Charlie Newman (Model/Journalist): I have been a model for 10 years and a freelance journalist for the past two years. The plan was always to model in my gap year and then study English at Kings College University, but modelling got in the way of that! At the time I was gutted but now I can appreciate that it was definitely the right decision. However, much as I love being at the forefront of the fashion industry, I also love everything going on behind the scenes and was desperate to write about it. So a couple of years ago I finally built up the courage to write without having a degree to prove that I can! Back when I first started modelling in 2010, models weren’t expected to have a voice or even other interests, whereas now it’s simply not enough to only front campaigns, you have to have far more under your belt, whether that be another skill or activism. This shift in focus on what it means to be a model helped give me the confidence to use my voice more, and for me that was through writing.

AF: How have you combined your modelling career and your writing?

CN: It’s actually worked really well. Obviously over the years I’ve built up some really inspiring contacts, people who started as assistants or junior roles at the same time as me and now have all gone on to do amazing things whether that be as magazine editors or big time photographers or stylists. We’ve all been on the roller coaster journey that is the fashion industry and despite peoples perceptions, we’ve all very much helped each other out and supported one another - a quality that is important now more than ever. What people maybe don’t consider when they think of modelling is that there is in fact a lot of downtime. The job often comes in waves, you’re either on flights 24/7 or waiting for the phone to ring, either way you have a lot of time alone on your hands and it’s a good idea to use it wisely. For me that’s meant pitching, writing and reading