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The Fashionisto: When did you start modeling?
Taylor Fuchs: April 07
Fashionisto: What did your family think?
Taylor: My father and I thought it was a scam at first, but as we began to learn more about the agency and the business, we realized it might be something worthwhile to try out.
The Fashionisto: When you think modeling, what jobs come to mind and what makes it so memorable?
Yuri Pleskun: Chimney sweep, janitor, computer programmer, garbage man. My mom loves me more now.
TF: Tell us the basics…
YP: I was born on May 14th, 1990. I’m from Bronx, NY and I still live there.
At 20 years old, Bastiaan Ninaber is a regular in editorials and campaigns, while also being a seasoned veteran on the runway. From Paris to New York, just to name a few, Bastiaan walked for Thom Browne, Robert Geller, Dries Van Noten, Cerruti, Yves Saint Laurent, Tim Hamilton and Yigal Azrouël. In addition to landing the cover of the debut issue of L’Officiel Hommes Italia recently, Bastiaan has appeared in numerous editorials as well as advertising for Barneys and the fall 2009 campaign of Cerruti. So how did it all begin? Bastiaan grew up in a “little village in Holland called Numansdorp…about 20 minutes south of Rotterdam”, where he still resides most of the year when he is not in New York. Beginning his modeling career in 2006, “A good friend of [his] was organizing a show for a small shop in [his] town. He needed some models and asked [Bastiaan] to help him out. There was a professional photographer at the show who took some pictures of [him] and sent them to Tony Jones.” Bastiaan was signed and the rest is history…
The first part of our interview with Will Lewis covered how he got his start modeling. Now, we move on to Will’s thoughts about the fashion industry, his personal style and how much of what we see in shoots accurately reflects him as a person.
The Fashionisto: What are your thoughts about the industry in general?
Will Lewis: I like to keep my mind in the art and craft of it when I work, but you can’t avoid it–THE INDUSTRY itself is interesting to me because we sell a basic necessity, but also a luxury. It’s an art form, a craft and a mass-production industry. Like any art, [it] has an element of exploitation to it; of the styles, inspirations, influences, subjects, the buyers, sellers and manufacturers.
It has been a while coming, but getting back to our feature series, our latest addition is a piece on Yang Li. A graduate of Central St. Martins, Li is currently at work under Raf Simons, but that does not stop him from continuing to develop his own vision. Click here to read more about Li and his capsule collection entitled “Cover”.
From child model to the runways of Europe and editorial shoots with photographers as distinguished as Steven Meisel, Red’s Will Lewis opens up about how he got his start, castings and in this industry, what matters significantly–aesthetic.
The Fashionisto: Where were you raised?
Will Lewis: NYC, born and raised in Manhattan, UWS, 1982 son. That’s what’s up.
TF: Where do you live now?
WL: Still NYC, but now I travel a lot. I spent about a third of this year in London. This month, and right now, I’m on the west coast, in Cali. I just drove back from Oregon, camped on the coast last night. Life is good, I like to travel.
TF: So, how did you get your start in modeling?
WL: Well, I did some stuff when I was a tot. A writer in my building used me for a children’s book on bread, and a photographer made stock photos of me reading a new dictionary.
OK, but really I was discovered around ‘99 on St. Mark’s Place. I did an editorial for L’Uomo Vogue, and two for D mag. I was asked to sign with an agency and make a career out of it, but I opted to not. I did lots of other worthwhile stuff. I traveled a lot, saw a lot, learned a lot, tried on a few careers, even made a few trips to France and Italy for the shows.
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