How to Make $250 an Hour Standing Still: Become a Production Fit Model
Do you naturally fit into standard clothing sizes? You might be the perfect candidate to be a production fit model. The job? Standing still and letting mass-market fashion designers test their patterns and clothes on your body, to make sure they’ll fit the majority of people who also wear your size.
We heard about production fit modeling on Budgets Are Sexy, when the site listed it as a great side hustle for people looking to earn a little extra cash and one fit model shared her experience. Here’s what you need to know to sign up for your own modeling gig:
Be In the Right Place, At the Right Size
There are two big rules to production fit modeling. First, you need to live in a city where at least one fashion retailer fits clothing. New York and Los Angeles are two top cities for fit modeling jobs, but Budgets Are Sexy notes that Abercrombie and Fitch fits its clothing in Columbus, Ohio. It’s worth doing some investigation to see if there is a clothing retailer that does fittings near you. You’ll also want to work through a modeling agency, so look for reputable agencies that specialize in production fit models.
The second big rule is that your measurements have to perfectly match standard clothing sizes. Some of us, for example, are a size 6 on top and a size 8 on the bottom, which means we’ll never make it in the fit modeling world. On the plus side, fit models don’t have to be skinny; you can be a size 10 or a size 20 as long as your measurements are what’s considered “standard.”
Get out your tape measure and see if you match any of the standard sizes. For example, Budgets Are Sexy cites that “the industry standard for a size 4 is someone approximately 5’8″ with a bust measurement of 34, a waist measurement of 27 and a hip of 37.” Fit modeling agencies often list size requirements on their websites, so look for agencies near you to learn what measurements you need to match.
Stand Still and Earn $250 Per Hour
Once you’ve taken your measurements and signed up with an agency, you’re ready to go on your first job. If you’ve ever had the experience of getting a wedding dress fitted or getting a pair of pants tailored, that’s what you can expect: Stand up straight, don’t move and watch out for those pins!
You can make $250 an hour as a production fit model, which makes it an excellent side hustle. This isn’t a full-time job; the agency sends you out when the retailers need to fit new clothing, and in the meanwhile you do your best to ensure your measurements don’t change!
Want to learn more? Read the whole story at Budgets Are Sexy.
Your Turn: Have you ever worked as a production fit model? Do you have any advice for our readers?
Nicole Dieker is a freelance writer focusing on personal finance and personal stories. Her work has appeared in The Billfold, The Toast, Yearbook Office, The Write Life, and Boing Boing.
