Model Alliance, SAG-AFTRA, WGAE & More Rally for Fashion Workers Act Ahead of Met Gala

NEW YORK, NY (05/04/2024) (readMedia)-- Ahead of next week's Met Gala, the Model Alliance will join models, labor unions, and advocates to rally for the Fashion Workers Act – a pro-labor bill that would regulate predatory management agencies in New York and equip models with workplace protections within the $2.5 trillion fashion industry. Gathered on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art 24 hours before Monday's Met Gala, the group will be joined by SAG-AFTRA, the Writers Guild of America East, the Condé Union, National Domestic Workers Alliance, the Freelancers Union, and more.

WATCH the rally on the Model Alliance Instagram.

Fashion is big business in New York – Fashion Week alone generates close to $600 million in income each year for the State. And yet, fashion workers – in particular, the models who are the literal faces of the industry – are not afforded basic labor protections in New York. The Fashion Workers Act – which last year passed the Senate – would close this loophole and create basic protections for models, often young women.

About the Model Alliance

Founded in 2012, the Model Alliance has been at the forefront of advancing labor rights in the fashion industry for the last decade. Through strategic research, policy initiatives, and campaigns, the Model Alliance aims to promote fair treatment, equal opportunity, and more sustainable practices in the fashion industry, from the runway to the factory floor. The Model Alliance has championed multiple pieces of legislation, including the Child Model Act and the Adult Survivors Act in New York and the Talent Protections Act in California. The organization also runs the world's only industry-specific support line, MA Support. In 2021, the organization received the first Positive Social Influence Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America at the CFDA Awards.