Reggie Yates' Extreme Russia (2015) s01e03 Episode Script
Teen Model Factory
Welcome to Russia That's how cold it is, look.
.
.
the largest country on Earth, and home to nearly 150 million people.
Growing up as a kid in the '80s in London, Russia was painted as this weird big baddie.
Now with Vladimir Putin well into his third term as president, it's starting to feel like that again.
NEWSREADER: Pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine - Vladimir Putin has ignored the dark warnings from the West.
- There's going to have to be a very different relationship between Britain and Russia.
The West has imposed tough sanctions against Russia.
Russia is responsible for the violence And relations are the frostiest since the cold war.
But this hasn't stopped an army of young Siberian models invading the West.
And while the catwalk and magazine demand for these girls grows, I'm here where it all starts - at the castings.
My name is Liza.
I'm 13 years old.
I'm from Siberia.
The dream starts young Some of these girls are as young as 13! .
.
very young.
With thousands of Russian children starting model training almost as soon as they can walk.
But there's a darker side to the dream.
If I were a parent, I don't know what I would do.
The right and the wrong is just so blurred.
So I'm going to find out just what it takes to make it in the West and leave Siberia behind.
At over 9,000km long and crossing eight time zones, the Trans-Siberian railway is the longest in the world.
And the coldest - temperatures here can drop as low as minus 60.
That's how cold it is, look.
You feel that? Siberia is so huge that if it were a country, it would be the biggest in the world.
50 times the size of the UK but with around half of the population, most Siberians live along this rail route.
So this is the train that model scouts from all over the world must take in search of fresh new Siberian faces.
Hey, how you doing? I'm Reggie, what's your name? - Tako.
- Tako? - Tako.
- Nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you.
- So where exactly are you from? - Tokyo.
- Tokyo? - Yeah.
And how many girls are you expected to find in the time that you're here? - Yeah.
- Yeah.
- So what is it you're specifically looking for? I haven't introduced myself to you either.
Sorry, I'm Reggie.
- Hi, I'm Kate.
Nice to meet you.
- Hello, Kate.
Nice to meet you.
So why here? I mean, this is so far away from home for you.
- Girls.
- No, what specifically? What type of girls? So you're looking for someone who feels and looks younger? In Britain, children aren't allowed on the catwalk until they're 16.
And although girls younger than that do model for magazines, the Asian market specifically looks for the youngest faces.
The first stop on the model tour is the industrial mining city of Krasnoyarsk, 3,000 miles from Moscow and a world away from the UK.
In Soviet times, Siberia was where political prisoners were sent to die.
A few decades later, and it's not how I imagined it.
As a kid growing up in North London, when you think of somewhere like Siberia, you just imagine this huge, vast, sort of massive land with mountains and snow and nothingness.
But the bit that I'm in right now, it could very easily be somewhere in the UK.
You know, there's literally tower blocks everywhere.
We very easily could be in Peckham.
And this is where the glamorous life of a Siberian supermodel begins - at a casting organised by local agencies for the visiting talent scouts.
And coming to a casting like this really can pay off.
Natalia Vodianova was discovered selling fruit by the side of the road in Russia.
Now she's a millionaire supermodel.
But this is the first step - standing next to naked in front of strangers.
I don't remember the last time I felt this awkward.
I think it might have been the time when I stayed at my mum's and I found my little sister - who I'm convinced is still nine years old, even though she keeps telling me she's 19 - when I found her bra.
It was the weirdest feeling I think I've ever had, and that is now being sort of gazumped by what I'm feeling right now, because just over my right shoulder, there's a whole heap of kids, and they're in pants and bras.
But then I see something that really takes me aback.
Whoa.
Whoa.
They're all so young.
I didn't expect there to be this many people, and I didn't expect them to be this young.
It looks like everyone here is about the age of, I don't know, 15, 16 tops.
Then the director of Noah Models arrives.
Tigran Khachatrian has been running casting sessions like this for 20 years.
As if these girls weren't standing up straight enough already, there's suddenly been a bit of an atmosphere change in here, because there's a guy that everybody is shaking hands with.
- Hello.
Hello, Reggie.
- I'm Tigran.
- Nice to meet you, Tigran.
Could you explain your role today? Well, the role is to select girls, primarily for ourselves, to send all across the world for them to work.
There are many young girls here.
And what sort of numbers are you expecting today? Uh, I expect to find about ten to 15 girls here.
Out of how many turning up? How many are you expecting to arrive? Probably 100.
A lot of them have great potential.
The critical part is the character.
Most Russian girls, OK, they're like Ferraris without engines.
But when we start working with them, we put those engines in, try to make that an awesome car.
HE LAUGHS I'm going to start calling you the mechanic - for the rest of the day.
- We're the mechanics for these girls.
Tigran's right-hand woman, Anna Yuzhakova, is running today's event.
She personally manages over 100 girls, working all over the world.
Bless them, on their cards they've got their name and their age.
My name is Liza.
I'm 13 years old.
My height is 1.
76.
I'm from Siberia.
I like modelling, travelling, and swimming.
Some of these girls are as young as 13! If any of the scouts like a girl, a code letter is added to their card.
Some of them may have worked before, and some will be newbies.
And in the Asian market they can start as young as 12.
Asia is like the kindergarten, then - That's the first market that you'd send them to? - Usually that's where they start, yeah.
- OK.
Then they go to Europe.
Europe you can consider as the high school.
- Yeah.
- Then they go to the US, and that's the university.
- Right.
So what are you looking for? What can you tell already? The photogenic qualities.
Certain geometry of the face and the proportions of the body.
If you take the distance between the eyes, you take the distance between the nose and the eyes.
- You've got this down to a science.
- Yeah, it is a science.
Seems like a really strange thing to say, but these young women are trying to get a job, you know? And in any other environment they'd be holding up their CV, whereas here, their CV is their body.
It's the way they look, it's the way they walk, it's how they smile, how confident they are.
And when you see the people who are the right way, quote unquote, you can really tell the difference.
Are you Mum? Hello, pleasure to meet you.
How you doing? I'm Reggie.
- What's your name? - Inna.
- Hello, Inna, Lovely to meet you.
She's got every single agency on there.
So did you ever come to something like this? Did you ever try? Do you think that you would have coped as well, being that young and wearing so little in public? Hello.
My name is Anna.
I'm from Siberia.
Quite a lot of the girls were getting letters, and this marks them out for the next step.
Hello.
All right, so what have we got on this piece of paper? There's two letters on here, what does that mean? I see that you've put your jumper back on now.
Is it a bit weird being in a bra and underwear for so long? If I was in my underwear, stood up there, I'd be crying.
So have you officially made it, or is this sort of a step towards finding out? The journey from Siberia to supermodel is a long one, and Tigran likes to start them young.
I feel great when I help these young girls, because over here, they don't have big opportunities.
- Is that why you got into this, then? To help young women? - Yes.
Yes, I do.
I want to really help these young women, and it gives me great joy spiritually when somebody becomes very successful.
I take great pride in it, so - We'll see.
- OK.
All right.
- I'm sure I'll catch up with you again in a little bit.
- Yeah.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
Something tells me, though, it's not just about spiritual reward - this is business.
Each teenage model that Tigran signs could make him thousands in commission.
But was he right about the lack of opportunity? Anya's been trying to be a model for three years.
I'm going back to her village to see what life is like for her there.
Now this is what I imagined Siberia would be like.
It's only an hour outside of Krasnoyarsk, but it feels a million miles away.
Anya's lived all of her life in a village in the middle of a forest called Ovsyanka.
Anya, this couldn't be any more different to where I grew up.
I mean, what's it like living here? Being a guy who grew up in a big city like London, there are opportunities literally everywhere I look.
I mean, what sort of opportunities do you have growing up here? The Russian education system is good - more than half of Russian girls go to university.
But in a country where even doctors make just over ã400 a month, I can see the temptation to work abroad.
Hello, how you doing? Nice to meet you.
Anya lives in a one-bedroom flat with her mum, Tatyana.
Her father died when she was four, so Anya's mum brought her and her brother up on her own.
- And is that one of your paintings? - Yeah.
- That's beautiful.
Oh, wow, so this is your art as well.
Look at this! - That's me.
- Very nice.
Anya dreams of being an artist, but finding a way of making money out of that feels like a pipe dream.
How realistic is it to have a career as an artist here? Do you know what, being totally honest with you, it seems as though this is where your heart is, and modelling is definitely where the money is and where a career is.
But how soon will it be before you get that big break, do you think? Anya has to rush off to rehearsals for Siberia's Next Top Model, a reality show shooting in Krasnoyarsk.
- See you soon, Anya.
Good luck, OK? - Thank you.
Which leaves time for a chat with her mum.
Yes, please! And my first taste of Siberian hospitality.
I was just looking at this while you were in the kitchen making the tea, and I can't believe that it's the same girl, cos she looks like just a normal teenager here with you and your son, and then here, she just looks like a completely different person in these model shots.
Wow, I want to have one of these.
Do you think, then, that your daughter will actually make it? Can Anya become a professional model? OK.
So if Anya actually makes it as a model and is successful, will she have to send money home? Will she have to look after her family? So is the modelling career currently bringing any money into the house? SHE LAUGHS Wow, that must be tough.
Now, when I got here, Anya was really, really welcoming and showed me her room and showed me all of her pictures on her wall, but one thing she didn't show me was where you sleep.
So where's your room and where do you lay your head in the flat? So you sleep here? Oh, wow.
When you see just how humble home is, you can understand why Anya is so focused.
It sort of stirred up a lot of stuff in me, cos I remember growing up in not the nicest council estate in the world with not very much, and I also grew up with a mum who made the best of what she had, and when you've got someone like that looking after you, all you want to do is look after them.
I'm back on the Trans-Siberian express, on the next leg of the model tour.
And it's another 800km to Siberia's capital, Novosibirsk.
There's not a lot of room! So I guess this is home for the next 12 hours.
Anna, the scout from Noah Models, is in the next carriage.
She's been running these Siberian model tours for six years.
- Hello, Anna.
- Hello.
- Hey! So what is it about Siberian girls that draws people from everywhere? What is really special about Siberians is their roots.
So a lot of people were imprisoned during Soviet times, so from Ukraine, from Baltic republics, also a lot of people are coming from Asian parts to Siberia.
It's a mixture of ethnic roots, so the faces are really interesting.
And also, Siberian girls have better skin and hair conditions, because I think you noticed that there were a lot of girls - with hair up to their waists.
- Yeah.
- So it's really unique.
I had absolutely no idea until today that girls under the age of 16 were going around the world on their own for modelling trips.
How do you look after them when they leave here? It's not only me who looks after them.
We are making the big team all together.
So it's the local agency in Krasnoyarsk or in Novosibirsk, where we're going, and also the agencies we are working with.
How does it get split, whatever's earned? Tickets, then transportation, accommodation, allowances, all advanced by the agency.
If the girl doesn't cover this expense by her jobs, she doesn't have to return the money.
So a successful girl, a girl who does well in maybe the Asian market or European market, how much is she likely to earn in a year, just round about? So if we don't talk about, like, top, top, top models like Kate Moss or Claudia Schiffer, if we are talking about just normal models - Yeah, successful working models.
- .
.
successful models, it can be, like, 20,000 per month.
- US dollars? Pounds? - 30, yeah, like that.
- US dollars? - Yeah, USD.
20 grand net a month, for a 15-year-old girl from Siberia? That's a hell of a For a 15-year-old girl from London that's a hell of a lot of money! - But we say about highest rate, I mean - Yeah.
So it can be sometimes the girl comes back home with zero, because their expenses were more than their earnings, - so next trip could be more successful.
- Yeah.
All right, well, I'll let you get on.
Good talking to you.
- And I'll see you in the morning.
- Sure.
- OK.
- And I hope you will enjoy my home city! - Your home city, yes.
I'm looking forward to it.
It's still ten long hours till Novosibirsk, but at least I'm in business class.
It's been a very long first day in Siberia, and a bit of a culture shock.
To begin with I just felt really, erm for want of a better word, and not to sound like a complete sap, I felt quite sad at the beginning of the day, cos I just saw so many kids stood there in their underwear, desperately clutching at a chance for a better life.
Desperately clutching at a chance to do something, to make it.
But you know, the more the day went on, the more I understood that these teenagers aren't being forced to do anything.
They've put themselves there because that's where they want to be, and they see it as an opportunity to do something else.
A really strange day.
Novosibirsk is thousands of miles from the catwalks of London, Paris and New York.
But in this city alone, there are 24 different model agencies and schools.
So I want to see what they're actually teaching them.
- Hello.
- Hello.
Hey, how you doing? I'm Reggie, nice to meet you.
- My name is Olga.
- Hello, Olga.
Girls start these classes as young as four .
.
learning to walk, pose, apply make-up and diet.
Today there's a fashion shoot for their portfolios.
It's like behind the scenes at the Paris catwalks, but with young kids instead.
She's a little pro.
Look, she's hitting the poses straight away.
- Excuse me.
Hello.
- Hello.
- Hi.
Is this your daughter? - Yes.
- Yes.
Ah, nice to meet you.
Hello, Mum.
Mum and dad, right? Hello, lovely to meet you.
Lovely to meet you.
How old is she? - Six.
- Six years old? Wow, so she's really young.
Just a generation ago, during Soviet times, there was virtually no modelling industry in Russia.
How do you look at models here in Russia? Cos there are so many girls that want to do it.
- Mm - HE MURMURS INAUDIBLY Why do you think that there are so many negative connotations when it comes to modelling? - Hello, what's your name? - Zlata.
- Zlata.
How old are you, Zlata? - 12.
- You're 12?! - Yes.
Wow, she's amazing at modelling, and this is what models are supposed to do.
They're supposed to "Make love to the camera.
" But she's a child, and she's delivering quite mature and slightly sexual poses.
And that's the right thing to do in this context, but for it to be a child delivering that .
.
that's where I struggle.
The final girl of the day, Sophia, comes in, and she's got her eyes firmly on the prize.
So how old is your daughter? Right.
She seems very practised.
Like, she knows all of her poses and her angles already.
I mean, did you used to model? You could have done, if not.
- SHE LAUGHS - You did? So how successful were you? Were you able to get to the top tier? SHE LAUGHS It's amazing how quickly these kids have bought into the dream of riches and stardom.
After all, only one generation ago, Russia was a communist country.
- How's it going, man? - Not bad, you? Tigran, the model agency boss, has seen huge change over the last 20 years.
During the Soviet Union, you know, once you got your everything was planned.
You get your degree, then you do this job, you get this standard salary, so hardly anybody challenged that.
- It was a very stable, boring lifestyle.
- Right.
But these younger girls, they don't want that.
What sort of young women are being produced by having these opportunities and by being alive and being young in this time? They're far more creative.
They want to be someone in life, unlike their mothers.
You know what it takes.
And what happens when you send a 14-year-old girl from a poor or average family to Japan, let's say, and she comes home with 20,000 that she earned in two months.
Now, that's amazing.
Their mothers didn't have that chance.
They do.
With so much money on offer and the girls being so young, I can't help but wonder if people ever take advantage of them.
You know, there are agencies all over, but most are not really doing jobs to send girls to the West where they work professionally as models.
So these other agencies, then, are they essentially setting these girls up to be escorts? No, no, no.
What they do is they find wealthy boyfriends for these girls, and that's a far more profitable business, unfortunately.
And many of the parents knowingly give their girls to them.
- Why would any parent do that? - Because it's in the Russian culture.
It's in the Russian dream to have To get married, to have a wealthy boyfriend, to have a beautiful apartment, to have a beautiful car.
And so that's what happens.
That's mind-blowing to me, that a parent would want their daughter to live that sort of half life.
That doesn't make any sense.
That's the reality of it.
That's the reality of it.
Tigran's holding the second model casting tomorrow, and I'm starting to see how this could be a life-changing event for the girls who show up.
Elite Stars is one of the top agencies in town, and there's just time for one last practice before they meet the international scouts.
Former model Irina has to teach her students everything she's learned.
Scouted at 15, she's lived in London and New York and worked for Vogue magazine and brands like Chanel and Dior.
She knows what these girls need to learn.
if they're going to stand a chance.
THEY LAUGH - Yes.
- Reggie.
- I want you to help me with English class.
- Oh, wow.
Yeah, because the girls are going to go to work in a modelling agency in Paris, London, Tokyo, everywhere, so they need practice.
So let's play a little game, like a casting.
Like, you're a client and the girls, they're coming to you, - they're looking for a job.
- OK.
I need a beret and a cigarette, don't I? - Hello.
- Hello.
- Hey.
Hey.
My name is Epania.
I'm from Russia.
I'm 15 years old.
OK.
That's a good walk.
Hello.
Hey, what's your name? - My name is Zana and I'm 14 years old.
- 14?! - Yeah.
- Wow.
- And how old are you? - I am 14 years old.
- 14? You're very tall.
How tall are you now? - 1.
73.
They have to learn English, because it's very important.
- Hello.
- Hello, my name is Vika.
I'm 16 years old.
I am from Siberia.
- My height, 73.
- Yeah.
Um, what else? SHE LAUGHS - OK, what's your favourite flavour of ice cream? - Um - I love all.
- All of them? - Yeah.
- That's a good answer.
- Thank you very much.
Nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you too.
What makes a good model in your opinion, then? First you have to be a businesswoman.
You have to be energetic, with good attitude, because without this you cannot make a great career.
Because you can have a beautiful face and great body, but if you have nothing in your head, forget it.
They want to take a picture with you.
- HE LAUGHS - Oh, right! My modelling days are over, but it's amazing how quickly it all comes rushing back.
Everyone look at this camera.
I've worked it, girl, I've worked it! I've worked it, girl.
Thank you very much.
I've admittedly regressed a little, and I suddenly feel like I'm one of the girls.
HE LAUGHS And pose.
These girls are really investing in the dream - six months of classes with all the expenses can cost more than two months' local wages.
Not to be really sort of out of order about it, but you can see that there are some girls that probably won't make it just based on their height and their weight and their look.
And the people that really have potential really do stand out.
And of the 5,000 models on Elite Stars' books, only 70 are working abroad.
So realistically, out of all these girls here, who all really want this, really want a career, how many of them will be as fortunate as you to go abroad and have a career? To be honest, they have all good chance.
The casting is being held later this afternoon.
- Hey, Vika, hello! - Hey! I met Vika yesterday, but all I really know about her is that she likes ice cream.
Hello, I'm Reggie.
- Natalya.
- Nice to meet you.
She lives with her single mum Natalya.
God, you need so many layers.
It's so cold! OK.
- Cold, really?! - Yes! This is cold! - Are you telling me this isn't cold? - For me, it's not cold.
It's OK.
THEY LAUGH - So this is your place.
- Yes.
- This is really cute.
- Where are we headed? In here? - Yeah.
- OK.
- So you love a flower, don't you? - Yeah.
It's a one-bedroom flat, so Vika sleeps in the living room.
This is my favourite flower.
There's loads here.
Look at all of these pictures.
- What's this? Elite Stars? - Yeah, it's my diploma.
And I have a title, Miss Elite Stars.
- Miss Elite Stars? - Yeah.
- Oh, so you won the crown? Whoa, look at you! Nice.
That's my first photoshoot.
- Were you nervous? - Of course.
When I see a camera, I'm scared.
THEY LAUGH This isn't her first international casting, but she's never been picked, so everything is riding on this one.
How do you go about that, then? Buckwheat was a staple of Soviet cuisine, so I'm a little bit nervous.
HE LAUGHS So this is where I can't say no, isn't it? Smells like hot Weetabix.
And you wouldn't have this with anything? THEY LAUGH It is not tasty! Were you happy for her to try and make modelling her thing? THEY LAUGH I mean, hearing all of that come from your daughter, does that not scare you or worry you at all? How likely to succeed are you? What are your chances? I like that attitude.
That's the only attitude to have.
That's good.
Is failure even an option for you, then? The casting that could make or break Vika's dream is being held on the 22nd floor of a shopping mall.
I ought to be getting used to this by now, but it's still surprising how young they are.
Anna's running the casting again, and there's a new foreign scout I haven't spoken to before.
- I'm Reggie.
- Yes, nice to meet you.
- What was your name, sorry? - Lionel.
- And where are you from, Lionel? - Paris.
- You're from Paris? - Yep.
- Right, so are you casting specifically for Paris today? - Yes.
So you're saying that one of the girls or some of the girls in this room could walk at Fashion Week? So what is the ideal for you today? I mean, the Asian market was specifically looking for someone with a smaller frame, and height didn't matter as much.
What's your criteria? In fact, Lionel's already found a girl he's interested in.
Those pictures are incredible.
They're really impressive, right? She started to work at 14.
Now she's 15.
- You'd never know that from these images.
- Yes.
- It's unbelievable.
And it's the model face, when you can transform her to any age, any style.
- Excuse me, what's your name? - Apollinariya.
Hello, nice to meet you.
Do you speak English? A little bit.
A little bit.
So on your first trip abroad, did you work much, or did you not get much work when you were there? So you made good money then? Yeah? But with things going so well for you in the East, are you trying to set your sights on the West now? Is that why you've come today, to try and get picked up - by our man from Paris? - Yeah.
So do you look at days like today as a competition, or you're not even bothered about other people being here? The competition's tough, and I'm worried for Vika.
It's her big moment, and she looks so nervous.
She's brand-new.
yes.
The other girls seem to be getting a positive reaction.
But what about Vika? Vika's casting seems to be over in a matter of minutes and it's time for a new batch of girls to step up.
And how did it go? - One centimetre, they said? - Yes.
That's a pretty harsh criticism about just the one centimetre.
And why were you in hospital? Surely having a spinal problem isn't made easier by being in heels all day? Well, I'm not casting you.
Take them off.
- Get them off, come on.
Get them off.
- SHE LAUGHS You know, it's really funny, the minute you take your heels off, suddenly you look like a 16-year-old girl again.
Suddenly your hair falls in front of your face and you look younger.
SHE LAUGHS OK.
Vika seems really upset and in a hurry to get home.
I feel bad for her - I know how hard she's tried.
The truth is, around 90% of these girls won't get picked.
But that doesn't stop them trying.
Reality show Siberia's Next Top Model is just one of hundreds of competitions held across Russia.
It has a prize of 1,000 US dollars, and Anya, the wannabe model I met a few days ago, is in the final.
The final's being held in a restaurant at the back of yet another shopping centre, and Tigran, the boss of Noah Models, has invited me to be a judge.
How's it going, guys? How we doing? You all right? Looking good.
Like the other 28 finalists, Anya's made it through 12 knockout rounds to get here.
But this evening's about more than just winning this local contest.
The international scouts are here as well.
CHEERING AND APPLAUSE Number 18 seems to be cleaning up.
I picked her.
I'm getting good at this model scouting.
CHEERING AND APPLAUSE Contracts are being handed out for work in Europe and Asia, but there's nothing yet for Anya.
It's really interesting seeing it from this perspective and hearing what they think.
They really know what they're looking for, and it's tough.
And they have to be, because, you know, it's massive competition with a worldwide market.
They've saved the best for last.
Tigran is looking for girls to go to America.
This could be Anya's big break - a better life for her and her mum.
CHEERING AND APPLAUSE Just seeing the golden girl.
Hey! Well done.
Congratulations! - Oh, thank you.
- So you're going to Los Angeles.
You're going to California.
Oh, yeeeaaah! THEY LAUGH Anya hasn't just won a contract in America - first she's going to Asia.
So it's not just California, it's India as well.
You're going to be going to two corners of the world off the back of an evening's competition.
I mean, how are you feeling about all of this, Mum? Anya, you've taken your shoes off.
Is it that point in the night? Is it time to finally let your hair down? - Well done.
Congratulations.
- Thank you.
Well done, and congratulations to you too, Mum.
- And thank you.
- Thank you.
Anya's not the only winner.
Excuse me.
Sorry, excuse me.
Sorry to interrupt.
I see you've got flowers.
Did you win this evening? - Yes.
- You have? - I have.
- Congratulations.
What's the contract for? Where are you going? - China.
Shanghai.
- China? - Wow.
Have you ever been to China before? - No.
- And how old are you? - 15.
- 15? But there's a catch - Katya needs to persuade her mum and dad.
Does the decision have to be made now? Do you have to decide literally this evening if she's going to China or not? How would you feel about her being out there without you there to look after her? Are you worried? I mean, what is it that's making you so emotional? Being faced with this crossroad, I mean, how big a decision is it for you? Do you think Mum and Dad are going to say yes? Maybe.
HE LAUGHS Ah, one word in English.
That's a good English word to use.
That's the perfect word for this moment.
The right and the wrong is just so blurred, because both avenues are the right one.
Letting your daughter start this career is the right thing to do, but also not letting your child - your 15-year-old child - go to China on their own is also the right thing to do.
I don't envy their decision.
And if it was my kid, I might say no as well.
I want to talk to someone who's been there, done it and modelled the T-shirt.
Valeria was scouted when she was just 14, and travelled the world modelling for 12 years.
I was young, you know.
I just wanted to be like every girl.
Try new clothes, wear all Like, you know, the Cinderella story.
Maybe you have this opportunity to be a princess.
Do you have pictures of you at that age? Can I see? - This - Is this you? - Yeah.
- This is Vivienne Westwood.
- Oh, yeah, so it is.
- How old are you here? - 14.
Wow.
God, you are so young.
- Wow.
- And this was in Japan as well.
And you were like 14 or 15 here.
Did you have anyone looking after you? No, that's the thing.
You're alone in another mentality, in another world, - with no friends, no parents, and - And you're a child.
And you're a child.
If you go one centimetre more then your contract is finished, right? So I was paranoid that I am fat, but I was not fat.
How much money were you making at that age? From 20 to 50,000 US per month.
That's a lot of money.
You say it so flippantly, but that's a lot.
Yeah, but you have tickets then flights per month, you don't understand what is the contract, you don't have a lawyer.
All you have is 10%.
So you're making a lot of money, but you never get it.
Some girls, they don't know what to do, and they put themselves in troubles.
What sort of troubles? They're actually selling the girls for guys.
You know, just to hang out with these guys, and they pay to the bookers.
So random men would pay money to have young models - just to hang out with them? - Yeah, of course.
A lot of girls, they are coming and they think that they are models, but then they become prostitutes, you know? How often does that sort of thing happen? Well, some girls, because they are scared, because people say, "I will not give you a passport, you will not go to your motherland, "you have to make money and you have to find a way to make money.
" And it's the reality, real reality, of this fashion industry.
St Petersburg - Russia's second biggest city, and the home of Noah Models.
It's 6am and I'm at the airport to meet Anya.
She's flying in to shoot the portfolio she'll need for her first contract abroad.
Hey! And surprise, surprise - Katya's made it too.
Good to see you.
How you doing? Hello, hello, hello.
Where are your bags? Is that all you've come with? - THEY LAUGH - Come on.
They've got a busy day in front of them, so we're heading straight to the studio.
Well, for both of you, this really could be the beginning of a career.
What do you expect to come from this? - Hey! - Hey! - THEY LAUGH Up to ten teenage models at a time can sleep here when they're starting their careers.
This is the biggest photoshoot of their lives and the work they get when they start abroad will depend on how good these shots are.
And so it begins! Anya doesn't look the most excited I've seen her, that's for sure.
Next up is Katya .
.
and she looks incredibly nervous.
I think reality is suddenly starting to set in.
HE LAUGHS It's hard work for the girls.
This is their first proper taste of the modelling business.
But I want to know if Tigran honestly thinks either of these girls can make it big overseas.
Based on how much you know about these girls at this stage, how realistic is it for them to make it? They can make it to certain markets.
Not to every market.
Just how fair do you think it is that, you know, so many girls get taken on that don't necessarily have everything that it takes? We're giving them an opportunity in life to become someone.
To do something more important.
- So would you do this - I mean, what would the girls do in Krasnoyarsk? At best, I mean, think of it.
Or in Novosibirsk.
You know, finish high school, go to college, have a diploma, and then do what? Go get a job for 500 a month? Marry someone at a very young age, have a baby, most likely get divorced? This is what they're facing.
That's the reality of what they're facing.
What do you think the parents think about the role that the agency plays in their daughter's career? The parents, of course they want their children to be more successful in life than they have been.
So they allow the girls to go to the West and, you know, become models.
But you have to understand one thing - that for a Russian to go abroad in general, even as a tourist, is a huge advantage, because they need visas literally to go anywhere.
So it's a great opportunity for their daughters.
And a great basis for a business like Tigran's.
But one thing's for sure - the girls seem absolutely determined to grab this opportunity with both hands.
- Model room! - THEY LAUGH - How we doing girls? You OK? - OK.
- You all right? How did you find today, then? Has a day like today made you more excited or made you realise just how much work you're about to get into? Good luck, girls.
Best of luck, all right? Be good! Good luck.
All the girls need now are their visas, so they can start their contracts and new lives abroad.
I can't say for certain whether they'll be one of the lucky ones who'll actually make decent money.
But at least they will experience a life outside of Siberia that they might not have otherwise.
I come from a place where there are so many opportunities.
I come from a place where I can be anything I want to be.
And I'm told that every day.
Whereas here, if you're a young girl, this is one opportunity that takes you all over the world, potentially, and could make you very, very wealthy and very successful.
And yes, it doesn't happen for everyone.
Anya and Katya might not end up getting careers.
But from what I've seen in my time in Siberia, I can see why so many girls queue up to chase that modelling dream.
.
.
the largest country on Earth, and home to nearly 150 million people.
Growing up as a kid in the '80s in London, Russia was painted as this weird big baddie.
Now with Vladimir Putin well into his third term as president, it's starting to feel like that again.
NEWSREADER: Pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine - Vladimir Putin has ignored the dark warnings from the West.
- There's going to have to be a very different relationship between Britain and Russia.
The West has imposed tough sanctions against Russia.
Russia is responsible for the violence And relations are the frostiest since the cold war.
But this hasn't stopped an army of young Siberian models invading the West.
And while the catwalk and magazine demand for these girls grows, I'm here where it all starts - at the castings.
My name is Liza.
I'm 13 years old.
I'm from Siberia.
The dream starts young Some of these girls are as young as 13! .
.
very young.
With thousands of Russian children starting model training almost as soon as they can walk.
But there's a darker side to the dream.
If I were a parent, I don't know what I would do.
The right and the wrong is just so blurred.
So I'm going to find out just what it takes to make it in the West and leave Siberia behind.
At over 9,000km long and crossing eight time zones, the Trans-Siberian railway is the longest in the world.
And the coldest - temperatures here can drop as low as minus 60.
That's how cold it is, look.
You feel that? Siberia is so huge that if it were a country, it would be the biggest in the world.
50 times the size of the UK but with around half of the population, most Siberians live along this rail route.
So this is the train that model scouts from all over the world must take in search of fresh new Siberian faces.
Hey, how you doing? I'm Reggie, what's your name? - Tako.
- Tako? - Tako.
- Nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you.
- So where exactly are you from? - Tokyo.
- Tokyo? - Yeah.
And how many girls are you expected to find in the time that you're here? - Yeah.
- Yeah.
- So what is it you're specifically looking for? I haven't introduced myself to you either.
Sorry, I'm Reggie.
- Hi, I'm Kate.
Nice to meet you.
- Hello, Kate.
Nice to meet you.
So why here? I mean, this is so far away from home for you.
- Girls.
- No, what specifically? What type of girls? So you're looking for someone who feels and looks younger? In Britain, children aren't allowed on the catwalk until they're 16.
And although girls younger than that do model for magazines, the Asian market specifically looks for the youngest faces.
The first stop on the model tour is the industrial mining city of Krasnoyarsk, 3,000 miles from Moscow and a world away from the UK.
In Soviet times, Siberia was where political prisoners were sent to die.
A few decades later, and it's not how I imagined it.
As a kid growing up in North London, when you think of somewhere like Siberia, you just imagine this huge, vast, sort of massive land with mountains and snow and nothingness.
But the bit that I'm in right now, it could very easily be somewhere in the UK.
You know, there's literally tower blocks everywhere.
We very easily could be in Peckham.
And this is where the glamorous life of a Siberian supermodel begins - at a casting organised by local agencies for the visiting talent scouts.
And coming to a casting like this really can pay off.
Natalia Vodianova was discovered selling fruit by the side of the road in Russia.
Now she's a millionaire supermodel.
But this is the first step - standing next to naked in front of strangers.
I don't remember the last time I felt this awkward.
I think it might have been the time when I stayed at my mum's and I found my little sister - who I'm convinced is still nine years old, even though she keeps telling me she's 19 - when I found her bra.
It was the weirdest feeling I think I've ever had, and that is now being sort of gazumped by what I'm feeling right now, because just over my right shoulder, there's a whole heap of kids, and they're in pants and bras.
But then I see something that really takes me aback.
Whoa.
Whoa.
They're all so young.
I didn't expect there to be this many people, and I didn't expect them to be this young.
It looks like everyone here is about the age of, I don't know, 15, 16 tops.
Then the director of Noah Models arrives.
Tigran Khachatrian has been running casting sessions like this for 20 years.
As if these girls weren't standing up straight enough already, there's suddenly been a bit of an atmosphere change in here, because there's a guy that everybody is shaking hands with.
- Hello.
Hello, Reggie.
- I'm Tigran.
- Nice to meet you, Tigran.
Could you explain your role today? Well, the role is to select girls, primarily for ourselves, to send all across the world for them to work.
There are many young girls here.
And what sort of numbers are you expecting today? Uh, I expect to find about ten to 15 girls here.
Out of how many turning up? How many are you expecting to arrive? Probably 100.
A lot of them have great potential.
The critical part is the character.
Most Russian girls, OK, they're like Ferraris without engines.
But when we start working with them, we put those engines in, try to make that an awesome car.
HE LAUGHS I'm going to start calling you the mechanic - for the rest of the day.
- We're the mechanics for these girls.
Tigran's right-hand woman, Anna Yuzhakova, is running today's event.
She personally manages over 100 girls, working all over the world.
Bless them, on their cards they've got their name and their age.
My name is Liza.
I'm 13 years old.
My height is 1.
76.
I'm from Siberia.
I like modelling, travelling, and swimming.
Some of these girls are as young as 13! If any of the scouts like a girl, a code letter is added to their card.
Some of them may have worked before, and some will be newbies.
And in the Asian market they can start as young as 12.
Asia is like the kindergarten, then - That's the first market that you'd send them to? - Usually that's where they start, yeah.
- OK.
Then they go to Europe.
Europe you can consider as the high school.
- Yeah.
- Then they go to the US, and that's the university.
- Right.
So what are you looking for? What can you tell already? The photogenic qualities.
Certain geometry of the face and the proportions of the body.
If you take the distance between the eyes, you take the distance between the nose and the eyes.
- You've got this down to a science.
- Yeah, it is a science.
Seems like a really strange thing to say, but these young women are trying to get a job, you know? And in any other environment they'd be holding up their CV, whereas here, their CV is their body.
It's the way they look, it's the way they walk, it's how they smile, how confident they are.
And when you see the people who are the right way, quote unquote, you can really tell the difference.
Are you Mum? Hello, pleasure to meet you.
How you doing? I'm Reggie.
- What's your name? - Inna.
- Hello, Inna, Lovely to meet you.
She's got every single agency on there.
So did you ever come to something like this? Did you ever try? Do you think that you would have coped as well, being that young and wearing so little in public? Hello.
My name is Anna.
I'm from Siberia.
Quite a lot of the girls were getting letters, and this marks them out for the next step.
Hello.
All right, so what have we got on this piece of paper? There's two letters on here, what does that mean? I see that you've put your jumper back on now.
Is it a bit weird being in a bra and underwear for so long? If I was in my underwear, stood up there, I'd be crying.
So have you officially made it, or is this sort of a step towards finding out? The journey from Siberia to supermodel is a long one, and Tigran likes to start them young.
I feel great when I help these young girls, because over here, they don't have big opportunities.
- Is that why you got into this, then? To help young women? - Yes.
Yes, I do.
I want to really help these young women, and it gives me great joy spiritually when somebody becomes very successful.
I take great pride in it, so - We'll see.
- OK.
All right.
- I'm sure I'll catch up with you again in a little bit.
- Yeah.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
Something tells me, though, it's not just about spiritual reward - this is business.
Each teenage model that Tigran signs could make him thousands in commission.
But was he right about the lack of opportunity? Anya's been trying to be a model for three years.
I'm going back to her village to see what life is like for her there.
Now this is what I imagined Siberia would be like.
It's only an hour outside of Krasnoyarsk, but it feels a million miles away.
Anya's lived all of her life in a village in the middle of a forest called Ovsyanka.
Anya, this couldn't be any more different to where I grew up.
I mean, what's it like living here? Being a guy who grew up in a big city like London, there are opportunities literally everywhere I look.
I mean, what sort of opportunities do you have growing up here? The Russian education system is good - more than half of Russian girls go to university.
But in a country where even doctors make just over ã400 a month, I can see the temptation to work abroad.
Hello, how you doing? Nice to meet you.
Anya lives in a one-bedroom flat with her mum, Tatyana.
Her father died when she was four, so Anya's mum brought her and her brother up on her own.
- And is that one of your paintings? - Yeah.
- That's beautiful.
Oh, wow, so this is your art as well.
Look at this! - That's me.
- Very nice.
Anya dreams of being an artist, but finding a way of making money out of that feels like a pipe dream.
How realistic is it to have a career as an artist here? Do you know what, being totally honest with you, it seems as though this is where your heart is, and modelling is definitely where the money is and where a career is.
But how soon will it be before you get that big break, do you think? Anya has to rush off to rehearsals for Siberia's Next Top Model, a reality show shooting in Krasnoyarsk.
- See you soon, Anya.
Good luck, OK? - Thank you.
Which leaves time for a chat with her mum.
Yes, please! And my first taste of Siberian hospitality.
I was just looking at this while you were in the kitchen making the tea, and I can't believe that it's the same girl, cos she looks like just a normal teenager here with you and your son, and then here, she just looks like a completely different person in these model shots.
Wow, I want to have one of these.
Do you think, then, that your daughter will actually make it? Can Anya become a professional model? OK.
So if Anya actually makes it as a model and is successful, will she have to send money home? Will she have to look after her family? So is the modelling career currently bringing any money into the house? SHE LAUGHS Wow, that must be tough.
Now, when I got here, Anya was really, really welcoming and showed me her room and showed me all of her pictures on her wall, but one thing she didn't show me was where you sleep.
So where's your room and where do you lay your head in the flat? So you sleep here? Oh, wow.
When you see just how humble home is, you can understand why Anya is so focused.
It sort of stirred up a lot of stuff in me, cos I remember growing up in not the nicest council estate in the world with not very much, and I also grew up with a mum who made the best of what she had, and when you've got someone like that looking after you, all you want to do is look after them.
I'm back on the Trans-Siberian express, on the next leg of the model tour.
And it's another 800km to Siberia's capital, Novosibirsk.
There's not a lot of room! So I guess this is home for the next 12 hours.
Anna, the scout from Noah Models, is in the next carriage.
She's been running these Siberian model tours for six years.
- Hello, Anna.
- Hello.
- Hey! So what is it about Siberian girls that draws people from everywhere? What is really special about Siberians is their roots.
So a lot of people were imprisoned during Soviet times, so from Ukraine, from Baltic republics, also a lot of people are coming from Asian parts to Siberia.
It's a mixture of ethnic roots, so the faces are really interesting.
And also, Siberian girls have better skin and hair conditions, because I think you noticed that there were a lot of girls - with hair up to their waists.
- Yeah.
- So it's really unique.
I had absolutely no idea until today that girls under the age of 16 were going around the world on their own for modelling trips.
How do you look after them when they leave here? It's not only me who looks after them.
We are making the big team all together.
So it's the local agency in Krasnoyarsk or in Novosibirsk, where we're going, and also the agencies we are working with.
How does it get split, whatever's earned? Tickets, then transportation, accommodation, allowances, all advanced by the agency.
If the girl doesn't cover this expense by her jobs, she doesn't have to return the money.
So a successful girl, a girl who does well in maybe the Asian market or European market, how much is she likely to earn in a year, just round about? So if we don't talk about, like, top, top, top models like Kate Moss or Claudia Schiffer, if we are talking about just normal models - Yeah, successful working models.
- .
.
successful models, it can be, like, 20,000 per month.
- US dollars? Pounds? - 30, yeah, like that.
- US dollars? - Yeah, USD.
20 grand net a month, for a 15-year-old girl from Siberia? That's a hell of a For a 15-year-old girl from London that's a hell of a lot of money! - But we say about highest rate, I mean - Yeah.
So it can be sometimes the girl comes back home with zero, because their expenses were more than their earnings, - so next trip could be more successful.
- Yeah.
All right, well, I'll let you get on.
Good talking to you.
- And I'll see you in the morning.
- Sure.
- OK.
- And I hope you will enjoy my home city! - Your home city, yes.
I'm looking forward to it.
It's still ten long hours till Novosibirsk, but at least I'm in business class.
It's been a very long first day in Siberia, and a bit of a culture shock.
To begin with I just felt really, erm for want of a better word, and not to sound like a complete sap, I felt quite sad at the beginning of the day, cos I just saw so many kids stood there in their underwear, desperately clutching at a chance for a better life.
Desperately clutching at a chance to do something, to make it.
But you know, the more the day went on, the more I understood that these teenagers aren't being forced to do anything.
They've put themselves there because that's where they want to be, and they see it as an opportunity to do something else.
A really strange day.
Novosibirsk is thousands of miles from the catwalks of London, Paris and New York.
But in this city alone, there are 24 different model agencies and schools.
So I want to see what they're actually teaching them.
- Hello.
- Hello.
Hey, how you doing? I'm Reggie, nice to meet you.
- My name is Olga.
- Hello, Olga.
Girls start these classes as young as four .
.
learning to walk, pose, apply make-up and diet.
Today there's a fashion shoot for their portfolios.
It's like behind the scenes at the Paris catwalks, but with young kids instead.
She's a little pro.
Look, she's hitting the poses straight away.
- Excuse me.
Hello.
- Hello.
- Hi.
Is this your daughter? - Yes.
- Yes.
Ah, nice to meet you.
Hello, Mum.
Mum and dad, right? Hello, lovely to meet you.
Lovely to meet you.
How old is she? - Six.
- Six years old? Wow, so she's really young.
Just a generation ago, during Soviet times, there was virtually no modelling industry in Russia.
How do you look at models here in Russia? Cos there are so many girls that want to do it.
- Mm - HE MURMURS INAUDIBLY Why do you think that there are so many negative connotations when it comes to modelling? - Hello, what's your name? - Zlata.
- Zlata.
How old are you, Zlata? - 12.
- You're 12?! - Yes.
Wow, she's amazing at modelling, and this is what models are supposed to do.
They're supposed to "Make love to the camera.
" But she's a child, and she's delivering quite mature and slightly sexual poses.
And that's the right thing to do in this context, but for it to be a child delivering that .
.
that's where I struggle.
The final girl of the day, Sophia, comes in, and she's got her eyes firmly on the prize.
So how old is your daughter? Right.
She seems very practised.
Like, she knows all of her poses and her angles already.
I mean, did you used to model? You could have done, if not.
- SHE LAUGHS - You did? So how successful were you? Were you able to get to the top tier? SHE LAUGHS It's amazing how quickly these kids have bought into the dream of riches and stardom.
After all, only one generation ago, Russia was a communist country.
- How's it going, man? - Not bad, you? Tigran, the model agency boss, has seen huge change over the last 20 years.
During the Soviet Union, you know, once you got your everything was planned.
You get your degree, then you do this job, you get this standard salary, so hardly anybody challenged that.
- It was a very stable, boring lifestyle.
- Right.
But these younger girls, they don't want that.
What sort of young women are being produced by having these opportunities and by being alive and being young in this time? They're far more creative.
They want to be someone in life, unlike their mothers.
You know what it takes.
And what happens when you send a 14-year-old girl from a poor or average family to Japan, let's say, and she comes home with 20,000 that she earned in two months.
Now, that's amazing.
Their mothers didn't have that chance.
They do.
With so much money on offer and the girls being so young, I can't help but wonder if people ever take advantage of them.
You know, there are agencies all over, but most are not really doing jobs to send girls to the West where they work professionally as models.
So these other agencies, then, are they essentially setting these girls up to be escorts? No, no, no.
What they do is they find wealthy boyfriends for these girls, and that's a far more profitable business, unfortunately.
And many of the parents knowingly give their girls to them.
- Why would any parent do that? - Because it's in the Russian culture.
It's in the Russian dream to have To get married, to have a wealthy boyfriend, to have a beautiful apartment, to have a beautiful car.
And so that's what happens.
That's mind-blowing to me, that a parent would want their daughter to live that sort of half life.
That doesn't make any sense.
That's the reality of it.
That's the reality of it.
Tigran's holding the second model casting tomorrow, and I'm starting to see how this could be a life-changing event for the girls who show up.
Elite Stars is one of the top agencies in town, and there's just time for one last practice before they meet the international scouts.
Former model Irina has to teach her students everything she's learned.
Scouted at 15, she's lived in London and New York and worked for Vogue magazine and brands like Chanel and Dior.
She knows what these girls need to learn.
if they're going to stand a chance.
THEY LAUGH - Yes.
- Reggie.
- I want you to help me with English class.
- Oh, wow.
Yeah, because the girls are going to go to work in a modelling agency in Paris, London, Tokyo, everywhere, so they need practice.
So let's play a little game, like a casting.
Like, you're a client and the girls, they're coming to you, - they're looking for a job.
- OK.
I need a beret and a cigarette, don't I? - Hello.
- Hello.
- Hey.
Hey.
My name is Epania.
I'm from Russia.
I'm 15 years old.
OK.
That's a good walk.
Hello.
Hey, what's your name? - My name is Zana and I'm 14 years old.
- 14?! - Yeah.
- Wow.
- And how old are you? - I am 14 years old.
- 14? You're very tall.
How tall are you now? - 1.
73.
They have to learn English, because it's very important.
- Hello.
- Hello, my name is Vika.
I'm 16 years old.
I am from Siberia.
- My height, 73.
- Yeah.
Um, what else? SHE LAUGHS - OK, what's your favourite flavour of ice cream? - Um - I love all.
- All of them? - Yeah.
- That's a good answer.
- Thank you very much.
Nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you too.
What makes a good model in your opinion, then? First you have to be a businesswoman.
You have to be energetic, with good attitude, because without this you cannot make a great career.
Because you can have a beautiful face and great body, but if you have nothing in your head, forget it.
They want to take a picture with you.
- HE LAUGHS - Oh, right! My modelling days are over, but it's amazing how quickly it all comes rushing back.
Everyone look at this camera.
I've worked it, girl, I've worked it! I've worked it, girl.
Thank you very much.
I've admittedly regressed a little, and I suddenly feel like I'm one of the girls.
HE LAUGHS And pose.
These girls are really investing in the dream - six months of classes with all the expenses can cost more than two months' local wages.
Not to be really sort of out of order about it, but you can see that there are some girls that probably won't make it just based on their height and their weight and their look.
And the people that really have potential really do stand out.
And of the 5,000 models on Elite Stars' books, only 70 are working abroad.
So realistically, out of all these girls here, who all really want this, really want a career, how many of them will be as fortunate as you to go abroad and have a career? To be honest, they have all good chance.
The casting is being held later this afternoon.
- Hey, Vika, hello! - Hey! I met Vika yesterday, but all I really know about her is that she likes ice cream.
Hello, I'm Reggie.
- Natalya.
- Nice to meet you.
She lives with her single mum Natalya.
God, you need so many layers.
It's so cold! OK.
- Cold, really?! - Yes! This is cold! - Are you telling me this isn't cold? - For me, it's not cold.
It's OK.
THEY LAUGH - So this is your place.
- Yes.
- This is really cute.
- Where are we headed? In here? - Yeah.
- OK.
- So you love a flower, don't you? - Yeah.
It's a one-bedroom flat, so Vika sleeps in the living room.
This is my favourite flower.
There's loads here.
Look at all of these pictures.
- What's this? Elite Stars? - Yeah, it's my diploma.
And I have a title, Miss Elite Stars.
- Miss Elite Stars? - Yeah.
- Oh, so you won the crown? Whoa, look at you! Nice.
That's my first photoshoot.
- Were you nervous? - Of course.
When I see a camera, I'm scared.
THEY LAUGH This isn't her first international casting, but she's never been picked, so everything is riding on this one.
How do you go about that, then? Buckwheat was a staple of Soviet cuisine, so I'm a little bit nervous.
HE LAUGHS So this is where I can't say no, isn't it? Smells like hot Weetabix.
And you wouldn't have this with anything? THEY LAUGH It is not tasty! Were you happy for her to try and make modelling her thing? THEY LAUGH I mean, hearing all of that come from your daughter, does that not scare you or worry you at all? How likely to succeed are you? What are your chances? I like that attitude.
That's the only attitude to have.
That's good.
Is failure even an option for you, then? The casting that could make or break Vika's dream is being held on the 22nd floor of a shopping mall.
I ought to be getting used to this by now, but it's still surprising how young they are.
Anna's running the casting again, and there's a new foreign scout I haven't spoken to before.
- I'm Reggie.
- Yes, nice to meet you.
- What was your name, sorry? - Lionel.
- And where are you from, Lionel? - Paris.
- You're from Paris? - Yep.
- Right, so are you casting specifically for Paris today? - Yes.
So you're saying that one of the girls or some of the girls in this room could walk at Fashion Week? So what is the ideal for you today? I mean, the Asian market was specifically looking for someone with a smaller frame, and height didn't matter as much.
What's your criteria? In fact, Lionel's already found a girl he's interested in.
Those pictures are incredible.
They're really impressive, right? She started to work at 14.
Now she's 15.
- You'd never know that from these images.
- Yes.
- It's unbelievable.
And it's the model face, when you can transform her to any age, any style.
- Excuse me, what's your name? - Apollinariya.
Hello, nice to meet you.
Do you speak English? A little bit.
A little bit.
So on your first trip abroad, did you work much, or did you not get much work when you were there? So you made good money then? Yeah? But with things going so well for you in the East, are you trying to set your sights on the West now? Is that why you've come today, to try and get picked up - by our man from Paris? - Yeah.
So do you look at days like today as a competition, or you're not even bothered about other people being here? The competition's tough, and I'm worried for Vika.
It's her big moment, and she looks so nervous.
She's brand-new.
yes.
The other girls seem to be getting a positive reaction.
But what about Vika? Vika's casting seems to be over in a matter of minutes and it's time for a new batch of girls to step up.
And how did it go? - One centimetre, they said? - Yes.
That's a pretty harsh criticism about just the one centimetre.
And why were you in hospital? Surely having a spinal problem isn't made easier by being in heels all day? Well, I'm not casting you.
Take them off.
- Get them off, come on.
Get them off.
- SHE LAUGHS You know, it's really funny, the minute you take your heels off, suddenly you look like a 16-year-old girl again.
Suddenly your hair falls in front of your face and you look younger.
SHE LAUGHS OK.
Vika seems really upset and in a hurry to get home.
I feel bad for her - I know how hard she's tried.
The truth is, around 90% of these girls won't get picked.
But that doesn't stop them trying.
Reality show Siberia's Next Top Model is just one of hundreds of competitions held across Russia.
It has a prize of 1,000 US dollars, and Anya, the wannabe model I met a few days ago, is in the final.
The final's being held in a restaurant at the back of yet another shopping centre, and Tigran, the boss of Noah Models, has invited me to be a judge.
How's it going, guys? How we doing? You all right? Looking good.
Like the other 28 finalists, Anya's made it through 12 knockout rounds to get here.
But this evening's about more than just winning this local contest.
The international scouts are here as well.
CHEERING AND APPLAUSE Number 18 seems to be cleaning up.
I picked her.
I'm getting good at this model scouting.
CHEERING AND APPLAUSE Contracts are being handed out for work in Europe and Asia, but there's nothing yet for Anya.
It's really interesting seeing it from this perspective and hearing what they think.
They really know what they're looking for, and it's tough.
And they have to be, because, you know, it's massive competition with a worldwide market.
They've saved the best for last.
Tigran is looking for girls to go to America.
This could be Anya's big break - a better life for her and her mum.
CHEERING AND APPLAUSE Just seeing the golden girl.
Hey! Well done.
Congratulations! - Oh, thank you.
- So you're going to Los Angeles.
You're going to California.
Oh, yeeeaaah! THEY LAUGH Anya hasn't just won a contract in America - first she's going to Asia.
So it's not just California, it's India as well.
You're going to be going to two corners of the world off the back of an evening's competition.
I mean, how are you feeling about all of this, Mum? Anya, you've taken your shoes off.
Is it that point in the night? Is it time to finally let your hair down? - Well done.
Congratulations.
- Thank you.
Well done, and congratulations to you too, Mum.
- And thank you.
- Thank you.
Anya's not the only winner.
Excuse me.
Sorry, excuse me.
Sorry to interrupt.
I see you've got flowers.
Did you win this evening? - Yes.
- You have? - I have.
- Congratulations.
What's the contract for? Where are you going? - China.
Shanghai.
- China? - Wow.
Have you ever been to China before? - No.
- And how old are you? - 15.
- 15? But there's a catch - Katya needs to persuade her mum and dad.
Does the decision have to be made now? Do you have to decide literally this evening if she's going to China or not? How would you feel about her being out there without you there to look after her? Are you worried? I mean, what is it that's making you so emotional? Being faced with this crossroad, I mean, how big a decision is it for you? Do you think Mum and Dad are going to say yes? Maybe.
HE LAUGHS Ah, one word in English.
That's a good English word to use.
That's the perfect word for this moment.
The right and the wrong is just so blurred, because both avenues are the right one.
Letting your daughter start this career is the right thing to do, but also not letting your child - your 15-year-old child - go to China on their own is also the right thing to do.
I don't envy their decision.
And if it was my kid, I might say no as well.
I want to talk to someone who's been there, done it and modelled the T-shirt.
Valeria was scouted when she was just 14, and travelled the world modelling for 12 years.
I was young, you know.
I just wanted to be like every girl.
Try new clothes, wear all Like, you know, the Cinderella story.
Maybe you have this opportunity to be a princess.
Do you have pictures of you at that age? Can I see? - This - Is this you? - Yeah.
- This is Vivienne Westwood.
- Oh, yeah, so it is.
- How old are you here? - 14.
Wow.
God, you are so young.
- Wow.
- And this was in Japan as well.
And you were like 14 or 15 here.
Did you have anyone looking after you? No, that's the thing.
You're alone in another mentality, in another world, - with no friends, no parents, and - And you're a child.
And you're a child.
If you go one centimetre more then your contract is finished, right? So I was paranoid that I am fat, but I was not fat.
How much money were you making at that age? From 20 to 50,000 US per month.
That's a lot of money.
You say it so flippantly, but that's a lot.
Yeah, but you have tickets then flights per month, you don't understand what is the contract, you don't have a lawyer.
All you have is 10%.
So you're making a lot of money, but you never get it.
Some girls, they don't know what to do, and they put themselves in troubles.
What sort of troubles? They're actually selling the girls for guys.
You know, just to hang out with these guys, and they pay to the bookers.
So random men would pay money to have young models - just to hang out with them? - Yeah, of course.
A lot of girls, they are coming and they think that they are models, but then they become prostitutes, you know? How often does that sort of thing happen? Well, some girls, because they are scared, because people say, "I will not give you a passport, you will not go to your motherland, "you have to make money and you have to find a way to make money.
" And it's the reality, real reality, of this fashion industry.
St Petersburg - Russia's second biggest city, and the home of Noah Models.
It's 6am and I'm at the airport to meet Anya.
She's flying in to shoot the portfolio she'll need for her first contract abroad.
Hey! And surprise, surprise - Katya's made it too.
Good to see you.
How you doing? Hello, hello, hello.
Where are your bags? Is that all you've come with? - THEY LAUGH - Come on.
They've got a busy day in front of them, so we're heading straight to the studio.
Well, for both of you, this really could be the beginning of a career.
What do you expect to come from this? - Hey! - Hey! - THEY LAUGH Up to ten teenage models at a time can sleep here when they're starting their careers.
This is the biggest photoshoot of their lives and the work they get when they start abroad will depend on how good these shots are.
And so it begins! Anya doesn't look the most excited I've seen her, that's for sure.
Next up is Katya .
.
and she looks incredibly nervous.
I think reality is suddenly starting to set in.
HE LAUGHS It's hard work for the girls.
This is their first proper taste of the modelling business.
But I want to know if Tigran honestly thinks either of these girls can make it big overseas.
Based on how much you know about these girls at this stage, how realistic is it for them to make it? They can make it to certain markets.
Not to every market.
Just how fair do you think it is that, you know, so many girls get taken on that don't necessarily have everything that it takes? We're giving them an opportunity in life to become someone.
To do something more important.
- So would you do this - I mean, what would the girls do in Krasnoyarsk? At best, I mean, think of it.
Or in Novosibirsk.
You know, finish high school, go to college, have a diploma, and then do what? Go get a job for 500 a month? Marry someone at a very young age, have a baby, most likely get divorced? This is what they're facing.
That's the reality of what they're facing.
What do you think the parents think about the role that the agency plays in their daughter's career? The parents, of course they want their children to be more successful in life than they have been.
So they allow the girls to go to the West and, you know, become models.
But you have to understand one thing - that for a Russian to go abroad in general, even as a tourist, is a huge advantage, because they need visas literally to go anywhere.
So it's a great opportunity for their daughters.
And a great basis for a business like Tigran's.
But one thing's for sure - the girls seem absolutely determined to grab this opportunity with both hands.
- Model room! - THEY LAUGH - How we doing girls? You OK? - OK.
- You all right? How did you find today, then? Has a day like today made you more excited or made you realise just how much work you're about to get into? Good luck, girls.
Best of luck, all right? Be good! Good luck.
All the girls need now are their visas, so they can start their contracts and new lives abroad.
I can't say for certain whether they'll be one of the lucky ones who'll actually make decent money.
But at least they will experience a life outside of Siberia that they might not have otherwise.
I come from a place where there are so many opportunities.
I come from a place where I can be anything I want to be.
And I'm told that every day.
Whereas here, if you're a young girl, this is one opportunity that takes you all over the world, potentially, and could make you very, very wealthy and very successful.
And yes, it doesn't happen for everyone.
Anya and Katya might not end up getting careers.
But from what I've seen in my time in Siberia, I can see why so many girls queue up to chase that modelling dream.