In short
- The catalogue lists 94 agencies in Paris. Most are concentrated on the Right Bank: in the 8th arrondissement near the Champs-Élysées, in the 3rd in the Marais, in the 9th around the Opéra and in the 2nd around Sentier.
- The working rhythm follows the calendar of the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode (FHCM): men's in January and June, haute couture in January and July, women's in March and from late September to early October.
- A Lithuanian model usually arrives through their mother agency, and the Paris agency normally advances the apartment, test shoots and travel and deducts them from later earnings.
- For transport a Navigo card is enough: in 2026 a weekly pass costs €32.40 and a monthly pass €90.80.
This page covers only what is specific to Paris. Labour law, tax, rules for minors and paperwork are covered in the France guide, Modeling agencies in France.
Where agencies are located in Paris
Our catalogue lists 94 agencies in Paris. For 74 of them the catalogue has a street address with a postal code, and 69 of those are on the Right Bank, within a few metro stops of each other. The largest group is in the 8th arrondissement, between the Champs-Élysées, Avenue George V and Avenue Hoche, Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré and Boulevard Malesherbes. The second largest is in the 3rd, in the Marais, where nine agencies with separate boards (senior, sport, men, teens) share one address on Rue Saint-Claude. Next come the 9th around the Opéra, where three agencies are in one building on Rue Meyerbeer, and the 2nd with Sentier. Five agencies share one address on Place de la République in the 10th, and only five are on the Left Bank.
| Arrondissement | Agencies | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 8th | 17 | Champs-Élysées, Avenue George V and Avenue Hoche, Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, Rue Tronchet, Boulevard Malesherbes |
| 3rd | 13 | The Marais: Rue Saint-Claude, Rue des Arquebusiers and Rue de Turbigo |
| 9th | 10 | Opéra, Rue Meyerbeer and Rue La Fayette |
| 2nd | 9 | Sentier, Rue Notre-Dame des Victoires, Rue de la Paix, Rue d'Aboukir, Boulevard Poissonnière |
| 10th | 7 | Place de la République, Rue de Chabrol and Rue Bichat |
| 1st | 6 | Les Halles, Rue du Louvre, Rue Coquillière and Rue de Rivoli |
| 7th | 4 | Left Bank: Boulevard Saint-Germain, Rue de Grenelle and Rue Oudinot |
| 17th | 4 | North-west of the centre, next to the 8th |
| 12th | 2 | Bastille, Gare de Lyon |
| 6th | 1 | Left Bank: Passage Dauphine |
| 16th | 1 | Avenue d'Iéna |
The other 20 agencies are not in the table because the catalogue has no address with a postal code for them. In practice you can visit 6 to 10 agencies or clients in a day: the 8th, 9th and 2nd are close together, and metro lines 1, 3, 8 and 9 connect almost every address.
Agencies by board are listed on these pages: women (48 agencies), men (39), talent (16), kids (11), new faces (10), commercial (7), senior (6), sport (5) and curve (2). One agency can have several boards.
Licence, membership and fees. The catalogue lists every Paris agency that represents models, and we do not vouch for them. Of the 94 agencies, 48 are on the SYNAM or FFAM member lists. An agency's profile shows whether a licence number and membership are known, and what we found, good and bad: fees charged to applicants, courses, the company's status in the register, press reports. The licence is compulsory in France, so before you sign ask for the licence number and check on the profile whether the agency charges and how much.
The fashion week calendar
The official Paris calendar is set by the FHCM (Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode), which organises Paris fashion weeks. There are six sessions a year, running in two cycles every six months.
| Session | Month | Next dates |
|---|---|---|
| Menswear (autumn–winter collections) | January | 19–24 January 2027 |
| Haute couture (spring–summer) | January | 25–28 January 2027 |
| Womenswear (autumn–winter) | March | 1–9 March 2027 |
| Menswear (spring–summer) | June | 22–27 June 2027 |
| Haute couture (autumn–winter) | July | 5–8 July 2027 |
| Womenswear (spring–summer) | late September–early October | 27 September – 5 October 2027 |
The most recent womenswear week ran from 28 September to 6 October 2026. The January and July sessions run back to back, menswear followed straight away by couture, so for men January and June are the busiest months, and for women March and September–October.
Castings and go-sees during fashion week
A new face usually arrives in Paris a few days to a week before the session, when castings begin. Every evening the agency sends the next day's list of addresses and times, and the model spends the day crossing the city between fashion houses and casting directors' studios. Queues are long, so 5 to 10 appointments a day is realistic. If a client is interested, they call you back for a callback and a fitting, which often happens late in the evening or the night before the show.
Between seasons castings give way to go-sees: short introductions to photographers, magazine editors and brands. Always carry your book or a tablet with your pictures, comp cards and comfortable shoes, plus the heels or shoes you walk in for castings. How to prepare is covered in our guide model castings: how to prepare, and walking in the model walk.
The markets: runway, showroom, editorial and commercial
Paris is first of all a runway and editorial market. There are few show bookings, they are short, and their value lies more in how interesting a model becomes to clients afterwards. Editorial shoots for magazines pay little but produce pictures for the book.
The money usually comes from other markets. During and before fashion weeks many sales showrooms need showroom models to wear the collection for buyers, often for several days or a week in a row. Fashion house ateliers need fit models with exact measurements. All year round there are e-commerce, lookbook and advertising shoots. Commercial agencies and boards work with advertising, television and brands, so older, sporty or non-runway models also find work in Paris. What shows and the other markets pay is covered in how much runway models make.
How a Lithuanian model gets to Paris
The most common route is through a mother agency in Lithuania. It sends Paris agencies the model's digitals, measurements and a short intro video. If a placement agency is interested, it invites the model for a season or a few weeks, and the mother agency helps assess the terms and agree the dates. Some models start in a smaller market first and reach Paris with pictures already in their book.
In the first days the agency often arranges test shoots with Paris photographers so the book has local images. What a test costs, who pays and how it is deducted should be clear before the shoot and show up on your model statement.
Model apartments, cost of living and transport
For new faces the agency usually arranges a place in a model apartment: the room is often shared with another model, rent is charged per week or month and deducted from earnings. Paris housing is expensive: according to the local rent observatory network, the median private rent in the city of Paris is €27.30 per square metre per month before service charges. A bed in a model apartment is therefore costly compared with home, and the apartments tend to be small.
The agency may also pay pocket money for living costs, which is another advance. Every advance adds to what you will repay from bookings, so keep track of what has been spent and do not take more than you need.
The Navigo card
You get between castings by metro, RER and bus. On arrival it is worth buying a Navigo Découverte card (€5, you stick your own photo on it) and loading a Navigo Semaine at €32.40 for all zones. The weekly pass runs from Monday to Sunday, and next week's pass can be bought from the Friday of the current week. If you stay longer, Navigo Mois costs €90.80 and covers the calendar month. All-zone passes are valid on the RER B to Charles de Gaulle airport, while a single metro ticket (€2.55) is not valid to the airports.
What to expect in your first season
- Most of your time goes on castings and go-sees, not jobs. Several weeks without a booking are normal in Paris.
- The first season often ends in the red: the apartment, tests and travel exceed earnings. That agency debt carries over to the next season, so before you leave ask how it is repaid if the contract ends.
- The most valuable results are pictures for your book, a show or editorial or two, and clients who already know you the following season.
- Minors, medical certificates and work paperwork follow separate French rules, covered in the France guide.