Day rates for fit modeling and other modeling jobs can reach $1,000.
Modeling work can be very glamorous, allowing a model to travel the world and be photographed by fashion journalists and industry professionals every day. Breaking into the high fashion modeling industry, however, requires a person to take many lower paying jobs to build up a portfolio, sometimes earning no money at all. The pay scale for modeling work can range from unpaid volunteer work to hundreds of thousands of dollars or more for runway work.
Runway Modeling
Runway modeling jobs for fashion designers are among the best paying modeling jobs available, but the pay scale can vary widely. According to "Career Opportunities in the Fashion Industry," a 2007 book on fashion careers, the salary range for runway modeling jobs spans from $0 to over $500,000 per year. Runway models may start working in local fashion shows that offer little to no money, while an experienced fashion model can earn from $500 to $5,000 per show.
National Average
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national average salary for all modeling jobs in America was $42,560 per year, or $20.46 per hour, as of May 2010. In 2008, models held about 2,200 jobs in the fashion industry, but that number dropped to 1,020 jobs by 2010. Most fashion modeling jobs in America during 2010 were concentrated in the states of California, New York and Ohio.
Other Types of Modeling
Runway modeling is the most common form of high fashion modeling, but many other modeling opportunities are available in the fashion world. Photo shoots for high fashion catalogs can pay from $8,000 to $15,000 per day as of 2008, according to Forbes.com, although shoots typically only last one day, after which new work must be sought. On the low end of the pay scale, photo shoots for editorial magazines, including fashion magazines such as "Vogue," sometimes only pay $150 per day, according to "Slate." Another common form of modeling work is promotional modeling, which involves models handing out samples, fliers and other promotional materials at malls or special events. Pay rates for promotional modeling typically range from $15 to $25 per hour, with jobs lasting at least several hours per day. (See References 6, section titled "What Promotional Models and Promotional Staff Do")
Advancement
A model who is just starting out in the fashion industry may need to take a lot of low paying jobs to build up her experience. High fashion models can build a portfolio of pictures from previous runway jobs or photo shoots that markets their previous work. Fashion models are responsible for finding their own work, or they can hire an agent to help find work opportunities. Agents for high fashion models typically charge 15 to 20 percent of a model's earnings.
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