Annabelle Dexter-Jones, Isabelle McNally Join Agency For "It-Crowd"

The traditional socialite is dead, and in her place is a crop of multi-talented it-kids, who party til dawn, then get up in the morning to model, record cds, act, photograph, film, and fashion design. They're talented to be sure, but first and foremost, these are the cool kids, and now they have their very own agency.-

The Collaborative Agency is interesting in how it brands itself as an agency for "significant contributors to the modern youth culture." In that respect, it's the first of its kind: an agency not for actors, not for writers or models, but for trendsetters.

There's no doubt that the clients, which include Annabelle Dexter-Jones (socialite younger sister of the Ronson clan), Gia Coppola (daughter of Francis), and Isabelle McNally (daughter of Keith), are talented. But they're primarily famous for being "on the scene": they're a priveledged New York set, the ones who hang out at the Boom Boom til dawn, that are more famous for being characters themselves than any other talent in fashion or art.

The bios on the site are carefully worded to allude to family connections without being overt (McNally, for instance, was "born into the restaurant and nightlife world", Coppola's includes a quote by Zac Posen calling her "the next Coppola to be reckoned with"), and the portfolios range from pretty amateur to pretty impressive.

Smart then of Aaron Bakalar, former Socialista doorman and founder of the company, to capitalize on this phenomenon before others do. The cool kids in Manhattan really are the trendsetters and tastemakers of the country; why shouldn't they have agents to help them land promotions, spokesmanships, and paid appearances? And Mr.Bakalar certainly has an eye for picking out talent and, more importantly, a marketable it-factor.

"The Collaborative Agency represents individuals directly engaged in the fields of fashion, music, film and art whose inside perspectives grant them the unique ability to appear as true images of their generation and to provide distinctive insights into the state of the current market."

And speaking of multi-talented, the company's logo was designed by none-other than Andre Saraiva, graffiti artist, nightclub owner, and Annabelle Dexter-Jones' boyfriend.

-

[via PaperMag]