For more updates about the The BoF 500 subscribe to the Daily Digest newsletter

For more updates about the The BoF 500 subscribe to the Daily Digest newsletter

{alt missing}

Barbara Nicoli & Leila Ananna

Casting Directors

The powerhouse casting duo regularly selects models for ad campaigns and runway shows for brands like Armani, Gucci and Burberry.

Biography

Powerhouse casting directors Barbara Nicoli and Leila Ananna collaborate frequently with renowned stylists and top brands to select models for fashion editorials, advertising campaigns, and runway shows. The two have regularly cast the catwalk models for Burberry, Gucci, Versace, Saint Laurent and Armani Privé.

In addition casting for international luxury brands, Nicoli and Ananna have also chosen models to advertising campaigns for front high street and contemporary brands, including British boutique Jaeger. They have also worked on a number of magazine editorials, casting for the likes of Vogue Nippon, Vogue Russia, i-D and Flair magazine, and collaborated with renowned photographers such as  David Sims Peter Lindbergh and  Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott .

Introduced to the industry when she worked as a dresser at university, Nicoli began to freelance for production companies in Milan, whose owner directed runway shows for high-end Milanese brands at the time, like Valentino and Salvatore Ferragamo. She began memorising the faces of the models she saw, and eventually became an assistant to the casting director.

The casting duo are based between Milan and Paris.

Vital Statistics

Nationality

Italy

Location
United States
Member since
2013

Similar Profiles

Bardia Zeinali

Director

Josh Olins

Photographer

Kanako Takase

Makeup Artist

Lina Kutsovskaya

Founder & Creative Director, BeGood Studios


What is The BoF 500?

The people shaping the global fashion industry, curated by the editors of The Business of Fashion, based on nominations and on-the-ground intelligence from around the world.