Growing up in a small city in the West Midlands of England called Worcester, the glamorous life of modeling always seemed foreign and an unrealistic goal to achieve. It’s a place where people typically get 9-to-5 jobs, live quiet lives and stay in the city. This never appealed to me, so I decided to take a risk and try my luck in the modeling world and have never looked back since.
As a kid, I was relatively reserved, kept my head down and focused on doing well in school and making the most of my time there. I was a keen sportsman playing Football, Rugby and Swimming. It was my dream as a young lad to be a professional Rugby player but realizing the step up to the elite was unattainable for me, I gave the sport up along with Swimming and now only play Football.
I’ve always known deep down that a normal job wouldn’t work for me, living a robotic, repetitive life isn’t appealing and wanted to strive for a more exciting life. This was confirmed after having various jobs like a Barman and a Removal Man. Then one Sunday came along, during the Covid times when you could meet in small groups, a singer from my area approached me asking if I would help him with his new merch that he was releasing alongside his new song. I was skeptical at first, as I’d never done anything like that before, but he eventually convinced me by saying there was free food in the studio. I ended up really enjoying the whole process, and the shoot’s photographers said I was incredibly natural in front of the camera and should definitely give modeling a shot.
Thinking they were probably having me on, I brushed off the compliment for a while, until one day I thought what’s the worst that could happen? I sent my photos to two London-based agencies and got a response straight away to travel to London to meet the team the following day. They saw the potential and gave me 6 weeks to get in slightly better shape (too many post-work beers!). Those six weeks flew by and here we go, I was officially a Model.
What happened next, I could never have predicted. I had my polaroid’s taken in the agency and travelled back home in glee. Two days later I got a call from my agency. Thinking nothing of it and assuming it is most likely just a welcoming phone call of sorts I picked it up, only to be told I had been booked by “DSquared2” off my polaroid’s alone and had to fly to Milan the next day. I still remember running over to my mother and father giving them a huge hug and telling them my news. All of them were in shock! Off I went to Milan, a daunting thought to say the least, coming from a small city, the hustle and bustle scared me, I couldn’t even navigate through London, let alone Milan! I still remember the feeling in my stomach, turning up 3 hours late to the fitting because I had taken the wrong tram, you live and learn, I guess.
The whole experience to me was surreal, I can remember we did a virtual runway, and I didn’t even know how to model e-commerce properly yet let alone walk! A scary man in a headset came over to me saying “You’re walking too fast! You must do it on the beat!” It was like being told off by a teacher in school. I looked around me for anyone I could ask for advice, then I spotted a chap standing on his own, so I walked over, and turned out he was also English, so I said “Bro, you look like you’ve done this before, how do you walk correctly?” He replied, “I’ve got no idea this is my first job.” We both just started laughing and just decided the best way to go about it is with confidence. We’re still mates to this day and after the shoot, Dan Caten (one of the two founders of DSquared2) took us for a meal at his restaurant and told us all those amazing stories of his.
The thing with modeling that excites me so much is that you never know what the day brings! I got booked for another London-based trendy brand, so I was very excited. We met at the train station, and I knew it was going to be a fun few days as that’s right next to the beach. The first day went well and I got along amazingly with the whole team. We then got the call sheet for the second day, and the scenery there was just beautiful, with all those green trees and tall cliff faces.
I began laughing when I saw this, as the landmark holds a close place in my heart, my Great, Great, Great, Great (could be more!) Grandfather discovered the caves there and I hadn’t been back since I was nine years old. We got the shots we needed to get there, and I finished before the female model did, so had some spare time, I showed them my ID and finally managed to convince them I wasn’t lying about my story, they then gave me a tour of the cave and the house he lived in, which is now a museum. An all-around crazy experience that my job would allow me to reconnect with my family history!
From the outside, the modeling world may seem toxic, self-centered and cutthroat, but from my experience, this is not the case. One thing I realized is that everyone is so supportive of each other. People you may have not seen in over a year’s time will still congratulate you on the new work you’ve put out or support you if the industry isn’t going your way. It’s easy to become deflated and disheartened in this industry but it’s so important to keep those who care for you and can relate to the struggle you’re experiencing close to you.
I can’t describe how fortunate I am to be in the position I am today, every day I feel blessed for the opportunity I have been presented with and that my agency took a chance on me. Looking ahead to the future, all I can think about is mixing work and travel, the USA springs to the front of my mind, it’s a place I’ve always wanted to visit as a kid and recently being signed in New York means this dream is close to becoming reality. Australia also, my Dad went there when he was young and has told me so many stories about the place, so it’s always been on my bucket list. In addition to that the unpredictable weather in the UK doesn’t sit well with me, so I wouldn’t mind experiencing some of that Aussie sun!
