Could you be the next top model for AllSaints as scouts come to Leeds this week?

Scouts from The Squad Management will be in the city this Friday and Saturday to meet would-be models as part of a nationwide competition to find new youngsters aged 16-22 who have the right look to showcase the Autumn/Winter 2019 collection of AllSaints, the contemporary, edgy menswear and womenswear retailer which has two shops in the Victoria Quarter. Would-be models can go to one of the stores from 10am onwards, or message The Squad Management on Instagram (details below). A spokesperson for the model agency said: “We generally look for girls who are 5’8” plus and guys 6’ plus - but there are always exceptions to the rule. It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what we look for, but interesting features, good bone structure and to ultimately be photogenic would be the major points. “Models must have great definition and they can have quirky features, as this often all comes together on camera. It’s very common for us to scout boys and girls who never thought they had model potential. “Finally, never underestimate personality, it always gives girls and boys the X factor that clients respond to. With years of experience between The Squad’s agents and scouts, the team intuitively recognises when someone has real model potential.” As well as fronting an All Saints campaign, the winners will have an introduction to The Squad Management, which is based in London. Wil Beedle, chief creative director of AllSaints, said that finding “real” faces was key to the brand’s ethos. “Over the years, we’ve often combined the more traditional model-agency casting process with the street-casting of ‘real’ people; those individuals who exude something cool and unique, and who we also feel represent the values of our brand in authentic - but no less aspirational - ways. “We’ve proven to ourselves, season after season, that the best models for AllSaints are those individuals who express themselves through their character, their spirit, their energy, their attitude, their creativity, their style – and we’ve found, to our delight, that these people are everywhere, not only in established fashion capitals such as New York, Paris or London. We’ve found them in Mexico City, in the backstreets of Tokyo, in the Bywater district of New Orleans, the sleepy suburbs of California, and, most recently, along the beaches of Hawaii’s North Shore.” Mr Beedle said there is no singular, easily-defined AllSaints woman or man. “That’s the beauty of the brand, for me. The more AllSaints grows, and the more we travel around the world meeting our global community, the more I’ve come to understand that AllSaints is a uniform without uniformity; we provide a wardrobe, a platform and a brand spirit. But people then add their own individuality, their own attitude, and wear the clothes in a way that fits their own lifestyle. And in turn, all those personal interpretations across the world are what inspire us the most. “I love the fact that the young woman I noticed last year in Venice Beach in California, wearing one of our biker jackets with her own bikini and biker boots, or the Japanese skater kids wearing AllSaints old Hawaiian shirts in Tokyo, have deeply influenced the brand they already engage with. And they’ll probably never know it.” He said the AllSaints Autumn 2019 campaign wanted to cast people from the UK’s most vibrant cities. “Why Leeds? We love Leeds!” he said. “Our shop in the Victoria Quarter attracts a broad range of local people who we feel have a connection to AllSaints through what we design, but who also understand the importance of individuality. “I’ve also found that Leeds has always had a rich and energetic creative scene, where music, art, fashion and nightlife have helped define both the underground and broader communities. And, you know, who doesn’t love a night out in Leeds.” The search for the AllSaints models will continue to Manchester and Glasgow. To apply to the AllSaints & The Squad Management model search you must be aged between 16 and 22 years old. You must have permission from your parent or guardian if you are under 18 years old. You can apply by going into the AllSaints shops in the Victoria Quarter Leeds from 10am on Friday May 3 and Saturday May 4. Potential models can also check out @thesquadmanagement.com and hashtag or tag themselves at #allsaintsxthesquad to enter. Email applications can be sent to hello@thesquadmanagement.com. Please send a headshot, profile and full length photo. For enquiries call The Squad Management 0203 409 9180.