Anita Bitton: Growing Up as an Adoptee, Mental Health & Building a Legendary Career in Fashion

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I’m Fine hosted by Jean Campbell meets Anita Bitton - founder of Establishment Casting one of the fashion industry’s premier casting agencies, renowned for launching iconic faces, redefining beauty, and forging long-standing creative partnerships. A defining force behind the scenes in the fashion industry Anita shares her own journey, from being taken into careas a child to building her own an extended family, career and community. From i-D magazine intern to writing music reviews while at University, from moving to New York and hitting a personal rock bottom; Anita describes what motivated, and what transformed her life, and how sobriety became the catalyst for moving forward. This conversation explores belonging, identity and the long journey of becoming who you already are, finding your people, learning to pause and trusting yourself until your outside matches your inside.

Anita Bitton founded Establishment Casting in 2003. She has worked with many of fashion’s most influential brands, creatives, and image-makers, and is known for her eye, her empathy, and for her role in shaping modern fashion representation. Her work includes campaigns and runway shows for brands including Celine, Burberry and Chanel and Marc Jacobs. She grew up in South London, was inspired by emerging magazines and club culture and post university moved to New York where she got a job at Next Model Management. She has collaborated with photographers such as Tim Walker, Peter Lindbergh and Irving Penn and Creatives Katie Grand (at Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton), Daniel Lee (at Bottega Veneta and Burberry), Mathieu Blazy (at Bottega Veneta and Chanel) to help cast the best faces, fit and models to communicate their creative vision.

About I’m Fine:

“I’m Fine is more than a Podcast, it’s a service. A space for the millions of people navigating pain in silence, often without the resources or language we all deserve. The world isn’t set up to support people in pain and we want to help change that.” Jean Campbell. 

I’m Fine is a Podcast hosted by Model, Writer and Mental Health Advocate Jean Campbellit’s a safe space and platform where high-performance people talk honestly, often humorously, about their life experiences and healing as Jean explores the inner world behind their outward success. Jean has navigated chronic pain since she was 12 years old, this experience inspired her to create I’m Fine to help reshape the stigma around pain - emotional, physical, and mental - to give a voice to the many who hide behind the words: ‘I’m Fine’. The series features conversations about mental health, identity, resilience, and how we cope when life doesn’t go to plan.

• With Very Special Thanks to Anita Bitton
• Technical Production by Copperbeach
• Social Media Ruby Fern
• Creative Production Patrick Armstrong of Sidekick Productions
• Series Producer Camilla Morton 
• Founder and Executive Producer Jean Campbell