It isn't just the heat responsible for the exhaustion on the faces of Elmer Olsen's staff these days. The agency is preparing for "Bootcamp 2 Big Time" - a showcase sponsored in part by Cargo Cosmetics that promises to be quite remarkable.
Next Thursday, scouts representing 20 top international agencies will be in Toronto, checking in on the new offerings from Elmer Olsen. 30 females and 14 males - all relative new faces - will be put through a model bootcamp learning everything from eyebrows to runway... fitness to nutrition, from industry experts. Some of the agency's top models will also be at the newly renovated Guvernment to share their international experiences. The Artist Group's Simone Otis and Justin German will be providing the makeup and hair services.
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Following the bootcamp portion, the models will get a brief interview session with the scouts, before being marched down a 40ft elevated runway with the hopes of impressing those people that can get them to New York, Paris, London, Milan, Tokyo, Hamburg, L.A., Miami or Montreal.
In addition to the chance to see the models, the scouts will be provided with a stylish hardcover book featuring each of the participating models (as shot by Norman Wong; makeup by Shawna Bowen, Judy Inc).
On Friday the newly-trained models will be brought back to a "callback" session with the scouts at the Metropolitan Hotel, where deals will be struck and international careers launched.
The undertaking is a massive one for Olsen's staff, with hundreds of invitations being circulated throughout Toronto's fashion community. Check out Modelresource for highlights.