The Perfect Fit

In my short time as a Fit Model, I’ve noticed that when one says “Fit Model,” most people assume that it means Fitness Model. And to be perfectly honest, I probably would have thought that too if I had ever heard the phrase before I got into it. So, fear not. I’m here to explain this to all who care, if you’re out there somewhere. (Disclaimer: I am not a fashion/fit expert, but simply sharing my personal experience!)

Fit Models, in my opinion, are like human mannequins. Our main job as Fit Models is to maintain certain measurements so that clothing designers and fit teams can assess the fit of a garment before it hits the shelves. Fit Models are “required” to maintain the same measurements at all times, and an unofficial requirement, semi-comfortable stripping down in front of a bunch of strangers. Now, this doesn’t mean you’re constantly being put on a scale and fired if you have too much pizza on Super Bowl night. There is some wiggle room, but maintaining the same measurements makes it easier to market you to clients, and you’re more likely to keep clients once you book them.

There are so many sizes available at stores now that an old-fashioned mannequin sometimes just doesn’t cut it, especially for higher-end brands. Fit Models are able to assess how the garment feels and how it moves when on an actual body (picture a pair of jeans that fit everywhere but the waist, so they fall down when you sit- yikes!). The fit team takes notes, takes photos of the garment on the body, and goes back to the production team with changes. Fit Models fit everything from bras and dresses to shoes and pajamas (yes- pajama fittings are my favorite). 

Fit Models make such a difference in the industry, and so most people have no idea how many steps a singular garment goes through before shipping out to stores. Sometimes a garment will go through four or five rounds of fittings before designers decide that it is perfect and ready to go! 

One job in particular that really put the world of Fit into perspective for me was at Victoria’s Secret. I worked one-on-one with a designer who worked specifically on sport bras (and yes, it’s SPORT bra at VS, not sports bra). From the first fitting to the last, we brought a couple pieces of cloth pinned together with safety pins, to the final product about a year later that would keep anyone’s ta-tas in place, even when running. It was so cool to see the entire evolution of the product design and it was the first job that got me really excited about Fit Modeling. 

Here are a couple of the companies that I have worked for as a Fit Model and examples of products similar to ones I helped fit!

Click here to see my STATE Management portfolio.