If you follow fashion, you’re undoubtedly familiar with New York Fashion Week. It’s more than a series of runway shows; it’s a cornerstone of the global fashion industry—a vibrant celebration of creativity that brings together the most talented designers and artists in the world. But at its heart, NYFW owes its success to the models who bring these artistic visions to life.
This year, models were doing more than just working, we were advocating for change in our industry. During NYFW and beyond, models have been rallying in support of the Fashion Workers Act—a groundbreaking bill that would create basic labor protections for models and safeguard them from harassment and abuse. If signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul, this bill would mark a significant (and long-overdue) victory not only for models but also for workers across industries.
The Fashion Workers Act has rightly gained attention for its promise to regulate model management companies, which wield a great deal of control over the models they represent without any obligations to act in their interests. But conversations around the bill often overlook one crucial aspect: its provisions protecting models against the misuse of artificial intelligence. The Fashion Workers Act is about protecting today’s workforce and safeguarding our rights in the future.
The legislation would establish protections around the use of a model’s digital replica. Specifically, the Fashion Workers Act would ensure that digital replicas—AI-generated visual content using a model’s likeness—can be used only with their express consent. Like a Hollywood actor, a model’s image is fundamental to their craft and livelihood. But right now, there’s nothing stopping a fashion brand or management agency from creating a fake image of a model without their permission, in clothes they never wore or with products they never agreed to endorse. By mandating explicit consent, the Fashion Workers Act would ensure that models retain control over their most valuable asset—their likeness.
Beyond preventing unauthorized use, the bill would prohibit companies from manipulating or altering a model’s digital replica without consent. This is essential in an industry where AI could be used to adjust a model’s height, weight, skin tone, or facial features (actions that not only exploit models but also perpetuate harmful beauty standards with real consequences for public health and self-esteem).
For me, this issue isn’t theoretical—it’s personal. Last year, I walked the runway for Michael Costello’s Los Angeles fashion show in a black evening gown, expecting to be paid in exposure from the show. But afterward, Costello posted a photo of me with my face digitally altered to appear as a white woman. My mother was the first to notice, and her devastation was a pain I’ll never forget.
With a single swipe, he erased not just my identity but the hours of work invested by the makeup artist, hair stylist, photographer, and me. (In an Instagram post that he later deleted, Costello said the video was “fan art” that he didn’t create himself.) This was not just a professional slight—it was a stark reminder of the terrifying power imbalance between a prominent designer and an unknown model. It underscored how easily AI can be weaponized against vulnerable workers when there are no guardrails in place.
The Fashion Workers Act addresses this exact issue. By requiring clear and written consent for the creation or alteration of digital replicas, it ensures that models maintain control over their image. Equally important, the act would close a legal loophole by explicitly preventing agencies from holding power of attorney over a model’s digital replica—a crucial step in protecting workers from being exploited by the very people tasked with representing them.
The act’s provisions go beyond the runway. By giving models control over the use of their digital likeness, it challenges the industry’s long-standing practice of treating models as commodities, and instead reaffirms their status as creative professionals.
The fashion industry is not the first to struggle with how to harness the power of AI—and it certainly won’t be the last. By establishing clear parameters that afford workers a measure of control over the use of their likeness, the Fashion Workers Act can serve as a road map for meaningful AI guardrails in other states and creative industries. And by prioritizing worker consent without eliminating the use of AI, the legislation can help prove that we don’t have to choose between technological innovation and worker power; technological progress and worker protections can coexist.
The Fashion Workers Act represents a crucial step forward in protecting creative workers in an increasingly digital world. Governor Hochul now has the opportunity to empower New York’s fashion workforce and establish a benchmark for protecting creative workers around the country.
This legislation isn’t just about fashion—it’s about fairness. By supporting the Fashion Workers Act, we can ensure that innovation serves everyone, not just those at the top.
