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In this episode we decided to lift the curtain on the fashion industry by sharing the story of one of our models, who had the opportunity to work abroad. We asked Radostina Antonova for an exclusive recount of her personal story and what the fashion industry looks like to her mind. We hope that this way everyone will have a chance to walk in the shoes of a model and get to know, although indirectly, the fashion world and feel the emotions experienced along the journey.
My name is Radostina Antonova. I was born and raised in Varna. Firstly, I would like to share with you the story of how I started my modelling career before going into more details about the field of fashion.
I was scouted by Kirilka Hirstova, who is our untiring booker. This happened, namely in Varna. Up until that moment I had never thought that it is possible to work as a professional model in Bulgaria and at such a high level. This was probably the case because social media was not so popular at the time as it is now and I did not have the chance to learn more about the huge amount of talented models, photographers, stylists and make-up artists that there are in Bulgaria. I believed that the models in magazines, advertisements and billboards were foreigners or just happened to be from outer space. Fortunately, I was wrong!
One sunny day I was walking with some friends of mine in the sea garden in Varna and a woman stopped me and asked how old and tall I was. At first, I thought that she was actually talking to my friend so I decided not to pay a lot of attention to the question. I didn’t realize what was going on and I honestly didn't care. After a few seconds I realized that she was referring to me, which made me stare in amazement. Then I was handed a business card with an offer to arrange a meeting with the agency in their office. If I am honest, I did not feel like a potential model, on the contrary, I never felt as a classical beauty. At the time, I always thought there was something wrong with me. Despite this, I decided to try. It might have been out of sheer curiosity, I cannot recall. My entering the office turned my understanding of the fashion industry around. Everything happened so quickly, as if I found myself in a tornado. I still don’t understand how it all happened.
The first work engagement was a photoshoot of the calendar of the agency and my second one was for the cover of “Education” magazine. A week later I had the opportunity to work with one of the best photographers in my town. It was all great fun. Understandably, my anxiety was huge but the team did everything possible to make me feel at ease because this is when the most amazing photos are made. After all these new and exciting experiences, I went on with my normal everyday life. Until one day when I was walking along the sea coast with my friends, I noticed my photo on the cover of a magazine in a kiosk.
I took part in a photoshoot for Joy and OK magazine and the Miss Sirena pageant in the seaside resort of Golden Sands where I received a prize “Face of the famous restaurant Paris”. All of this happened very quickly and the next step my agency took was to send me abroad after I graduated from high school. Indeed, I accepted and in the meantime I travelled to Thessaloniki in Greece for a few days. There I participated in a photoshoot for Fashion show and I can definitely say that this experience helped me immensely.
The feeling was amazing and to this day when I see my photo published I feel as excited as I did that first day. Not long after this the calendar was ready as well as the photos from my first photoshoot.
A few months later, I was already travelling abroad. Ni Hao, Beijing!
Every morning started with a conversation with the other models, a healthy breakfast and coffee. There was always something we could share and learn from one another. We also learned a lot about the culture of the country we stayed in. An interesting fact we learned in Thailand was the greeting “Sa Wa Dee Ka”, which means “Hello”. It must always be accompanied by a slight bow with hands brought together as if for prayer. We were advised to always smile during castings as Thailand is a country of smiles and to always say “Thank you”. In addition to positivity, we learned how to be patient because castings take more time, sometimes even a whole day. There are also castings that last 2-3 days. This is in contrast to China where clients require speed and you have to learn to pose very quickly.
Most people say that velocity in posing develops with time but this is not true and you need to practise in front of the mirror for a long period of time. Always take advice from other models and even copy them. Working as a model in a country like China will teach you to be more organised and better at time management. Punctuality is very important. 
After breakfast it is time for castings. In some countries agencies provide a car and a driver, which takes the models to castings and jobs they have been selected for. In other countries models are given an address and time and they have to use public transport or walk. Thus, we had the opportunity to get to know the culture of the country, its habits and customs even better. It is important to mention that we are of great interest to locals and they immediately recognise that we are indeed models. Castings are diverse, ranging from catalogues, fashion shows and advertisements.
Advertisements were the most fun because in Thailand people prefer to see how the advertisement would look in its finished form. During the casting we had makeup done and were given clothes and lines to deliver. It was very interesting because we learned how to act on the go and if the time allowed it, we could also see the video and get guidance. If castings took less time and there weren’t many models from different agencies, we would do more than one casting a day, which was a great opportunity for us. We used to finish our working day at around 16:00 - 18:00. At this time I would go to the gym with some of the other girls and then we had dinner. When you are selected for a certain work engagement, it is important to go to sleep as early as possible. There are ads, for example for hotels and catalogues for swimsuits that are shot far away and you may have to get up at 2:30 am in order to get to the airport or travel a long distance to be there in time for the sunrise.
This is all very exciting and you must always be prepared. High comfortable black heels, black clothes that fit your body shape, a black swimsuit and a positive attitude are a must. Working as a model requires a lot of flexibility and adaptability. It is very different from working 9 to 5. You also won't get every job you go to a casting for because the world is filled with different people and diverse models. There is a variety of work engagements and if you can find a niche, you can do very well and become successful. For the models who are still wondering which destination to choose, I can advise you to give the Asian market a try because it is way easier and accepting of new models and even advanced models unlike Europe. In Europe there is an abundance of models and the engagements are a lot less, so it is more difficult to be selected for work, given that each casting is attended by some 300 models. Most models working in Europe already have a lot of experience, which makes it even more difficult for new and inexperienced models to get work engagements.
Success is hidden in the passion and consistency, with which you follow your dreams, so dream on and don’t forget to smile.
- Radostina Antonova
Author: Radostina Antonova @radostina.antonova
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