MIKE ILLES is an unlikely boss for a model agency. He used to work in the City and the closest he ever got to fashion there was running the computer systems for Levi Strauss.

“When I went to London Fashion Week last year I felt like a visitor from Mars,” said Illes, managing director of MOT Models.

That is probably because, until now, MOT Models has had little to do with the world of fashion. It operates at the blue-collar end of the business with most of its models being used for billboard, magazine and television advertisements selling products such as Nescafé, Sony Playstations and Prudential insurance.

Even its office, in a converted stable on the tree-lined outskirts of Berkhamsted in Hertfordshire, has none of the pretensions for which the modelling business is known. It exudes as much glamour as an insurance office.

In 2002 and 2003 there was a downturn in modelling and Illes had to ensure that he was better protected against future uncertainties. Fashion was one of the few areas where MOT could grow.

The firm began to diversify by moving into catalogue and high-street work, making a big push into this area last year.

“We are probably doing about 10% of our business there,” said Illes.

High-street fashion is at the workaday end of the model business, making it accessible to MOT. “It’s an area we can grow into fairly easily and where the people make sense to us,” said Illes.

Providing models for fashion magazines would be the next logical step but this is the glamorous end of the business and it operates in ways that MOT does not. Illes is wary about getting into a business where MOT looks out of place, and he is cautious about overstretching the firm.

“The only way we can grow is to expand gradually — gently push the boundaries and learn new things,” he said.

The firm’s growth will be limited by its resources. To increase its bookings and satisfy new upmarket clients, MOT must go further afield to find fresh talent.

Illes has brought in fresh faces by establishing relationships with agencies overseas.

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