{"id":86460,"date":"2023-10-09T17:14:46","date_gmt":"2023-10-09T17:14:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebritytidings.com\/?p=86460"},"modified":"2023-10-09T17:14:46","modified_gmt":"2023-10-09T17:14:46","slug":"models-defend-uk-agent-accused-of-taking-advantage-of-aspiring-stars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebritytidings.com\/lifestyle\/models-defend-uk-agent-accused-of-taking-advantage-of-aspiring-stars\/","title":{"rendered":"Models defend UK agent accused of taking advantage of aspiring stars"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>Models defend London-based agent accused of taking advantage of aspiring stars she recruits from a refugee camp in Kenya &#8211; amid claims they return home with no money and\u00a0up to \u20ac3,000 in debt<\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Videos follow Sunday Times investigation model scouting in refugee camp<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>READ MORE: Heartbreaking true story that inspired the BAFTA-nominated film: Director opens up about the devastating moment her father and siblings were gunned down in their family home during the genocide against Tutsis in Rwanda<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A number of models have defended a London-based agency in a series of videos following an investigation into scouting in one of the world&#8217;s biggest refugee camps.<\/p>\n<p>According to the Sunday Times, a number of aspiring models from the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya have been taken to Europe by agencies &#8211; only to find they are unsuccessful, and have to return to the camp thousands of euros in debt to the agencies.<\/p>\n<p>The investigation, which says that &#8216;top fashion labels&#8217; have used models recruited from the camp, included interviewing &#8216;dozens of models&#8217;, of which some were\u00a0&#8216;already working in Europe, with varying degrees of financial success, while others had returned to Kenya having made nothing&#8217;.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>According to the agencies, scouting from the camp not only makes catwalks more diverse, it also &#8216;means they are giving refugees a better chance in life&#8217;.<\/p>\n<p>Among the agencies included in the investigation is Isis\u00a0Models, which is run by\u00a0Nigerian businesswoman Joan Okorodudu from her\u00a0Walthamstow home &#8211; and despite criticism aimed at Isis, some models have shared videos online defending Joan.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/09\/16\/76342571-12610659-image-m-3_1696864211355.jpg\" height=\"837\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Josephina (pictured) was among the models who shared videos online, in which they defended agent\u00a0Joan Okorodudu<\/p>\n<p>According to the investigation, after potential models are scouted by agencies in the camp, they are taken to\u00a0Nairobi.<\/p>\n<p>There, they arrange passports and visas, before flying to Europe usually before fashion weeks, so they attend castings.<\/p>\n<p>As the modelling industry operates on a debt-based system, these are funded by agencies, as is the\u00a0pocket money of about \u20ac70 to \u20ac100 a week given to models.<\/p>\n<p>This is expected to be repaid by models once they start working and earning money.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The investigation says that\u00a0Ms Okorodudu &#8211; known to models as &#8216;Mama Joan&#8217; &#8211; would sign up models to Isis Models as their mother agency, before then marketing them to larger agencies.<\/p>\n<p>It adds that some have complained about their experiences with Ms Okorodudu, saying one,\u00a0Biliny Manyang, 23, wrote to the UN to complain.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Biliny, who was scouted by Isis Models in 2019 in Kakuma,\u00a0terminated her contract with the agency in 2021, saying she felt the agency was not going to get her to Europe.<\/p>\n<p>She claims that after she left Isis Models, Ms Okorodudu told her industry contacts not to work with Biliny, threatening to withdraw other models if they did.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/09\/16\/76342573-12610659-image-a-6_1696864553282.jpg\" height=\"779\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile another model, Hakima (pictured) also defended the agent, crediting\u00a0Ms Okorodudu for her success as a model<\/p>\n<p>A post shared by FASHION BY ARA (@fashionxreality)<\/p>\n<p>According to\u00a0Biliny, who has now signed with a new agency in Paris, this made it more difficult for her to progress in her career.<\/p>\n<p>In an email to the UNHCR, she said that &#8216;manipulating models&#8217; should end with her, and that she doesn&#8217;t want the same thing to happen to others.<\/p>\n<p>She called on the organisation to follow up with refugees entering the modelling industry, claiming that what the potential models are told does not represent the reality.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Speaking to the Times about Biliny, Ms Okorodudu said she &#8216;took care&#8217; of the model, including organising her passport, and had receipts to prove it.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Ms Okorodudu is also cited in the report as saying: &#8216;I am the only person in the industry who takes care of these models financially and assists their families. Modelling and helping the youth is my passion.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>Among the videos defending her, is one\u00a0shared via an Instagram account called fashionxreality as well as the Isismodelsafrica account.<\/p>\n<p>It is accompanied by a caption which says: &#8216;She is absolutely a good person she has change lives and she is still changing lives of young models for the better.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>In the video, a model called Josephina says: &#8216;What you&#8217;ve heard about Joan is not true. Joan has been doing everything for love.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;She has been doing a lot of things [for] the models. Please, you need to see [how hard Joan works]. She&#8217;s been helping all of us. She&#8217;s been giving us pocket money and we stay in her apartment.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>Josephina concludes her video by saying that Ms Okorodudu has treated her well, and so she assumes she treats others well too.<\/p>\n<p>Another video features a model called Hakima, captioned: &#8216;Hakima is one of Joan&#8217;s top models who has been walking since 2019 till now. She is sharing her experience and how Joan has helped her alongside with other models from Kakauma refugee camp.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>In the clip, Hakima says she is from South Sudan, and that she signed with Isis models in 2019.<\/p>\n<p>Hakima adds: &#8216;Right now, I&#8217;m in Berlin for work. So I&#8217;m just recording this video to tell you that Aunty Joan is someone who really has a lot of refugees and South Sudanase models.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/09\/16\/76342575-12610659-image-m-11_1696864874557.jpg\" height=\"709\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Joan\u00a0Okorodudu (pictured, left) shared a video on Instragram captioned &#8216;Our gorgeous Hakima came to visit me in the office in Nairobi&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;She was the first person to come to Kenya to scout us, and she really did [change some lives].\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;Especially [mine], I never thought that I could be a model, and here I am in Berlin walking, with a place in London, and it&#8217;s because of Auntie Joan.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;So whoever thinks that Auntie Joan took money from models, I don&#8217;t think so, because she really has a lots of models who don&#8217;t have money, and [she is] paying for their accommodation, passport, and visa.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>Speaking to the Times, Select agency boss\u00a0Matteo Puglisi said providing models with debt statements is a &#8216;fiscal obligation&#8217;, and added that while the agency asks twice for reimbursement, they don&#8217;t ask a third time and never hires lawyers in an effort to recover money.<\/p>\n<p>He added that every year, the agency loses &#8216;hundreds of thousands of euros and pounds in Paris and London for unrecoverable model advances&#8217; &#8211; with models from around the world, and not just from Africa.<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/femail\/article-12610659\/Models-defend-London-based-agent-accused-taking-advantage-aspiring-stars-recruits-refugee-camp-Kenya-amid-claims-return-home-no-money-3-000-debt.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Models defend London-based agent accused of taking advantage of aspiring stars she recruits from a refugee camp in Kenya &#8211; amid claims they return home with no money and\u00a0up to \u20ac3,000 in debt Videos follow Sunday Times investigation model scouting in refugee camp READ MORE: Heartbreaking true story that inspired the BAFTA-nominated film: Director opens up about the devastating moment<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":86459,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Models defend UK agent accused of taking advantage of aspiring stars - Celebrity Tidings<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/celebritytidings.com\/lifestyle\/models-defend-uk-agent-accused-of-taking-advantage-of-aspiring-stars\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Models defend UK agent accused of taking advantage of aspiring stars - Celebrity Tidings\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Models defend London-based agent accused of taking advantage of aspiring stars she recruits from a refugee camp in Kenya &#8211; 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