How to prepare for your first runway casting

A first runway casting can feel like a test you didn’t get to study for. It is mostly a chance for designers and casting teams to see how you move, how clothes sit on you and whether you can be there when the show needs you. With a little preparation, you can walk in calm.

C-Tribe x Fashion is casting models 18 and older for two shows in Edmonton: a one-night runway on February 25, 2027 and the runway shows at C-Tribe Festival, August 12-17, 2027. This guide covers what agencies and consumer protection offices advise, and what C-Tribe asks of its own models.

See open castings

Start with simple photos

You don’t need a professional shoot to get started. Models 1 in London tells applicants that photos can be taken on a phone, in bright natural light, with no makeup and no filters or retouching. ONE Management in New York says you don’t need previous experience or expensive photos or videos to apply.

Take a clear headshot and a full-length shot against a plain wall, facing the camera. Wear fitted clothes in a plain colour and pull your hair back. Milk Management asks applicants to skip baggy clothes and keep hair away from the face, because the point is to see you, not the outfit.

Know your measurements

Casting teams use measurements to match models to looks before anyone meets in person. Measure in your underwear with a soft tape, or ask a friend to help. The C-Tribe model form asks for your height in feet and inches or centimetres, your bust or chest at the fullest part, your waist at the narrowest part and your hips at the fullest part. Your inseam, from the crotch to the ankle, is optional but helps with trousers. It also asks for your usual clothing size, your shoe size and your hair and eye colour as they are now. If you plan to change your hair before the show, say so.

What to wear and bring on the day

Most castings ask for the same things: a clean face, simple fitted clothes and shoes you can walk in. Selected C-Tribe models are asked to bring:

• Government-issued photo ID. We check that every model is 18 or older.
• Your comp card, or two recent unedited photos, if you have them
• Neutral, no-line underwear
• Heels or flats you can walk in, if you have them
• Hair clean and unstyled
• Minimal or no makeup

Practise your walk in the shoes you plan to bring. A steady, natural pace matters more than a dramatic one.

What a show asks of your calendar

Walking in a show takes more than one night. There are fittings, a rehearsal and a long show day, and teams plan around the models who can make every date. Before you apply, check the whole schedule. Here is the February 25 show from application to runway:

• Jan 11: applications close. 11:59 PM MST.
• Jan 18: decisions by email. Every applicant gets an email, whether you're selected, on the backup list or not chosen this time.
• Jan 30: casting and fittings. Downtown Edmonton. You're fitted in the looks you'll wear. Selected models book a time slot.
• Feb 4: backups confirmed. Models on the backup list hear whether a spot has opened.
• Feb 18: rehearsal. An evening in downtown Edmonton. The exact time and address follow by email.
• Feb 25: show day. Model call time is 4:30 PM. Doors open to guests at 8:30 PM.

If you're selected, the casting and the rehearsal are required. For the August festival, the form asks which of August 12, 13 and 14 you can walk, and casting and rehearsal dates follow by email.

How to spot a modelling scam

Scams are common enough that Ontario’s consumer protection office says most complaints about modelling and talent services are about scams. The warning signs are consistent across regulators.

• You are asked to pay to be considered. New York’s labour department says an ad that asks for a fee or a deposit to hold your spot could be a scam, and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre advises people to never send deposits or pay fees for a job.
• You must buy photos from a particular photographer. Ontario’s advice is plain: legitimate agencies don’t require you to buy photos, and if one wants you to pay for photos up front, walk away.
• The money flows the wrong way. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission explains that agencies get paid when you get paid, and that real agencies won’t ask you to pay for a test shoot, for photographs or to secure your spot.
• You are rushed into a contract. In Ontario, you can cancel a modelling or acting development contract within 10 days of receiving a written copy.

Applying to walk in a C-Tribe x Fashion show is free, and neither model form asks for payment. If anyone asks you to pay to walk in a C-Tribe show, email hello@ctribefestival.com before you do anything.

Why the industry wrote rules for runways

Model welfare has been studied more in the last decade, and the findings shaped how shows are run. In a March 2020 Model Alliance survey of 212 working models, 55% said clients owed them money, and around half were owed money by their agencies. In a separate study of 76 models who walked New York Fashion Week in fall 2018, 45% reported a lack of privacy when changing.

Age rules have tightened too. In 2017, LVMH and Kering committed to a charter that bars hiring girls under 16 to pose as adult models, and in 2019 the Council of Fashion Designers of America encouraged designers to stop hiring models under 18 for runway shows. New York’s Fashion Workers Act, in effect since June 2025, caps what management companies can take at 20% commission.

C-Tribe casts adults only. Both model forms turn away anyone under 18, and selected models show government-issued photo ID at casting and on show day. Every applicant accepts the Model Release, which lets C-Tribe Society use photos and video from the shows, so read it before you apply.

Apply to walk at C-Tribe

You don’t need an agency or experience. Independent and represented models use the same forms, and out-of-town applicants can add a YouTube or Vimeo video casting. If you’re selected, you’ll need to be in Edmonton for the casting, the rehearsal and the show.

• Apply for the February 25 show, by January 11, 2027.
• Join the August festival casting.
• Get casting alerts by email when the next casting opens.

Sources

• Models 1, Apply
• ONE Management, Submissions
• Milk Management, Apply
• Government of Ontario, Modelling and talent agencies: your rights
• New York State Department of Labor, New York State Fashion Workers Act FAQs
• Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, Job fraud
• U.S. Federal Trade Commission, Modeling Scams
• Model Alliance, Published research
• CBC News, Fashion giants LVMH and Kering ban size 0 models
• Council of Fashion Designers of America, Diversity & Inclusion at New York Fashion Week

About C-Tribe Festival

C-Tribe Festival is Canada’s innovation, arts, technology and culture festival spanning tech, fashion, gaming, music, culture, and film. Founded in Edmonton, the festival creates space for diverse voices to connect, create, and catalyze change across industries. C-Tribe Festival is produced by C-Tribe Society, a registered Canadian nonprofit. Media enquiries: press.