sports illustrated: Kannon Rajah

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Casting Crisis

T Magazine went behind the scenes at castings for three of New York Fashion Week's biggest shows - 3.1 Phillip Lim, Altuzarra and Band of Outsiders. Booking a spot in any of the three line-ups for 3.1 Phillip Lim, Altuzarra and Band of Outsiders, guarantees a model maximum exposure and a berth that may potentially carry through to the shows in London, Paris and Milan. With casting directors Kannon Rajah at the helm for Altuzarra and whiz kid Daniel Peddle keeping a close eye on proceedings at 3.1 Phillip Lim and Band of Outsiders, every established model and newcomer worth talking about, was ready to be put through their paces.

3.1 Phillip Lim Casting
Kendra Spears reflects
Photographer - Kevin Tachman

3.1 Phillip Lim Casting
Andie Arthur & Maud Welzen
Photographer - Kevin Tachman

3.1 Phillip Lim Casting
Jeneil Williams
Photographer - Kevin Tachman

3.1 Phillip Lim Casting
Caught off Guard
Photographer - Kevin Tachman

3.1 Phillip Lim Casting
Xiao Wen Ju
Photographer - Kevin Tachman

3.1 Phillip Lim Casting
Sitting Pretty
Photographer - Kevin Tachman

3.1 Phillip Lim Casting
Tao Okamoto
Photographer - Kevin Tachman

Altuzarra Casting
Emily Baker
Photographer - Samantha Casolari

Altuzarra Casting
Josephine Skriver
Photographer - Samantha Casolari

Altuzarra Casting
Lindsey Wixson
Photographer - Samantha Casolari

Altuzarra Casting
Unidentified Model
Photographer - Samantha Casolari

Altuzarra Casting
Lina Zhang
Photographer - Samantha Casolari

Band of Outsiders Casting
Jessica Clarke
Photographer - Kevin Tachman

Band of Outsiders Casting
Photographer - Kevin Tachman

Band of Outsiders Casting
Sarah Blomqvist
Photographer - Kevin Tachman

Band of Outsiders Casting
Under Close Scrutiny
Photographer - Kevin Tachman
All images courtesy of www.tmagazine.blog.nytimes.com

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

I ♥ Polaroids

You know that a model has the goods when she looks sensational in a simple polaroid shot. The following series of polaroids feature modelling's elite hamming it up for Australian casting director Kannon Rajah. Currently one of fashion's most influential casting directors, Rajah has assembled model line-ups for Calvin Klein, Marc Jacobs, Donna Karan, Oscar de la Renta and Victoria's Secret and certainly knows a thing or two about models. Speaking to smh.com Kannon reveals, "There has to be a freshness and coolness about them. When the right girl comes along, you know. I liken models to athletes. They have to work hard, be dedicated and be mentally and physically focused to do well. It's not just about being a pretty face."

In an interview with the Australian, Rajah details the process involved for the casting of the Victoria's Secret extravaganza, "This show is the most precise show we have to cast for. It's all about the proportions of the bodies. They're in their underwear so they have to be flawless and perfect. A huge factor is having a huge personality and being able to project that, because this is a fashion show that's primarily made for television."

I had the arduous task of going through the shots of the 82 models captured by Rajah for a photographic montage entitled "All dressed up with no where to go" in support of the Impossible Project. The 17 polaroids featured below are my personal favourites and as you will see, personality is not an attribute these models lack.