Modeling in · Italy
Working as a model inMilan.
Updated Oct 3, 2026
Luxury ready-to-wear, the shows, and a local agency that splits with your mother agency. What changes when you work as a model in Milan — seasons, agencies, money — and what Odette keeps in order from your phone.
Milan is luxury ready-to-wear and the shows, in February and September, menswear in January and June. A local agency books you and splits its roughly 25% with your mother agency; payment comes at 60 to 90 days, often with a withholding tax on non-residents’ fees. No visa for EU citizens.
Modeling in MilanThe visaEU citizens: no work permit — lavoro.gov.it
The visaNon-EU: a nulla osta (work authorisation) the Italian employer requests, then the visa — interno.gov.it
The year in Milan.
The seasons that matter on this market, and the casting weeks that precede them — placed on your calendar in advance.
The year 2026
12 months · what matters on this market
Jan
Menswear
Digitals
Feb
Womenswear fashion week
Castings
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Menswear
Jul
Aug
Digitals
Sep
Womenswear fashion week
Castings
Oct
Nov
Dec
SeasonsCastingsWhat Odette reminds you of
The Milan market.
What gets shot here, how the agencies work, at what rhythm the work arrives.
Luxury ready-to-wear shows, campaigns and the big Italian editorials, lots of showroom and fittings. Milan chains with Paris: same suitcase, two weeks.
Most models arrive through their mother agency, placed with a local one. Two commissions share the same fee: the contract must say who takes what.
Two show seasons, February and September, preceded by intense castings. In between, campaigns and editorials. August shuts: the whole city is at the sea.
Money in Milan.
Two agencies on one fee, a withholding common for non-residents, a transfer that stretches the terms, an apartment advanced then deducted, and two statements in euros to reconcile: five lines to read before you go.
Billed by the local agency; ≈ 25% commission, part of which may go to the mother agency
Common for non-residents — declared afterwards at home via the tax treaty
60 to 90 days, plus the transfer between agencies
Model apartment during the season sometimes advanced then deducted
Euro: no conversion, but two statements to reconcile
Commission, terms and dates as of September 2026 — a market moves, and a contract always wins over a page.
Three things she does here without being asked.
- 01Read the commission-split clause between your mother agency and the Milan agency: Odette flags a gap between the two contracts.
- 02A calendar that shows Paris and Milan in the same week keeps you from accepting a Milan fitting on the day of a Paris show.
- 03Every Milan statement is matched to your mother agency’s statement: both must tell the same story.
Agencies in Milan.
Agencies with an office in Milan, each opened on its own site in September 2026. Check its licence and its contract before you sign.
Women ManagementThe Milan agency of the Women network, also in New York, Paris and Los Angeles.
Its site ↗
No agency on this list should charge you to sign. Odette does not place models; this list is informational and not a recommendation.
Frequently asked
Do I need an Italian agency?
In practice yes for shows and big campaigns: clients go through local agencies. Your mother agency places you; the contract sets the split.
Is the withholding tax lost?
No. It’s declared at home and avoids double taxation under the tax treaty. Keep the amount and the proof — Odette notes them on the job.
Milan and Paris at the same time?
The two fashion weeks follow each other. Odette’s calendar shows both cities, trains and fittings, and says in one sentence if two dates overlap.
Keep the money straight in Milan.
The two screens that answer the questions this page raises: what you are owed, and what the agency has actually paid.
Other cities, same rules
A career often plays out on two or three markets at once. Odette keeps each one’s currency, terms and contract.
