The Ford Modeling Agency or as it is known today, Ford Models, was established in 1946 by Eileen and Jerry Ford.[1] The company was the pre-eminent New York agency until John Casablancas of Elite Model Management opened up in the city, leading to the model wars of the 1980s.[2] Ford, like many of the original agencies of the 70's, has lost some ground to younger upstarts like Women, IMG and DNA in recent years. The agency has represented a diverse list of stars, including Janice Dickinson, Christie Brinkley, Rachel Hunter, Stephanie Seymour, Andrew Teoh, Vendela, Veronica Webb, Raven-Symone, John Zhang, Bipasha Basu and Axel Tiderman. In 1980 the company established the Ford Supermodel of the World Contest that attracts more than 60,000 hopefuls annually from around the world. In recent years the company has diversified into media (Ford Media) and through Ford Artists into other professions related to the fashion industry. It has aggressively promoted itself through YouTube with a string of fashion tips videos, and consulted with entertainment entrepreneurs such as Mic Neumann to develop specific strategic relationships.
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