are your upcoming projects?
We’re currently working on a huge project with Tarek Nour and a cover/photoshoot for Identity Magazine’s wedding issue.