Inside Fashion Month: How Casting Directors Shape the Runway

As Spring/Summer 2027 fashion month wrapped, a handful of leading fashion casting directors gave a rare look at the work behind every runway. From Paris studios to Milan cafés, they described a job that is part creative vision, part logistics and part diplomacy.

Demand for their services has grown sharply. Brands once picked their own models, but with five or six runway shows a year plus near-constant campaigns, specialists now handle the volume. Ben Grimes worked nine shows this season, including Ann Demeulemeester and Jil Sander. Julia Lange’s 17-person team covered 18 shows across four cities and saw around 800 models.

From Street Scouting to Celebrity Cameos

Casting is no longer limited to the same top names. Lange’s agency has a scouting team that looks beyond traditional model agencies, and for Versace it found a German actor, a dancer and a Paris performer. Simone Schofer, working with Paloma Wool for the first time, cast photographers, editors and musicians. Emma Matell, known for street casting and body diversity, mixed new faces with Danish actors and a New York band’s lead singer.

Every show begins with a conversation with the designer about inspiration, the collection’s story and budget. Casting directors then work out who they want, who is available and who still needs to be discovered.

The Politics Behind the Walk

Booking is the hard part. Lange says the biggest challenge is the politics of agents and models weighing bigger clients, while keeping those struggles away from the brand. Matell sometimes negotiates with more than 80 agents at once, juggling call times and hair requirements. For Cecilie Bahnsen’s 30 looks, she saw 120 models over two days.

Disasters are routine, Grimes says, but the shows go on. In the end, the clothes make the final call.