Photographer Emil Pabon – Fashion Editor Misha Kratina – Model Frank De Beer at Richesmgmt – Grooming by Wout Philippo – Photography Assistant Eliza Kania – Interview by Marco Martello // Shirt Gucci
Who was on the posters hanging on your bedroom walls growing up?The first poster I got was from The Velvet Underground & Nico.
Did you always feel comfortable in your own skin?
I’m definitely conscious about the opinions of others, and it can hold me back in a way. But ever less so, and I generally feel very free in expressing myself.
Are you into astrology?
No, I’m not.
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What have you learnt about yourself through modelling?
That’s an interesting question. It’s not really modelling that’s taught me something, but working in the fashion industry. You meet a lot of open-minded and expressive people and I think it’s contagious, in a good way (Laughs, E.D.). A lot of things that would’ve weirded me out before, I’ve begun to really dig. In the end clothes, just like so many other things, don’t come with any rules, and it’s best to have some fun with it.
Do you have a signature scent?
Yes, I do. It’s Loewe’s ‘Esencia’.
What’s one temptation you can’t resist?
Sleeping in anytime I have the chance to.
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If you were to write a message for your future self, what’d it be?
Honestly, I can’t think of anything specific right now. I’d just wish my future self the best.
What was your favourite book as a kid?
My dad would read me ‘The Lord of the Rings’ as a bedtime book. I have really fond memories of that, and it certainly was my all-time favourite as a kid.
What about right now?
Usually, whatever is on my bedside table is my favourite (Laughs, E.D). Right now, I’m exploring some of James Baldwin’s work. I like writing that’s honest and direct. As if you were reading someone’s thoughts instead of just being told a story.
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What’s your favourite movie?
‘City of God’ is my all-time favourite movie. ‘One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest’, ‘Portrait of a Lady on Fire’, ‘The Handmaiden’, and ‘American Beauty’ are some other titles I really like.
If you could inhabit one fictional universe, which one would it be?
‘The Dune’ universe has always attracted me, I think it’s because it has this air of mysticism to it. I’m not that sure about the desert though, I don’t think that’d fit me.
Is there a book that’s influenced you?
‘The Undiscovered Self’ by Jung. It’s a book about exploring and protecting individuality. I read it during quarantine, and looking back on it, I think its content really had an effect on me. It made me value self-expression more and appreciate the range of individuality in others. In the book, Jung wrote: ‘And perhaps this sounds simple, but simple things are always the most difficult’, and I personally tend to over-complicate things a lot, even when the answer is simple and straightforward.
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Which fictional characters would you love to spend a weekend with?
Probably, Jack Sparrow. That’d be a fun weekend out on the sea. Any longer than that and he’d probably start getting on my nerves, though.
Which writer would you choose to create an adventure for you to have?
Probably, a children’s book writer, so that I know whatever I go through is bound to end well.
What’s your favourite song?
I have a 15-hour playlist filled with my ‘favourite’ songs (Laughs, E.D.). If I had to pick just one, it’d be ‘Surrender’ by Suicide. It was my most listened song last year, it’s seen a lot of ups and downs and kind of gotten a special meaning to me.
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