THE INDEPENDENTS

Claudia, Christy and Cindy have been getting away with working without a modeling agency for years. Amber Valetta, Linda Evangelista and Nadja Auermann have joined their ranks (while still being managed by their long time agent Didier Fernandez). Spring '02 Gucci face Rie and Oscar de la Fragrance model Liliana are currently in the same column, continuing to book gigs with Harper's Bazaar, Italian Vogue, Numero, Dutch and British Vogue through their (currently) freestanding agent Scott Lipps... Mass market sensations are doing it with Victoria's Secret mainstay Adriana Lima, Arena cover-girl Kim Smith and Guess face Megan Ewing still running strong with no agency representation. And even male models are doing it, specifically in the case of Dolce y Gabbana's mystery boy Matt Duffie, still being managed by his lawyer in Florida sans agency representation. Industry fluke or wave of the future? Only time and money will tell.

MDC MEMBER TRIUMPH

The new men's package from New York Model's arrives. Betty Sze, MDC's Agency Relations Director is filtering through the pack when one card, the one marked with a blue-stick on note, jumps out. It announces that new face Adam has just scored a spot in the new Levi's jeans campaign. Now why does this Adam Wallace look so familiar? Maybe because the dashing young god perched so magnificently on the comp card is none other than former MDC Spotlight member Adam W. Congratulations are in order and we look forward to highlighting more member-turned-model sensations in the near future.