KlarSkin x James Yates
Men’s Model @ Supa and W Model London – Heroes NYC – Scoop Sydney – 2mgmt LA and Toronto – Place Hamburg
I was introduced to modelling by a friend who saw potential in me, and pushed me to come to her agency at the time.
When I was initially signed in London, modelling was a way of making money whilst studying. My career organically developed from there and I now realise that I only really started pursuing it seriously once the ball had already started rolling. I think modelling is one of those things that you have to be comfortable with from the start – if you have that base interest and drive you can definitely learn and grow from there.
I was always athletic so anything to do with sports or anatomy was of great interest. At school I gravitated towards economics as a subject, but also liked psychology which led me to studying business at university. I think the marketing modules were my favourite, and I suppose it is the topic that has paid off to have studied in depth now that I am growing my own image and career.
In regards to your question about the industry I am in, I like the travel and the fact that everyday is different, who I work with is different, each project varies. I dislike the lack of routine, but that’s never going to change!
One piece of advice I would give is to be yourself and be confident with it. Trying to be something else will shine through and ultimately hold you back, so have faith in yourself.
I myself have definitely matured with modelling and feel a lot more comfortable now. I understand the art of how it works and have taken a big interest in what affects shoots. I recently worked with Tom Ford which was by far the coolest job to date and hopefully a start of a new exciting chapter.
Another cool feature was with GQ, shot by Mariano Vivanco. We have become close friends since, and the whole experience was just a step up from anything I’d done previously.
In regards to beauty, working in the industry I do, I’ve learnt to appreciate beauty in a different way - from attitudes, to features of a person and how people carry themselves. I think being very active and eating on whole very well, along with sleeping enough has helped me the most.
I use a black charcoal skin scrub and a Kiel’s moisturizer plus the occasional face mask! I avoid washing my hair too much and use a sea salt spray when I do – I suppose that’s the full extent of my routine.
I am now moving into a new space in terms of my career and have recently released an e-book ‘A Scrapbook of Conditioning Workouts’. I’ve always been passionate about helping people better themselves and think everybody has the will inside them but sometimes insecurities or doubts hold them back. I’ve never met someone who doesn't want to be the best version of themselves and so I just try to encourage people to follow that and express themselves.
If I manage to help even just one or two people to be motivated to workout then that’s a wonderful feeling for me.
Finally you asked about who my mentors have been – I can name a few.
On a health level, Ollie, Charlie and Al at Marchon Athletic have taught me everything I know and the set up they have is top class. Dan Hyman is a friend I go to with basically anything mentality based. He's also one of the most genuine, humble people I’ve ever met.
In terms of business matters/ideas, Si Philby is just a gun – he has taught me a lot, encourages progressive thinking and really gets me excited about things. Also, a wonderful bloke too.
