"I was very much part of the club kids and the rave scene in London for many years, so I always had a big mix of people around me," explains Charlie Clark-Perry. I'm speaking to the founder and director of Supa Model Management, which celebrates its 10th birthday this year, about how he came to found what he describes as "a luxury-led, diverse agency, which pushes the boundaries as much as possible".
Supa occupies a unique space in an industry that still largely categorises models into 'menswear' and 'womenswear', offering a platform for those whose identities exist outside of binary norms. Models represented by Supa have biographies written in their own words, which sit alongside their portfolios, and many are represented across several categories. It means that those who want to explore different aspects of their gender identities can have more opportunities to work in varied areas of the industry.
Supa did, in fact, begin life as a men's agency, but evolved to represent models of a wide variety of genders and expressions when some of the models began transitioning. "They started off as male models and transitioned into female models. You're on an amazing journey with these kids and you get very close to them," explains Clark-Perry. "They don't want to leave you, and they're in the midst of something big, and you want to work with them to help them figure that out. So the idea to evolve the agency came to fruition really organically."
Supa is one of the only agencies to have an 'X board': a group of models on its website who work across menswear and womenswear. "Having a gender expansive board like the X board is, I think, really amazing," says Casil McArthur, a trans man who is represented by Supa and is an activist as well as a model; in the past, he has spoken on LGBTQ rights at a UN conference and worked with Steven Meisel and Pat McGrath. "To decide on the most fitting name for the board, all the gender queer models in the agency met over a big Zoom meeting - every person has an X chromosome," he explains.
Inclusivity is about far more, though, than just words. "Agencies need to make sure needs are met for trans people, such briefing people on castings and shoots on the pronouns of everyone involved, always focusing on safe accommodation for trans models and listening to any safety concerns," says McArthur. "It's something that Supa is amazing at doing - as well as working with casting directors to inspire and get excited about using trans talent."
Clark-Perry is passionate about this last point, and is emphatic about the need for a wider range of representation. "There needs to be more education," he says. "But for people to understand things, they need to see them. If they can't see something themselves, upfront, then they don't understand it, they're not part of it and they don't get it. So bringing these humans to the forefront and showing how beautiful they are, how they're part of society, is so important."
"Supa supporting trans movements is something that can motivate more agencies and the wider industry to do the same," says Trinidad Gonzalez, a trans woman represented by Supa who has appeared on the covers of several big-name magazines. "The industry is growing in terms of diversity, it is a little slow, but it is moving forward and that gives me hope. We are not just projects for the month of June or specific campaigns. That is what the public needs to see - diversity in any project."
"I think the industry in terms of inclusivity is getting better," agrees fellow trans woman Koko Barnes, who is currently starring in a campaign for Ugg and has previously worked with Marc Jacobs. "People like me are finally getting the attention and recognition that we deserve. One of the best ways to understand the struggle that comes with a lack of diversity and inclusivity would be to include repressed and marginalised people as members of any team. Think about it - how would a brand know what trans and non-binary people lack if they don't have people relaying relevant and necessary information?"
Although LGBTQIA+ visibility in modelling has undoubtedly increased in recent years, there is still the uncomfortable sense that queer models are often employed by brands tokenistically as part of a 'rainbow-washing' strategy, or only hired during June for specific Pride campaigns. Furthermore, many brands have received consumer backlash recently for using trans talent, from Bud Light to Nike and Calvin Klein. "It's got to the point where brands are frightened of using trans models, because they don't want to take chances," says Clark-Perry. "Putting a dress on a trans model, that might not relate to cis women, so brands see it as a risk and they go for the safer option."
There is also the obvious undercurrent of growing anti-trans hate and legislation to contend with, especially in America. Arkansas became the fourth state to ban transgender students from using the bathroom that matches their gender identity in March; earlier this year, Utah passed the first law restricting gender-affirming care for transgender youth. The situation in the UK is hardly better: trans people are already the group most likely to be the victims of violent crime, and there was a massive 56 per cent increase in hate crimes against trans people last year. "Right now, we are in some of the most dangerous and unprecedented times for the trans community, in our right just to exist, be alive and be celebrated," says McArthur.
It's an attitude that's reflected in the number of bookings trans models receive, according to Clark-Perry. "Before the pandemic, things were starting to pick up, but now we're in a much darker stage. There is more backward thinking than ever," he says. "It's happened in relation to plus-size people, too." He makes a valuable point about our tolerance of diversity; the AW23 shows signalled an alarming lack of size-inclusive models. "Not many of my trans friends in the industry are getting campaigns right now," says McArthur. "Please, let's not get lazy with employing trans talent, specifically outside Pride Month."
In the face of such bleak statistics, it's heartening to see Supa standing strong as an advocate and force for change in an industry that has, for too long, been exclusionary. All the models I speak to tell me that the agency has been a relative lifeline and incredible safe space. "In this incredibly heteronormative industry, it is important to feel protected and know that there is someone by your side who supports you, who fights with you no matter what," says Gonzalez. Barnes agrees that Supa "is helping to show people who had previously not felt seen or represented that they are beautiful just the way they are". For McArthur, it's all about small actions adding up to incremental change: "Amazing things don't happen with one person, they happen with a whole community of people fighting for it."
For his part, Clark-Perry is determined to keep fighting for visibility. After 20 years as an agent, he describes his mission as "wanting everyone to be seen. It's the reason I do this job, where I find diverse models and put the not-so-norm in front of everybody. I enjoy doing that every day. And yes, it's become much harder - but I won't stop doing it."