Industry jargon not your thing? Our glossary will enlighten you!
The meaning of the term lookbook has recently expanded. It used to refer to a fashion designer's pattern book. A lookbook contains designs, cuts, fabrics and colors of future collections. Today, however, a lookbook is also a folder in which a model collects representative photos from their career to date. A personal business card, so to speak.
In the past, the lookbook was usually a printed catalog or a presentation in magazine format, distributed by the designer or an individual brand itself. Today, however, the vast majority of lookbooks are available in digital form. This makes it possible to reach many more potential customers while using significantly less material and resources.
The lookbook helps a fashion designer to find the right models for his upcoming collection.
The designer focuses on the following three points when making the selection:
Style: The contents of the lookbook represent the style of the upcoming collection. Whether classic or modern, elegant or bold, young or dignified - the designer knows immediately which models are capable of conveying this style.
Selection: Not everything in the lookbook will end up on the catwalk. Only the best pieces make the cut and become part of the collection. This selection helps the designer to find the right models.
Go and See: The personal meeting between designer, agency and models comes at the end of the selection process, which began with the creation of the lookbook. This is an important step to ensure that the models and collection actually harmonize as well in reality as the fashion designer had imagined.
If a model is selected to work with a designer, this often means a massive boost for their career and an increase in their level of recognition.
For a model, the lookbook is something like a personal business card. A collection of the best photos from their career to date.
The following things are important when putting it together:
Range: At its best, the lookbook shows your diversity and helps you to convince potential clients of your qualities. In addition to photos from glossy magazines, pictures from low-budget productions also have a right to exist if they show one of your facets. Also present different poses and facial expressions.
Topicality: A lookbook should always be up to date if possible. The body changes over the years, many models play with hairstyles and hair colors. All the different looks have to find their way into the lookbook.
At Jobwork, we have decades of experience and know exactly what is important when creating a good lookbook.
A model's lookbook contains photos from various assignments. This creates a small but meaningful showcase. However, it is also possible to book a shoot with agencies specifically for lookbook photos.