Episode 47 

This week, Tessa is joined by Rosalynd Ramage and Alison Bruce, co-founders of Colours Model Agency in Scotland for a conversation about building and sustaining an agency over nearly three decades. After the two meeting on modelling jobs in Glasgow, they went on to create an agency that would think beyond a Scotland-only market, developing talent for London and international opportunities while continuing to grow the creative industry at home.  

This episode explores what the modelling landscape in Scotland looked like when they began, from wholesale look-books and shows, diaries booked months in advance and a more localised client base. Rosalynd and Alison reflect on how the industry has changed and how partnership can both slow and strengthen big calls. They speak about learning to trust their instinct and helping build confidence without external financial backing and why being a people-first business has always defined what success means to them. 

Rosalynd Ramage and Alison Bruce on Partnerships, Instinct and Building Colours Model Agency 

Interview by Tessa Dewing for The Business of Modelling Podcast 

Rosalynd Ramage and Alison Bruce founded Colours Model Agency in Scotland nearly 30 years ago. After meeting on modelling jobs in Glasgow, they moved from working in front of the camera to building an agency that would develop talent for London and international markets while remaining rooted in Scotland. 

In this episode, Rosalynd and Alison reflect on how the Scottish modelling landscape looked when they began and how dramatically it has evolved. They also speak openly about starting a business without financial backing and learning to trust their instincts as female founders. 

From Modelling to Management 

Rosalynd had originally planned a very different career path. “I was at university studying economics and finance,” she explains, recalling how a friend’s parents persuaded her to walk in a fashion show. “I said absolutely not… I couldn’t think of anything worse. Then I went along and I absolutely loved it.” 

That single show changed everything. Encouraged by other models on the job, she joined an agency and began working regularly while still studying. 

Alison’s route was very similar. Growing up in Paisley, she had studied arts management and expected to work in cultural organisations. Instead, she found herself modelling and working within Scotland’s creative industries. 

The two eventually met while working as extras on the television drama Taggart. “We just had such a laugh,” Alison says. “You know yourself on set, there’s so much downtime, so we talked and talked and talked.” 

Starting Colours 

The idea for Colours did not arrive in a single moment. Instead, it grew gradually through conversations on modelling jobs. “We didn’t necessarily talk about starting our own agency,” Rosalynd explains. “But we talked about what we would do differently.” 

The agency was initially run from Rosalynd’s spare bedroom and financed entirely by the two founders. “We ran the agency from my back bedroom for two years,” she says. “We got zero funding.” 

At one stage they even used their homes as security to move the business forward. “That was scary,” Alison admits. “But you do it because you’re so passionate about what you’re building. 

Instinct at the Booking Table 

In the early years, both admit they sometimes second-guessed their decisions. Experience has gradually changed that. “My instinct on so many occasions was right,” Alison reflects. “I would just second guess it.” 

Today, they rely far more confidently on that judgement, supported by years of experience and the perspective of their team. Partnership has played an important role in that process. Each brings different strengths to the agency, balancing creativity with organisation. 

“We’ve always had an appreciation for each other’s strengths and weaknesses,” Rosalynd says. “It’s why we work together so well.” 

Developing Talent and Careers 

From the beginning, Colours positioned itself as a mother agency focused on long-term development. They both realised Scotland’s relatively small population meant models would need opportunities beyond the local market. “We quickly realised… this talent has to go somewhere else,” Alison explains. “If the talent’s so good, then they can travel.” 

Building relationships with London agencies became an important part of that strategy. Over time those connections developed into trusted professional partnerships.  

The role of a mother agency, they explain, extends well beyond bookings. It involves guiding young people through decisions about travel, placements and career direction. “You become more a manager than an agent,” Alison says, describing the level of support involved. 

A People-First Agency 

A defining principle for Colours has always been its focus on people. Rosalynd & Alison are clear that their approach was shaped partly by their own experiences as models. “My agent had no interest in me at all,” Alison recalls of her early career. “She had no understanding of whether I could even afford to get to the job.” 

“We wanted to be the kind of agent that understood those situations,” she explains. Three decades later, that philosophy still guides the agency’s decisions. 

Defining Success 

While the agency has placed talent internationally and built relationships with major fashion markets, Rosalynd and Alison say their priorities remain rooted in the same values they started with. “We started as a people-first business,” Rosalynd says. “And it still remains the number one priority for us.” 

For them, the most rewarding moments often come not from major campaigns but from seeing a model gain confidence or achieve something they did not initially believe was possible. Those moments, they say, are what have kept the agency moving forward for nearly 30 years.