Paolo Anchisi

Paolo Anchisi is an Italian-American model who entered fashion in 2009 and secured major campaigns within his first year. The son of model Lynn Koester, he followed his mother into the profession, though his early ambitions had taken a different direction.

In an interview with Contributor, Paolo recalled wanting to study agriculture and horticulture. He had helped his mother on a farm after she stepped away from modeling and liked work that kept him outdoors. She encouraged him to try her former profession, and he signed with Ford at seventeen. His father’s enthusiasm for travel also shaped his outlook. Modeling offered a way to see the world, and the two sometimes met in different countries while working abroad.

Paolo’s arrival was unusually swift. Having started around July 2009, he appeared in the spring-summer 2010 campaigns for Yves Saint Laurent and Versace. The latter placed him alongside Georgia May Jagger before Mario Testino’s camera.

Yves Saint Laurent also booked him exclusively for its fall-winter 2010 runway show and cast him in Bruce Weber’s accompanying film, Ain’t Nothin’ Like the Real Thing. In his 2010 interview with The Fashionisto, Paolo described a life whose everyday schedule had become a series of surprises. He already enjoyed photography; the job was introducing him to other parts of the industry.

His career developed through advertising and magazine work, including repeat campaigns for Giuseppe Zanotti and a cover of Essential Homme. A 2016 DA MAN Style cover interview caught him returning to work after taking time to regroup. He spoke of developing relationships with artists and brands, and of making photographs that would last. He also acknowledged the connection to his mother with a simple ambition: “Keep the family legacy going.”

Vince Camuto subsequently cast Paolo for both its spring and fall 2018 campaigns, giving him an ongoing role as the brand’s menswear face. The relationship extended a career that had begun with exceptional speed into the quieter continuity of returning clients.