Where Ethics Meet Excellence in Global Fashion
We witnessed too much: models exploited, young talent manipulated, and digital identities on the verge of being stolen. The fashion industry had no unified voice for protection, no independent body to hold big players accountable or to safeguard the vulnerable.
I am building a system that should have been in place long ago. One that protects vulnerable people, confronts exploitation, and ensures that future generations, including my own children, can clearly distinguish what is real from what is not.
That is why we founded the International Modeling Foundation as a Dutch Non-Profit: to be the independent governing body the fashion industry desperately needs. Not owned by agencies or brands, but serving everyone, from aspiring models to established professionals, from the public who consumes campaigns to the creators behind them.
We are building more than standards. We are building a movement — one where ethics and excellence walk the runway together.
— Elina Kolibius, Founder & Executive Director
We're in discussions with key industry figures to expand our board and advisory positions. Areas of focus include model advocacy, industry partnerships, and regional ambassadors. Announcements will follow as appointments are confirmed.
From 16-year-old models in foreign countries to the public manipulated by AI—everyone deserves protection.
Your face, your identity, your dignity—we ensure they remain yours in the digital age.
Challenging unrealistic beauty standards that harm both models and society.
As the fashion industry's independent governing body, we create and enforce ethical practices worldwide.
Our board is structured to keep IMF independent of any single interest group:
IMF operates as an independent Dutch foundation based in Amsterdam, established in January 2026. ANBI public-benefit status is planned, to follow board expansion. We chose the Netherlands for its:
Committee structure will be formalised as the foundation scales. Our Statutes (Article 10) provide for advisory councils, working groups, and committees to be established as needed.
Independent from commercial interests. Transparent governance. Non-profit mission. ANBI public-benefit status planned.
Founded by someone who has watched the industry's failures up close. Built for models — their protection is the starting point, not an afterthought.
Our full Statutes are published on this website, alongside our codes of conduct, frameworks, and policies. Annual public reporting will follow as the foundation grows.
