Kering and LVMH will require mandatory workplace training for every party in the casting-to-shoot pipeline and run unannounced audits at model workplaces starting January 2025, as the French luxury groups tighten the joint Model Charter they first signed in 2017.

The fortified charter raises the minimum age for models depicting adults in shows and photo shoots from 16 to 18, applies globally to every house under either group, and codifies a "zero-tolerance policy for any form of harassment, abuse or violence." Protocols take effect with Paris Fashion Week Men's in January and run through every subsequent show and shoot under the groups' brands.

What do the new protocols require?

• Mandatory training next year for models, agencies, casting directors and production teams
• Unannounced checks and audits at model workplaces
• A reporting channel open throughout each collaboration, guaranteeing anonymity and witness protection
• Minimum age of 18 (up from 16) for models depicting adults
• Three-part safeguard during nudity: "a prior formal agreement, a dedicated space, and the impossibility of being left alone with a member of the production team"

Who pays for compliance?

The release does not specify how costs split between houses and their vendor network. Casting agencies, freelance production companies and photographers booked by Kering and LVMH brands will absorb time and fees for training certification and ad-hoc inspections. Neither group has disclosed audit frequency, penalty schedules for non-compliant partners or whether agencies must renew credentials annually.

How does the timing affect production calendars?

With the Paris men's shows scheduled for January 2025, agencies and casting directors have roughly four months to align internal documentation and reporting infrastructure. The charter preserves the 2017 prohibition on same-day casting and extends oversight to any shoot location, including international campaigns and editorial productions coordinated through Kering and LVMH image teams.

What changed from the 2017 charter?

The original framework required medical certificates proving model health and emerged after casting director James Scully publicly named Balenciaga, Hermès and Elie Saab among brands he accused of mistreatment. The 2025 update moves from health screening to conduct enforcement, expanding the charter's scope from physical welfare to workplace behavior, inclusion and the protection of minors and witnesses.

Marie-Claire Daveu, Kering's chief sustainability and institutional affairs officer, said the strengthened standards reflect non-negotiable baseline expectations. "The respect, safety and dignity of those who embody fashion are non-negotiable," she said. "By collectively raising our standards, we want to help bring about lasting change in the practices of the entire profession."

Antoine Arnault, LVMH's head of image and environment, framed the move as an industry obligation rather than an internal policy. "Through this initiative, LVMH reaffirms that the protection of models is not an isolated action but a commitment shared by all players in the industry — brands, agencies, casting directors and models themselves," he said. "The group intends to help bring about lasting change in the practices of the fashion industry."

The charter also "reaffirms the principle of inclusion and non-discrimination," calling for casting that "respects the diversity of talent, reflects an inclusive society, and takes care not to convey stereotypes, while respecting the artistic freedom specific to each brand." The Kering Foundation, a longstanding advocate against gender-based violence, has separately widened its mandate to include child protection.

What's next for brands and agencies?

Unannounced audits and the 18-year minimum take effect without a disclosed transition period, leaving every casting partner, agency and production vendor on Kering and LVMH contracts to retrofit procedures before the January 2025 men's shows in Paris set the first compliance test.