Model Marius Bourgogne strikes a pose. *Photo by Ruslan Goncharenko*

By Tom Victoria

Marius Bourgogne is sparking a renaissance in modeling. He started his own agency to aid his colleagues in finding work across the globe.

The 22-year-old Belgian model runs Renaissance Management.

“That's my biggest project for the moment,” Marius said. “So I decided to launch my own agency. We try to really manage models and find them agencies in the world. So we are working with over 700 agencies all over the world. In Asia, in Europe, United States also. Now, we are actually scouting for some new faces and models to work with them.”

The agency fulfills one of his goals.

“It has been in my mind for quite a long time,” Marius said. “I was feeling that it was the right time to start this. So I started working on it and I have launched it.”

Renaissance Management currently has six models, five men and one woman. Although the agency is seeking more women, the door isn’t closed for more male models.

“We are always open to applications,” Marius said.

He explained Renaissance Management ties into his academic interests.

“Before modeling, I was at university and was studying management and economics,” Marius said. “So it has always been the two main sides in my life, the entrepreneurship and the modeling world. I love building a structure system like a company and managing people. So this and the modeling industry. I thought it was perfect.”

He looks for models who aren’t represented yet.

“First, we ask the models if they already have an agency, because we work exclusively with the model as the model agency,” Marius said. “So we have to check if they already have one or not. And then the second thing is the height and then the age. If the profile is interesting for us, we go on a call, we can talk about the experience of the model just basically explaining what we can offer them. And if it's a match and the measurements are good, then we can go further.”

He stressed age isn’t much of a determining factor.

“It doesn't really matter,” Marius said. “It's more about how you look. But we have to ask because the model has to be 18 or above to travel. We have to check. If the face is looking good and the model is in good shape and everything, there is not really a limit.”

He said many models start doing shoots when a photographer spots them in public or, more likely, social media. Photographers seek people with no experience for shoots, so they don’t have to pay for the posing. The models use the images on their personal social media to attract agencies or paying clients.

“That's usually how it starts,” Marius said. “People get contacted for shooting with a photographer. They don't really have experience. They start with some shoots and then they post on social media. And that's how we can find them. They are not professional, but they've done some shootings and they look great. So we see potential with them and we can help them go from just trying and doing it randomly to really getting professional, traveling for it, getting paid for it. That's also our goal.”

Budding actors, who bring experience of working in front of the camera, often model as well.

“It's happened a lot,” Marius said. “People doing either acting or modeling, then they try the other side of it.”

A model’s look plays a large role in where work is found due to different countries seeking different traits.

“I would say India is the most accessible market to start,” Marius said. “You can send models there to learn the basics, learn how to pose, learn how to walk, the proper modeling work. And then after this first step, you have to really take the model in consideration, the type of model, if it's more like a mature model or more like a baby face. And China and all this side of Asia are more baby-face models. They like a young face. And in Europe or Turkey, you can have a more mature face, more mature men. There is definitely a different profile for every country.”

Size also matters.

“The agencies we are talking with, they sometimes send us a paper with proper measurements,” Marius said. “They want examples like past models they've worked with, so we have guidelines. There is always some measurement in consideration. Every agency has its own criteria. But I would say for men it's between 180 to 190 (centimeters) and for women 170 to 180. Sometimes, it can be different. But that's mainly what we are looking for in placement. It really depends on the market. For runway and catwalk, there is definitely a certain minimum for height. You have to be tall. That's a problem for a lot of girls that are beautiful, but they are not tall enough. Sometimes it's like nothing, but they're really strict on this. If you say some measurements and you cheat on them, they will check when you arrive and you can have problems. They send you back to your country. It happens.”

He drew upon the Internet and his own experience as a model to compile the lengthy list of agencies to collaborate with Renaissance.

“Mainly on social media or with my own experience,” Marius said. “For example, in India, I just met a lot of agency owners when I was there. So I can directly talk with them. I create a real connection. Just knowing a lot of people in this industry, a lot of models a bit everywhere, South America models, Brazilian mainly. A lot of models working in China, in Japan, everywhere in the world. And so they can give me their contact there. And then on social media, we can just check on some country if there is an agency there and then contact them, see if it's a good agency, if they are serious. If they are okay with the models, if there are good conditions, because we have to make sure our models are safe and can develop in this industry the best way possible because it’s not always happy in this world.”

There are no restrictions where his agency will place people.

“We can take models worldwide,” Marius said. “So it doesn't matter if you are in Brazil, in Belgium, in Japan, we can just have a Zoom call. I interview the model. If you have a good profile, we onboard it on Instagram and we create the portfolio. Then, we can send it to the agency. If it's okay with an agency, the model flies directly to the agency. It's not a physical business. We can do it remotely wherever we want. That's the good part of being a model agency I would say.”

Some agencies still have offices.

“There are agencies that still do it,” Marius said. “But there are model agencies as we are, and there are sister agencies and a sister agency just manages the relations between the model and the client. So you are stuck in one country for example. That's what I want to do in the future. Like Renaissance France, Renaissance Italy, for example. And so at this stage, we will be managing the model and the brand directly. In Milano for example, we will get the connection between the model and the high fashion brands located in the city. But that's in the future. First, we will really push the mother agency as far as we can. And then why not develop a sister agency in every country?”

He said agencies and clients view models’ social media presence.

“Agencies and brands, they are looking a lot at this,” Marius said. “Usually the agency, they ask for your Instagram or your TikTok because they want to check your personality on it, what image you send to people. It's a huge part now, the social media, and so your personality, really.”

He is continuing his own modeling career as well, which includes working with other agencies.

“I love doing the job myself and I love having my agency, so I want to do both at the same time,” Marius said. “I still love doing it, meeting new people, just shooting pictures. Yeah, still fun.”

Since the Grid initially profiled Marius, he has traveled to such exotic locales as India.

“It was my first time there and it was great,” Marius said. “Amazing experience. Not easy every day, but definitely worth it. And I learned a lot in modeling and in every aspect of my life.”

He was intrigued by learning a new culture.

“Totally different,” Marius said. “Nothing like what I was used to: the food, the language of course, the people there, the music. Everything is different. The first weeks I was focused on modeling because I had to learn a lot, posing, everything. And then I tried to enjoy a bit more the culture there. Tried to visit some temples. It was a super experience.”

He spent six months in the country.

“I was three-and-a-half months in Delhi and two-and-a-half months in Bangalore in the south of India,” Marius said. “One of the main things I saw when I arrived is that there are people everywhere. The traffic there is insane. Just a normally 15-minute ride, it's like one hour there. There are people everywhere. Even at night, there were people on the street.”

He did not encounter India’s most famous four-legged denizen, the pachyderm.

“Elephants? No,” Marius said. “I know it can happen, but I saw a lot of cows, pigs. I didn't see any elephants.”

Indian cuisine is a unique taste for many palates.

“Everything is spicy,” Marius said. “They put spice and chili in everything. Even a juice or something that should be sweet is spicy. Insane.”

He spent the rest of the time last year in Europe.

“I worked a bit in the Netherlands,” Marius said. “I just entered a Belgian agency, so I hope to have some work with them soon.”

He seeks new places and experiences.

“First, I want to evolve in the modeling field, so gain more experience, try to do things I have never done in this industry,” Marius said. “I would like to discover a new place, so I don't go back to the same city or the same country. Try to see as many countries and different cultures. If I can do another country, it will be great. Or if I go back to India, I will try maybe Mumbai or another city.”

He traveled to Thailand at the end of last year.

“Thailand was incredible,” Marius said. “I was there one month mainly to do castings with agencies, discover the modeling market and create relations with agencies for Renaissance. Then I went 10 days to Malaysia in order to do the same there and apply for the work visa for Thailand. This is now done and I am going back to Thailand for three months. I will work as a model and manage Renaissance from there.”

Photo shoots vary in length.

“It depends on the country, a lot of parameters depends of where you are,” Marius said. “For the Indian market, you usually shoot e-commerce. For example, there is a huge company like Amazon. You shoot for nine hours and it's usually 100 garments a day. So you have to learn how to pose fast and shoot. That's the norms, like 100 clothes or nine hours. It depends. But this is for the Indian market. In China for example, you can work for more hours because you are paid by the hour. In India, you are paid for the day.”

He said the area’s culture affects how long things take.

“In India, they are, I would say, slow,” Marius said. “You can arrive in the morning and then you are waiting on them because they are late. And then it's time for coffee or tea. You have to wait for the makeup artist and then the makeup starts late also. And then there is light setting, so you are ready to shoot, but they are not ready. So you have to wait again. And then the clothes are not there. The clothes arrive later. And it's always like this. It depends the studio and the company, but sometimes you can wait hours and hours. It's just not efficient. I don't know what they do. But actually you take a book, you read, you listen to music, you talk with other models. It's a good vibe.”

He explained a model needs a positive attitude and another attribute.

“You have to be resilient because it's an industry where you take 99 nos for one yes,” Marius said. “So if you're not ready to accept a lot of rejection, it's not possible. Sometimes you send a profile to 100 agencies and you got 100 nos. And then one week later, there is one agency that says finally we want him. So you can succeed, but you have to be strong mentally.”

Being flexible is another necessity.

“One other thing that is quite complicated to deal with is that it's super hard to plan in the future,” Marius said. “You never know where you will be in six months, in which country doing what. So it's hard to manage a relationship. It's hard to be stable. You have to be strong in this sense.”

Personality also helps a great deal.

“There is every type of personality,” Marius said. “You can succeed by being yourself with your own personality. Just bring this and be strong and resilient. And what we are looking for at the agency is that we want to have a good connection with the model. If I don't have a good feeling with a model, even if he is beautiful, has good measurements, but if I don't feel it in the moment, I won’t accept it. We are looking for a good personality, people with who we can create good connections, good relations and even be friends.”

As with many jobs, a model must be dependable.

“I know a lot of stories of amazing models that had the perfect face and there were perfect measurements,” Marius said. “They were perfect for this job, but they were not serious. They got a contract for a big brand, and the day of the job, they were not there. They just didn't come and they were like, oh, I was with my girlfriend. She called me and I prefer to go with my girlfriend.”

Any models not signed to an agency may contact Marius directly or through Renaissance Management. He gave assurances there will be a response.

“That's one of the things I don't like in this industry is that when you send your profile to agencies, if they like you, they will answer you,” Marius said. “But usually when you're not okay for the agency, they just ignore you and not reply. So you cannot really know if they have seen your profile, if they have not seen it, if they like you, don't like you, you don't have feedback. So that's something I try to do. Even if we are not interested in the profile of the models who send us something, we answer it. We try to give some advice or give feedback to the models because it's important to answer them. We try to bring a better version of this industry, try to change it a bit.”

Interested models may apply to Renaissance by sending an application to contact@renaissance-mgmt.com.

“On top of that, the website will soon be ready and the models will be available to apply online directly,” Marius said.

Marius’ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marius_bourgogne/

Renaissance Management’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/renaissance_mgmt/

Marius’ website: https://mariusbourgogne.com/

Marius’ initial profile: https://www.gridnews.net/profiles/belgian-balances-modeling-college-and-fitness