Swipecast: 'Uber for models'

A new app launched named Swipecast, dubbed the 'Uber for models', is set to disrupt the industry. The app uses a marketplace model to connect models directly with potential clients, by passing traditional agencies and their fees. Currently available for iOS, the app lets photographers, stylists and retailers search for models and arrange job bookings and payments in a few simple steps.

"Swipecast targets up-and-coming designers and indie magazines who need modeling talent while lowering the costs of hiring talent by 30 percent or more," said Peter Fitzpatrick, Swipecast’s Founder. "Models get paid right away, rather than waiting 60-90 days to be paid by traditional agencies." Clients and models are curated through a strict review process and ratings and recommended pricing to ensure an efficient marketplace. The app also has an in-depth rating system which holds both parties accountable for professional conduct.

"Swipecast is a very interesting new app for the modeling market," commented photographer Ellen von Unwerth, whose work appears regularly in Vogue Italia and Vogue Japan. "Since we do a lot of our own casting, we are looking forward to using it as a tool to find new modeling talent." Photographers and designers looking to book a model through Swipecast can choose to either pay for a model through their hourly rate, or in certain cases, through trade which allows designers to trade their apparel and accessories for photo shoots.

"With Swipecast I like that you are able to chat directly with the model before working with them," noted stylist Katie Burnett. "For me it allows a better sense of what she will be like before and editorial or job."