The Scoop: Zoli Models, The Click you never knew.

Sheww, bare with me ya'll. My initial plan for February was to do a black history posting once a day, yet as I live the life of the traveling model and blogger my time just does not allow. Meetings, events, long-lost friend reunions, etc- just not enough time in the day! Not to mention an article of such depth requires lots of research. However, today I finally bring you the story about a powerhouse modeling agency in the 70's & 80's that has truly inspired me, Zoli Models.

Owned and directed by former male model  Zoltan "Zoli" Rendessy(pictured left), Zoli Models was a small but powerful agency in the 1970's which lasted throughout the 80's and into the early 90's. Zoli himself was a kind, ethnic loving Hungarian man. Was he a black man? No, but clearly a man that had a great love for showcasing the beauty of blacks. Hence the editorial "tearsheet" below, Zoli represented the best models of the 70's and 80's including Pat Cleveland, Mounia, and Alva Chinn, all notable muses of design legend Yves Saint Laurent. Mounia being Ysl's first black model ever.

Nonetheless, Zoli's male model board stood out as elitist as it's female's with the impeccably suave gentlemen of Rashid Silvera, Ben Lawson, and Renauld White. Zoli obviously being responsible for Renaulds timeless GQ shoot which honed him the first black male model to grace it's cover in 1979. Though swiss-born actor Urs Althaus was the actual first black man to appear on GQ's cover in 1977, it was Renaulds cover to become widely recognized as that barrier breaking boost that all the black male models needed. Also opening the door for agency mate Rashid Silvera's GQ cover for it's April 1983 issue. By 1975, the Budapest-born Zoltan Rendessy was raking in an estimated $1.5 million a year from supplying fashion photographers and casting directors with 'Vogue-approved' fresh faces. A skill that would be priceless today thanks be to what the industry standards have depleted to. Back in the day, Zoli models was especially responsible for supplying the freaky, funky, and far-out varieties. They even represented the famed artist Andy Warhol and actress Apollonia Von Ravenstein as "Special Booking's" throughout the 80's.

Left, Right On! teen magazine features some of Zoli's superstar models. (Clockwise) Angelita, Pat Cleveland, Yvette Flowers, Renauld White, Ben Lawson, Robert Chace.
 Right-on!, is an African-American teen magazine which has since drastically changed to a more colorful, teeny bopped format post 90's. Color-crazed and celebrity enthused, even I collected Right-on! as a kid which has ultimately caused this article to drill me with awe. The magnitude of this article's timeless logic wouldn't dare flow with the highly glossed and glamorized pages of their current day issues.

Above,  Zoltan(middle) amongst other models in his Midtown East headquarters. Pat Cleveland(bottom center) was one of his top earning models.

'Zoli' and his relentless hawking of his models knew no business hours. His headquarters and home was a five-story brownstone in Manhattan's East 60s, which also served as a bunkhouse for models when they first landed in New York. There were no weird sex parties or messing around, though it was the setting for some of Manhattan's trendiest parties with a VIP mixture of models were anyone from Woody Allen, Bianca Jagger, Robert Altman, Faye Dunaway, and Sue Mengers showed face. Zoli's home was the epitome of today's modern model flat mixed with a little 'Studio 54' flavoring.

Then sadly in 1982, the founder and President of Zoli models, Mr. Zoltan Rendessy himself passed away from Lymphoma. At the time of his death, Zoltan's multi-million dollar agency was split between his top six employees including his senior booking agents Barbara Lantz, Victoria Pribble, and Tom Laspina. Barbara Lantz took over as President only to eventually sued by Tom Laspina for 27 million dollars over share disputes.

Zoli Models today: The Zoli Models legacy and historic foundation now quietly resides within one of today's most beloved top agency's, Click Model Management. Through the successful merging of these two agency's in 2001, Click retained it's catchy name but adopted Zoli's full service Hair/Makeup and Styling division entitled 'Illusions'.

With offices worldwide and a board of over 1000 models, Click stays true to it's own high-end Americanized standard. A more far-fetched "safe" zone from the original Zoli Models vision.  Click Model Management focuses primarily on Women, Men, Plus Size, Runway, Showroom and FIT models as well as Television Commercials. Barbara Lantz and Victoria Pribble the successors of Zoli Models are now successful entrepreneurs. Memorable muses Alva Chinn and Pat Cleveland have continued to work with Supermodel Iman and legendary agent Bethann Hardison as apart of the 'Black Girls Coalition' which positions industry insiders to change racial status quota's in the fashion industry.

Click Model Management continues to represent a plethora of African and Caribbean descent models today, yet not nearly as many as the renowned Zoli Models.



*Shout-outs to www.modelscomposites.com for the old school comp cards as well as Panchereport for the back-in-the-day industry scoop. *Duplication or re-publication of this story without The Triumphant Scoops consent is prohibited.



Historically,

Tony Triumph