Michiel van Maaren is an Amsterdam-based casting director, model scout and founder of Friends Faces Casting. With a background in design and styling, they eventually found themselves more interested in the people wearing the clothes than the clothes themselves. Today, Michiel finds distinctive faces for fashion shows, campaigns and editorials - often beyond the traditional model mould.
We spoke about what makes someone catch their eye, changing beauty ideals in fashion, personal style, music, and why the most interesting people are rarely the most obvious ones.
For someone unfamiliar with the world of casting, how would you describe what you do?
“It’s actually very simple: you see a campaign with models in it, and I’m the one who selects them. As a model scout, I find people and place them with modelling agencies, but I also work with agencies to book models for campaigns and shoots.
Street casting is a big part of what I do. Wherever I go. It’s not something I necessarily set aside a day for. Sometimes I’m just out with friends and suddenly start talking to someone. By now, all my friends know this can happen.”
What draws you to people and the way they express themselves?
‘’I find individuality and self-confidence beautiful. What makes me approach someone is decided in a split second — it’s usually androgyny, expressiveness, or something that makes me think: I’ve never seen this before. The best part is seeing someone for who they are. I meet people from all kinds of backgrounds who I otherwise might never come across, and everyone teaches me something new. I already know my own stories; I’m much more interested in hearing someone else’s.’’
‘’I already know my own stories; I’m much more interested in hearing someone else’s.’’
You started as a designer and stylist. How did you get into casting?
‘’I studied at Design Academy Eindhoven and textile design at Chelsea College of Arts in London. I later had my first show at Amsterdam Fashion Week, with a collection responding to the speed of the fashion industry.
We’re constantly chasing the next trend, while the clothes already in our wardrobes hold so many memories. I created a collection that dissolved after one day, leaving a print on the clothes underneath – a visual memory of that day. It was my way of questioning fast fashion and the idea that we constantly need something new.
By then, I was already becoming more interested in casting. For the show, I cast only models who looked like me, and I realised my attention was shifting more and more towards the people.’’
Do you mainly cast people who don’t fit the traditional model image?
‘’Of course I also book the tall, blonde model; I have no problem with that. But you can usually tell when I’ve done a casting. There’s almost always someone who makes you stop and think: do we find this attractive, do we find this beautiful? Those are often the forms of beauty I want to show.’’
What do you think the fashion world still gets wrong about beauty and representation? And how has that changed since you started?
‘’It’s getting worse again. It’s really recession core. When I started, street casting was emerging and felt new and exciting. It was during Covid, when a lot had to be cast locally, and people were much more open to different kinds of beauty.
There were more different bodies and curves being shown then, and those are almost disappearing. Even older models are often still super thin, and the trans people being cast tend to fit within a very narrow silhouette.’’
Is there anyone you’ve discovered who has surprised or moved you?
‘’Daniel is one of the people who has really stayed with me. Some people just have something special about them, and Daniel is one of those faces you don't forget.”
Daniel Smedeman for Diesel
When someone meets you for the first time, what do they immediately notice about you?
‘’I’m often told that I wear a lot of colour, prints, and random objects. And my hair is usually a conversation starter: okay, what’s going on here? I’ve had so many hairstyles, but somehow there’s always something new to try. Keep them guessing.
In New York, I had a buzzcut with a star shaved into it, which I thought was pretty iconic. I’ve also had devil horns. I just love experimenting with it.’’
Is style an important part of who you are?
‘’Yes. I love personal expression. Style is an extension of who I am, and I like experimenting and constantly challenging my own ideas of beauty. If I ask that of others, I should be willing to explore and express it myself too.’’
Is there one piece of clothing in your wardrobe that holds a special memory?
‘’In that photo, I’m wearing an orange sweater that someone gave me and I later dyed orange. It has travelled everywhere with me — every holiday I think: I need a sweater, and this is the one I bring.
I also love wearing Abercrombie because it’s such an icon of its time. I like playing with clichés and that kind of friction. Sometimes I look like a twelve-year-old, sometimes like a high-femme woman — and sometimes both at the same time.’’
What kind of music do you listen to?
‘’I listen to music that almost nobody knows, by artists with three streams. I can get completely obsessed with a song and play it to death, while thinking: why am I listening to this?
I love disco because it gives me good energy, and I have a walking playlist with songs around the same BPM. But I also go through phases of hyperpop, choirs and gospel. At one point I was obsessed with ‘10.000 Luchtballonnen’ by K3. I’d think: why? Am I okay? And then just keep playing it.’’
What inspires you at the moment?
‘’I find the structure of molecules fascinating. Everything consists of molecules, and all the molecules on Earth were already here before us. Nothing is added or disappears; only the composition changes. I love thinking about that in relation to space and time.’’
You now have your own casting agency. Is there anything you still want to discover or do next?
‘’I have lots of crazy ideas I want to bring to life. I make quite strange content, and I’d love to channel that creativity into a shoot where everything comes together.
Maybe I’ll start exercising or learn an instrument. But mostly, I just want to keep trying new things.’’
What is your motto in life?
“World peace.”