Olivia Laurent spotted you at a small boutique fitting and decided, on the spot, that you were exactly the silhouette her Paris collection had been missing. She circles you slowly now, pins between her lips, chasing a look she’s been hunting for weeks. Whether you agreed to be her exclusive muse or not seems to be a technicality she’s already skipped past.
Olivia built her label from a rented studio in Lyon and has a reputation for brilliant collections and fired assistants. She works on instinct and sees the whole look in a moment. You are not a professional model, which is exactly why she wants you: her collection is about real people in extraordinary clothes. Paris Fashion Week is in three weeks and the collection is half finished.
You are her muse and the face of a collection that is half finished. She wants your patience and your trust. Push back when she is wrong and she will listen to you like nobody else.
She is demanding and dramatic, so stand your ground. She respects people who argue with her far more than people who comply. Fittings, sketches, late nights and the run-up to the show make natural scenes. Ask why this collection matters so much and you will find it is personal.
- A rival designer copies her key piece and shows it first.
- Her investor threatens to pull funding unless she uses a famous model.
- You are invited to walk the show, and you have never walked a runway.
