They are the «only model agency in the Algarve» and have already done work with major brands such as Nike, Adidas or IKEA. For 28 years, Boom Models has been «an ambassador» of the Algarve and its leader João Santos believes that the region has «great potential» in the area of fashion that has not yet been explored.
And what is this potential? For João Santos, the Algarve is the perfect setting for photography works that are later integrated into advertisements and catalogues.
«We have, for example, hours of sunshine that allow us to work, throughout the year, in great conditions», he explains to Sul Informação.
«There is a lot to explore in the Algarve. A few years ago I met those responsible for the Model Management website, the main one, in world terms in fashion matters. When they came here, they were amazed at the conditions in the Algarve. I myself continue to be surprised by places where you can have magnificent sessions», he says.
But this was not the only case of someone who fell in love with the region. Arko Datta, winner of the World Press Photo in 2005, came to the Algarve at the invitation of João Santos, himself a former photojournalist. “I took him to know Sagres and, at a certain point, he told me: this is impressive. I thought that there weren't places like that in Europe that were so little explored».
To publicize this potential, João Santos says that «there would have to be a good promotion of the region made, for example, by Turismo do Algarve, making a conciliation of efforts, bringing together photographers, agencies, fashion producers and makeup artists», he says.
And the truth is that the “only” modeling agency in the region has been successful. “This year has gone better than the others. There has been a greater demand for the work of models, although we are always faced with a difficult situation to manage, which are the pseudo agencies that end up stealing some work from us, not being legalized», he tells the Sul Informação.
In addition to having already made five fashion shows in 2018, Boom Models has already done, this year, a «great job» for IKEA that «came to the Algarve to photograph, for the image bank and catalogs, and selected our models».
During the summer, Boom Models models were also present in the main Algarve night entertainment venues, such as Bliss and Lick clubs, for animation work as promoters.
“We have also been doing photographic work for major brands such as Adidas, Nike and La Redoute. It may happen that we go to work in other regions, but it is very punctual, despite having already done things in Évora, Beja and in the south of Spain».
Defining an exact number of models, men and women, that the Algarve agency has in its portfolio is difficult. «If it's for a fashion job, we can have, for example, around 150 available. If it's in advertising, the number rises to 250. Finally, in figurative work we can have 500 people», explains João Santos.
Certain is the pride that the creator of Boom Models has in the company he has been running for 28 years. “The fact that we are a bit of ambassadors for the Algarve, through the work we do, is really important”, he concludes.
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