John Casablancas Ubach

John Casablancas (December 12, 1942 – July 20, 2013) was an American modeling agent and scout who founded Elite Model Management. Casablancas is remembered for his development of the supermodel concept. He is the father of the Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas. Early life John Casablancas was born in Manhattan, New York City, on December 12, 1942. He was the youngest of three children of Fernando and Antonia Casablancas, a banker and former model, respectively, and grandson of Catalan textile machinery inventor Fernando Casablancas Planell. His parents had left Spain during the 1930s to escape the Spanish Civil War, and the family subsequently lived in Argentina, Mexico, and France, among other countries. At the age of 8, he began attending Le Rosey boarding school in Switzerland. He continued his education at several universities in Europe without graduating. Career After pursuing several career options, Casablancas was offered a job in Brazil by a family friend to work as a marketing manager for a Coca-Cola factory. After several years he returned to Europe and worked at an architecture company. In collaboration with a fellow Le Rosey alumnus, Casablancas founded Elite Model Management, a modeling agency, in Paris in 1972. He had previously run the Paris-based agency Model Agency Elysée 3, which he founded in 1969. Clients of Elite included Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Andie MacDowell and Claudia Schiffer. Casablancas is credited for developing the concept of supermodel in the popular culture, turning models into celebrities that were featured in mainstream media. He was also criticized for his habit of engaging in sexual activity with young and underage clients. Grace Jones, in her autobiography, exposes Casablancas' racism and sexual harassment. He is quoted telling her "Trying to sell a black model in Paris, is like trying to sell an old car no one wants to buy."