MAM
Ford Models to host first India casting call in Mumbai this May
Global agency opens doors for Indian talent with rare open scouting event
MUMBAI: Ford Models, one of the most influential names in the global fashion industry, is making its India debut with an open casting call in Mumbai, offering aspiring models a direct shot at international recognition.
Scheduled for May 16, 2026, at Jio World Drive in Bandra Kurla Complex, the casting marks the agency’s first official scouting initiative in the country. For many, it could be a rare chance to step onto the global fashion stage without leaving home turf.
Founded in 1946 in New York by Eileen Ford, the agency has spent over eight decades discovering and shaping some of the most recognisable faces in fashion. Its expansion into India reflects the growing importance of the country as both a fashion market and a talent hub.
The open call invites applicants aged between 15 and 25 from across India. Eligibility criteria include a minimum height of 170 cm for women and 180 cm for men, with parental consent required for those under 18. Registrations are currently open, with shortlisted candidates getting the opportunity to be evaluated directly by Ford’s global scouting team.
Unlike conventional auditions, this initiative is positioned as a gateway to international exposure. Selected talent could gain access to runway shows, global campaigns and representation across major fashion capitals, placing them firmly on the industry’s radar.
The move also signals a broader shift, with global agencies increasingly looking beyond traditional markets to discover diverse, fresh faces. India, with its expanding fashion ecosystem and rising global influence, is fast becoming a key stop on that scouting map.
For aspiring models, the message is simple: sometimes, all it takes is being in the right place at the right time. This May, Mumbai could be exactly that place.
Brands
Estée Lauder to shed 10,000 jobs as new boss bets on digital shift
The cosmetics giant raises its profit outlook but stays silent on a possible merger with Spain’s Puig, as job cuts deepen and a three-year sales slump weighs on the turnaround
NEW YORK: Stéphane de La Faverie is not done cutting. Estée Lauder announced on Friday that it plans to eliminate as many as 3,000 additional jobs, taking its total redundancy programme to as many as 10,000 roles, up from a previous target of 7,000 announced a year ago. The company, which owns La Mer, The Ordinary, Tom Ford, and Aveda, employs roughly 57,000 people worldwide. The mathematics of what is now being contemplated is stark.
The fresh round of cuts is expected to generate a further $200 million in savings, bringing the total annual savings from the programme to as much as $1.2 billion before taxes. That money, De La Faverie has made clear, will be ploughed back into the turnaround.
A CEO in a hurry
De La Faverie, who took the helm in January 2025, inherited a company that had endured three consecutive years of annual sales declines. His response has been to move fast and cut deep. A significant portion of the latest redundancies reflects his push to reduce headcount at US department stores, long a cornerstone of Estée Lauder’s distribution model but now a channel in structural decline. In their place, he is accelerating the shift toward faster-growing online platforms, including Amazon.com and TikTok Shop, a pivot that is reshaping not just where Estée Lauder sells but how it thinks about its customers.
The numbers are moving in the right direction
Despite the pain, there are signs the medicine is working. Estée Lauder raised its profit outlook for the remainder of the fiscal year, guiding for adjusted earnings per share in the range of $2.35 to $2.45, above analyst estimates and a notable step up from the $2.05 to $2.25 range it had guided for in February. Organic net sales growth is expected to come in at 3 per cent, the company said, at the high end of the range it set out in February.
The share price tells a mixed story. After De La Faverie took charge, the stock surged nearly 60 per cent, buoyed by investor optimism that a longtime company insider could finally arrest the decline. But 2026 has been rougher: the shares have fallen 27 per cent this year, weighed down by disappointing February results and the overhang of unresolved merger talks with Spanish beauty giant Puig Brands SA. The company gave no additional details about those discussions on Friday, leaving the market to guess.
Silence on Puig
The proposed tie-up with Puig remains the most consequential unknown hanging over Estée Lauder. A deal with the Barcelona-based group, which owns brands including Carolina Herrera and Rabanne, would reshape the global luxury beauty landscape. But with nothing new to say and a turnaround still very much in progress, De La Faverie is asking investors to trust the process.
Three years of sales declines, 10,000 job cuts, and a merger that may or may not happen. At Estée Lauder, the overhaul has barely started.
