Coco Rocha Departs IMG Models For Ownership Stake in Nomad Mgmt

Didn’t see this coming…Coco Rocha, no stranger to to dabbling in all aspects of fashion, is making the unusual move of leaving IMG Models to take a management and ownership stake in Nomad Mgmt. She joins the helm with her husband James Conran, Damon Rutland, founder and managing director, and Roman Young, creative director.

“Having worked with many of the world’s top modeling agencies for the last decade, I’ve seen first-hand what works and doesn’t work in managing a model’s career,” Rocha said in a statement today. “In the past I’ve openly appealed to industry leaders for more ethical treatment of underage models, transparent accounting practices and I’ve spoken out regarding pressures and unhealthy expectations too often projected on models working today. I’m so proud to partner with a group of agents and managers that I’ve personally admired and respected for many years to further those ideals and establish Nomad as a world class agency.” Her official role will be brand director for the agency and she’ll also be available to mentor their roster. Rocha will continued to be represented by WME/IMG in her entertainment deals.

Nomad was founded in 2001 by Rutland who gave a hint at what their models can expect under their direction in a statement today: “Typically in our industry’s jargon, agencies use the word “clients” to refer to the buyers of their model’s services. This is a backwards focus in my opinion, and at NOMAD we all agree that our clients are the models and talent – they are the people who hired us to work for them.”