In exclusive interview with MMSCENE, model Fran Rosso, a rising star from CERES Management shares about his unexpected journey into modeling. Fran’s career took off after being scouted on Instagram by his booker, which led to his first major assignment in Seoul just months later. Fran balances his academic pursuits in anthropology with a burgeoning modeling career. He brings a critical lens to the fashion industry, often reflecting on its cultural and social implications.
MMSCENE EXCLUSIVES
For this session, Fran is photographed by Matu Buiatti, with the images captured beautifully on 35mm film. Join us as we explore into Fran’s unique perspective on fashion and his global experiences. Discover his aspirations to merge anthropology and art through his modeling career in his conversation with MMSCENE Editor In Chief Zarko Davinic.
What led you to pursue a career in modeling, and how did CERES Management discover and guide you in this journey?
I got scouted on Instagram by my current booker, Facundo. I had never thought about modeling before, and it was an interesting shift in my life. Three months after my first shoot I was living and working in Seoul. I know it is a risky decision to fly models abroad at the start of their careers since modeling is a profession you learn through experience. However, I’m grateful my agency took that chance with me.
As an Anthropology student, how does your academic background shape your perspective on the global fashion industry?
From my point of view anthropology is not only a social science which produces knowledge about the plural ways to be human, but it is also a critical-thinking exercise and an ethical motivation.
Living times of super-fast-fashion the first things that come to mind when I think about the “Global fashion industry” are pollution, exploitation and overproduction but those titles are even too broad to be listed in one sentence.
Anthropology prefers to study the “social phenomenon” in a particular and located community where human interactions occur. In this context, I wonder how the role we, as models, play in the global trajectory of clothing.
I grapple with this question on an existential level, beyond the fact that I earn a living from it. Lately I’ve been thinking of my path in this industry as “field work of study”. In recent years, we have seen some social media red flags that demand a critical review on fashion. Examples include the accusation of the condition workers in Peru with Loro Piana and the chinese sweatshops of Shein.
The intersection of socio-cultural anthropology and fashion is not common due to prejudices on both sides. In academia, studying fashion or design is sometimes considered a loss of scientific relevance. Also fashion finds humanitarian science an over explanation of an art that should be absent of words. But, the acceleration in the production of cloth and trends as “secondary needs” demands a deep dive in the industry and consumption.
Study fashion from this perspective, implies conceiving cloth not only as instrumental objects, but also symbols that condense social relations and human labor. The “Fashion Industry” is not the same as the “Models industry” but they function together. In a productive perspective the model “humanizes” a textile so it can be used and sold. I also perceive fashion and modeling as a way to investigate the gesture and the body.
Walking for shows like Dolce & Gabbana Alta Sartoria in Sardegna and Moncler Grenoble must have been surreal. What stood out to you most during these experiences?
The jewelers in Dolce really impressed me. I got interested in the mythological story behind the Filigrana dorada as coworking production with fairies.
The artesanía techniques in Alta Sartoria is something that defines Dolce as a high fashion brand and having the possibility of encanate a look that seems like a luxury bullfighter from another era was fun.
I became very interested in the symbolic universe of the Alta Moda 24 Sardegna Show. Two details resonated with my anthropological studies within this context.
1st, we flew to Sardinia without knowing that the show was a recreation of the “Sant Efeso procession”, Then 2nd, the woman’s show (Alta Moda) runway was placed in the arqueológica site of Nora. That got me thinking about the role of the rituals, the sacrifice of beauty and youth in “mythical time”, and the circles of fashion shows. During the show I took some notes as if I had been hired to study the models’ interactions in this intrigue island.
I am publishing an essay divided into 3 “field notes”. The first part can be found on Substack.
Your work has taken you to Europe, China, and Korea. How have these diverse cultural environments influenced your approach to modeling?
The type of modeling demanded in each market is different and is related to the cultural beauty standards.
For example, South Korea usually brings in young models, many as young as 14, who match their “baby face” expectations. This is also reflected in the massive promotion of beauty and skincare products. While working in Seoul, I did several jobs for both the kids’ section and for adults. The magic of makeup, I guess.
In China, some clients told me that they thought my appearance resembled one of the main characters from a Japanese anime called JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.
Thinking about Europe, I found that sometimes modeling becomes pretentious, and elegance is reduced by some “fashionistas” to an exhibition of luxury… mmm, no. Also, my favorite jobs were there.
Of the shows you’ve done, such as Todd Snyder in Firenze, do you have a favorite memory or moment that defines your career so far?
I enjoyed having the Saint Moritz mountain as the runway for the Moncler winter show. We were using crampons on our boots to avoid sliding on the snow. Fashion trekking.
How do you juggle the rigorous demands of studying Anthropology with the fast-paced world of modeling?
I’m answering this interview between clothing changes at work, lol. When I was working in Korea, I had online classes with a 12-hour time difference.
Sometimes as a model, you work a lot, and sometimes you are in the middle of Asia, alone, with plenty of time to think.
Anthropologist or model?
Maybe it’s the extremes of my personality. Thankfully, I have the other one to balance me; otherwise, I would be insufferable.
After completing a season in Europe, what have you learned about yourself as a model, and how do you plan to grow from here?
I am arriving to Milano on January and I would like to work in Paris and London.
Have you had any meaningful cultural exchanges while traveling for work that left a lasting impression on you?
Winona, a Chinese friend I met in Guangzhou, started laughing when I heated a dish full of rice in the microwave. In some regions of Asia, rice is considered the historically alimentary base but also sacred. She couldn’t comprehend how I was “destroying” the food in such a silly way. That same night, she brought Durian to eat. I couldn’t believe how strong that fruit was, and how she found it “delicious.”
What’s next on your wish list in terms of collaborations, designers, or shows you’d love to work on?
I would like to have collaborations that push modeling into a performative space. Sometimes this can look goofy, also fashion. My intention is to find elegance in different body gestures, shapes and movement. I think Pina Bausch’s work has something to say about this. Also Margarita Molfino
I love the Fashion Film genre,one of my favorites is Ostal24 by Sacha Barbin, and Sensory Ethnography. I guess I would like to combine my inspirations, modeling, movement, anthropology, fiction-writing, with other artists to create a fashion monster from that.
Hats! I would like to do something with hats
When you’re not studying or on the runway, how do you spend your time, and what keeps you grounded amidst such a dynamic lifestyle?
Friends and family. Reading and writing. Movement and mate.
Photographer: Matu Buiatti
Model: Fran Rosso from CERES Management
Fran is gorgeous 🌸