Rania V. Sedhom is managing partner at Sedhom Law Group
New York has passed the Fashion Workers Act, affording models greater protections.
The legislation is being enacted in two parts: while the law took effect on June 19, Dec. 21 is the deadline for model management companies and model management groups to register with the New York State Department of Labor and comply with any registration-related requirements. For brands that hire models directly, there is no registration requirement, but the law otherwise equally applies to them.
This will affect modeling agencies and their clients — the brands. Luxury companies may also feel the financial squeeze from the new law.
The Fashion Workers Act
The law is robust in providing models with employee-type benefits, whether or not deemed as independent contractors.
This column will not address each and every requirement, although the author can provide you with additional information and insights. Rather, this column will focus on the financial aspects of the law and how these new requirements affect and opine on whether the additional spending will ultimately trickle down to the consumer.
The Fashion Workers Act requires, amongst other things, that:
- Pay models 1.5x their rate for any day that they work for more than 8 hours in any 24-hour period;
- Provide a 30-minute meal break for any day that a model works more than 8 hours in any single 24-hour period;
- Provide liability insurance to cover the health and safety of the models; and
- Obtain clear written approval before creating or using a model’s digital replica and ensure that the writing includes details related to scope, purpose, rate of pay and length of time the replica will be used. Please note that if a brand has a photo of a model from a previous photo shoot that it would like to use in a current or new advertising campaign by adjusting the photo with AI or other software, it must obtain approval unless the original contract allowed for use in new campaigns.
Legal analysis
The above rules apply to all modeling contracts, whether the model is directly hired by a brand or through a modeling agency or model management company.
It is unclear whether social media influencers are protected under the law. Each client must perform a legal analysis to determine whether the influencer is performing modeling services.
The statute defines modeling services as including performing in photoshoots or on a runway, live, films or tapes appearances, including on social media if the individual is posing, providing an example or standard or artistic expression or representing something or a place for purposes of display or advertisement.
Whether a social media influencer or content creator is engaging in modeling services will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
A similar analysis must be performed to determine whether a social media agency or influencer marketing agency is considered a model management company that must register with NYS.
If a social media agency represents a brand and hires or connects the brand with a model or influencer to promote that brand’s product on social media, the agency would be considered a model management company under the Fashion Workers Act.
Luxury acts
At the outset, I believe that the luxury brands will absorb these added costs to determine their true effect on their bottom line. However, it is likely that the costs will be passed to the consumer in late 2026 or early 2027.
Each brand and agency should audit its agreements to determine whether they run afoul of this new law.
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