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In a sprawling office-turned-showroom in downtown Guangzhou, auburn-haired Eloisa parades in front of a group of fashion directors and production assistants striking a variety of poses before exiting the room. Carol, another long-legged Brazilian, shows off another of the Ecico fashion company's designs.

 

A few minutes later, the girls will be told whether they have made the short list of applicants who will grace the company's upcoming autumn/winter catalogue.

 

This time they have not been so lucky.

 

Undeterred, the pair look forward to their next casting, later that afternoon.

 

The stunning youngsters are just two of hundreds of foreigners, mostly female, that come to the city each year to seek experience, money and with a bit of luck, fame, as models in China's burgeoning fashion industry.

 

Drawn by the prospect of regular work, these girls, often still in their teens, hail from Russia, Slovenia and other Eastern European countries or Latin America, where modeling jobs are scarce and competition plentiful. "There are so many beautiful girls in Brazil," says 16-year-old Carol. "For us it is very difficult to (find) work."

 

"In China, we do the same work as at home, but there are more jobs here for the same money," says 18-year-old Eloisa, who has already modeled back home as well as in Thailand and South Korea.

 

While opportunities are good, the girls need to work quickly. Visa restrictions mean models are only permitted to stay for two weeks or so, says 18-year-old Dagmar, a Slovenian who had already modeled in Hangzhou and Shanghai, before trying her luck in Guangzhou.

 

At any one time, there are only 30 to 40 foreign models working in the city, says Johan Wen, head booker of local agency Modeling. "There are about eight to 10 agencies that specialize in providing foreigners but each of them only has the girls for a short period of time."

 

This relative scarcity puts foreign services at a premium -- anywhere from 1,000 to 1,200 yuan ($132-158) per hour and upwards of 4,000 yuan ($526) for a 4-hour session, compared to the 2,000 ($263) to 3,000 ($395) charged by local models for a full day (6 hours).

 

For fashion houses pitching to international markets, foreign faces are a must, while local companies need them to make their clothes appear more international and, by association, of higher quality, says a representative for Ecico.

 

The Italian-owned company's mid-market OBM and ODM casual and evening wear exclusively targets customers in Europe, the Middle East, US and Canada.

 

"Local companies looking to expand into international markets do need foreign models," agrees Ding Jun, of Manzusaka Model Agency. "But companies targeting local markets do better with Chinese models."

 

"Foreign models are better in photos and their posing is better," says Ding, but not at runway shows in which their 3,000 yuan ($395) to 4,000 yuan ($526) fees are debatable value for money compared to locals charging a quarter of the price.

 

Charlie Chan, a production manager for one of Guangzhou's major brand management consultancies, believes foreign models are more professional.

 

She also insists they come better prepared, ready to work, fit the clothes better and are more expressive than their local counterparts. Plus "their attitude is more positive", she says.

 

"Local models can't wait for the shoot to end so they can get paid and leave. Foreign models want to stay to get the job done well."

 

Chan says foreign models and those from Hong Kong tend to be better because agencies in these markets are more selective and often provide better training. This leads to a better standard of modeling and models of "higher quality".

 

But despite this image, not everything is rosy for foreigners. Depending on the company and the market it is trying to reach, being a foreigner can sometimes be a disadvantage.

 

Chen Desheng, chief editor at Business Travel, a local magazine, which includes fashion articles aimed at traveling professionals, believes foreign models, while exotic commodities, are often too young or inexperienced when they are brought in. And in local markets, consumers relate better to a Chinese rather than foreign face, when buying, he says.

 

Other views are that local models, usually older, have more experience and actually work harder due to greater competition for work.

 

Plus, industry players say foreign models are believed to be "past it" by the time they are 25, while Chinese models keep their youthful looks for longer.

 

Even Ecico concedes that the company's foreigner-only policy, when it comes to models, targets 16 to 25 year olds.

 

With an arguably shorter shelf life, foreign models have a smaller window of opportunity to make their name in the industry. But is Guangzhou the place to do it? Despite Guangzhou developing much earlier as a manufacturing and production region than other areas in China, it has been leapfrogged by Shanghai and Beijing in the fashion stakes.

 

With its northern counterparts having larger populations, more fashion-oriented consumer markets, and strong arts and cultural communities, local and international designers have bypassed the south and concentrated on these big cities.

 

These major metropolises also attract stars from music, film and entertainment -- perfect platforms for showcasing high-profile fashion.

 

There has also been the emergence of international fashion magazines, such as Vogue, Elle, Harpers Bazaar and Esquire, and the very best photographers, stylists and other professionals are all part of a premium fashion industry.

 

Throw in elite events such as Shanghai's Fashion Week, similar events in Beijing, and Hong Kong's bi-annual fashion weeks, and it's no wonder Guangzhou remains a blip on the fashion radar.

 

It's no surprise to see Chinese supermodels such as Du Juan, Wang Wenqin, Tong Chenjie and Sheng Dailiu landing on the northern fashion runways.

 

The reality is that "many foreign models that come here, are second or third tier," according to Ecico. "All the top international models are in Europe, the UK or the US, where the fashion capitals are, the famous brands are and the pay is much higher."

 

Dickey Deng, fashion director for Elle China, says with local supermodels dominating the catwalks for Chinese designers and its overseas content already containing foreign faces, the probability of the next Gisele Bundchen or Gemma Ward being discovered locally, is slim.

 

"A model's best chance (here) is to get chosen by an agency that has good connections," she says.

 

"If she can get onto a photo spread for a good magazine and get chosen for a show, she might catch the eye of a local designer."

 

(China Daily July 6, 2007)