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MDC: Well it's an intriguing idea of talent management, but how does it apply to a totally new girl who just got signed..say..yesterday?

SL: I think it wouldn't necessarily mean the new faces. You have girls that have been modeling for a while, and they probably have a very clear idea where they want their career to be and what interests they have. It might mean someone that's coming to me who has been modeling for a while and been quite successful and she comes to me and she says "You know what, I'm doing great with modeling and that's wonderful. But I'm interested in writing a book or a script about a great female painter and I think I would like to take this to another level." This kind of model really appeals to me, and I think that the future of his business is definitely more about incorporating these kinds of platforms. The talent wants and needs that service. They want to be able to do that. They want to know that they're with a company that will be able to take them to that level.

MDC: Well, how does one separate a girl from a pack of a hundred girls so that she does become this personality?

SL: It's a lot about directing and imaging. The fashion business is intensely, intensely about packaging. And it's a lot about attitude, and about personal relationships. But I think when it really comes down to the basics, so is a lot of the entertainment industry. Whether you're managing a girl or you're managing a band there's a lot of presentation and packaging involved. It looks accidental but it takes a lot of thinking. It's really about making a series of calculated decisions for your talent. So it's a question of looking at the individual model and thinking "How do we take this girl to another level?" Meaning how do we start a dialogue between this girl and the people that will get her? Who is she really good for? Which clients? What campaigns do we see her in?" When you're managing a band you're thinking, "Who are the consumers that will be buying this kind of music?" "Where do I see this band sitting on the market? Will it skew younger or older?" So it's a similar kind of path in fashion.

MDC: Isn't fashion packaging sometimes a little too esoteric to cross over into pop culture?

SL: In terms of where fashion is going I think that there are a lot of great young designers out there who are just barely starting to find their aesthetic. I think that as pop culture starts to discover these designers, this is something that will eventually transfer into the look of things like music videos and commercials. Fashion is constantly changing, pop culture changes even faster so the two things keep feeding off each other in this on-going loop.

MDC: In terms of scouting. When you check out the MDC database, tell me about the kinds of girls who you are looking for?

SL: I think that strong, natural beauty is always wanted. I don't think it ever really went out of fashion. Obviously the girls who are interesting beauties will always appeal to me. I have always been into those models that have something special, but are still really beautiful. Going back to the idea of super model, if you looked at all the girls who became supermodels they always have that clear, obvious beauty. In person they are all very natural about whom they are, and what they are. I think that all the girls of that genre have lasted more than six months and have gone on to become stars because of that natural element of beauty.

MDC: How do you know that a girl is right? That she is the "one"?

SL: I think it's about finding girls that people will be inspired by. When we send girls to clients, whether those clients are editors or photographers or casting agents, we want them to feel like "Wow". Every girl you send has something really special about her. If the photographers are inspired, the magazines are inspired, the stylists are inspired, and people get excited about fashion again. That's why we haven't taken on too many girls, we want to be very selective so that the clients again do get inspired by the people we represent. I think that it's important that all the managers have that all consuming passion about the girls they represent. Because it's that passion that will make the difference. Without that passion, there's no business.

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