All backstage pictures special courtesy of Givenchy.

While all the runways of Paris feature beautiful boys only a select few really bring something different to the table. This season’s innovation came courtesy of Givenchy’s multi-cultural cast that combined fresh talent with established players within the world of male modeling. The unique cast was a standout and perfectly encapsulated the changing dynamics we’ve been seeing on the runways of late. Always one step ahead of the curve, casting director Daniel Peddle talks to MDC about the decision making behind the selections, working with Riccardo Tisci and the boys that made an impact this season.

MDC:. Givenchy always has a very unique point of view, particularly this collection - what were you looking for when casting this particular show?

DP: We were looking for a very global cast of athletic types. Guys who could look both elegant and real. That was the challenge, finding the perfect balance. The final cast has a cool edge with a very authentic vibe from the street. Also we wanted to show plenty of new faces mixed with a few stars. It brings a certain spirit of excitement to the show when the audience gets to see fresh faces.

MDC: I know it’s important for you to have a cast that is diverse - do you feel that the runways this year are finally catching up and showing a more diverse set of boys?

DP: Yes. You could see a definite shift. Even more importantly, it felt very sincere and not “token”. For us it was especially nice to see such a wide range of models of color. Sometimes when you encourage designers to use a diverse cast but can only offer them a few options of those in town, it is a real let down! This season is proof that when the demand is there, everyone will join forces to meet it.

MDC: Who were the standout boys for you this season?

DP: Keith Hernandez with Request, Adrien Sahores with Ford Hommes, Frankie Ellis with Marilyn, Patrick Kafka, Henry Watkins,and William Eustace.

MDC: What was it like working with Riccardo?

DP: Fun! He’s clearly a visionary but a very sweet and humble guy. Really a pleasure! The entire team from Givenchy made us feel very at home!

Givenchy opener Jamil (in white) next to Keith Hernandez in front.

Jesus Luz in black and white.

A rare glimpse of one of our favorite photographer / Photo courtesy of Emma Summerton

Audacious Emma Summerton has clocked one of the fastest rise through the new photographers ranks in recent time. You’ve seen her credit running in magazines as blue chip as Vogue Italia and ID. Now tune into her conversation with One’s Christopher Michael as she traces the path of her success.

EMMA SUMMERTON // INTERVIEW //
// Guest interview by 1 Management’s Christopher Michael //
- see more interviews on the One Management Blog -

Q. You’ve emerged quite beautifully and it seems that your pictures only ever appeared in great magazines, what was the secret to such a perfect launch?
••• Thank you honey! I think for me it has been about having a great agent and being fortunate enough to start working with Edward Enninful a few years back. The right stylist at the right time can change your career there is no doubt about it. I have a fantastic supportive network of people around me who give me great advice, like when to say no to certain things and not to spread myself thin. It’s a bit cliche but I always believed in quality rather than quantity but it is also very hard when you’re starting out to say ‘no’ as you want to do everything that comes up and shoot as much as possible. But what you don’t do is just as important as what you do. It’s helpful to have people to remind of you of that.

Q. You once told me that it was your dream to shoot for Italian Vogue, and you are now shooting for them quite often, what’s the next dream publication you wish to tackle?
••• A book of my personal work would be something I would love to do. I have a project I worked on for about 7 years, all on polaroid, all self portraits and abstracts, it’s been tucked away for the last few years. I have also just started a project with Charlotte Stockdale too which we are both really excited about so we feel we might give that a good year to shoot in between fashion action but we want to exhibit the images when it’s done.

Q. From following your stories I find you to have a very cinematic aesthetic, it’s something I attribute to your incredible lighting, but also to the concepts you tend to execute.. are you the creator of such ideas or do you find that most of the stories are a collaboration between you and the stylist you’re working with?
••• It’s always a collaboration once you start discussing an idea with the editor your working with, whether it’s something I bring or they do doesn’t matter, once your ‘into it’ it belongs to the team. I tend to get really involved on every level but it is different with everyone and changes depending on the shoot. Collaborating is a huge part of the fun and inspiration for me. Lighting is another thing altogether and I love to light! I’m really into lighting that doesn’t look labored which I guess gives a cinematic quality and I do find a lot of inspiration in cinema, the capturing of emotion, a tale to tell, to try and evoke a feeling even if it comes out abstract in the image.

Q. You live in both London as well as New York, do you find any differences in your inspiration and ideas between the two places or do you feel that your creative is without attachment to your current geographical location?
••• New York for me is about work and madness, London is more introspective and calm. I would have to say I think clearer in London but get crazy ideas out of New York. It took me so long to fall for London, there were many years of struggling to survive here that maybe my love for it is deeper, it won me over. But hey who wants one without the other!

Q.  Eva Herzigova told us after shooting with you for Vogue Italia, that you had inspired her more than any other photographer had in some time.. Some would assume that it’s your fresh point of view, what would you say the reason is?
••• Wow… that’s such a huge compliment! Thank you Eva! I’m kinda lost for words now actually. She was an inspiration for me too, I loved watching her, her expressions, she is a strong beautiful intelligent woman with tons of charisma! We had such a great time on our shoot, I think it was just a meeting of minds and a great energy from the start. I didn’t want to control her too much, with a model like Eva you shoot her for who she is, it’s like working with an actress and to reign her in too much would feel wrong to me.

Q. What do you think about the Return of the Icons and Supermodels?
••• Bring it on! There is such a need and space for powerful experienced women in the industry who know themselves and are confident about who they are in the world. These things only truly come with time. Don’t get me wrong there are young new girls out there who are fantastic but it’s the way forward to mix it up more and show the full spectrum of what being a woman is about.

Q. What’s an Emma Summerton girl?
••• She is a little weird, sexy, a bit tough, slightly mad and appreciates another women.

Q. You’ve recently made a habit out of shooting Janete Friedrich, aside from the obvious allure of her almost art like beauty..what is it that you find so inspiring about her as a model?
•••There is something so weird about shooting Janete! She speaks hardly any English so the communication between us is very much about gestures, showing her a mood, and she just gets it and it’s wonderful to watch. She is very ‘in her body’…very comfortable, so I think she feels the picture because there is little verbal communication. Besides that she has a extraordinary beauty that is so refreshing, reminiscent of a silent movie actress, or a character from another time.

Marion/WM Model Management : Images courtesy of WM

Meet mademoiselle Marion R, an 18 year old law student in Paris who just signed with the WM agency in Paris. There is something about this girl..in her presence, the way she holds her body and that unmistakable parisienne chic that makes her quite the editorial treasure waiting to happen. OTM is off to investigate!

Clement Chabernaud. Polaroids courtesy of Success Models

If one boy dominated the runways this season it was Clement Chabernaud. With his impressive streak of shows and his face gracing the Meisel-helmed campaign for Roberto Cavalli, Clement was the boy to beat in Paris and Milan. Clement’s austere good looks and refinement have made him a coveted commodity, but what does a boy in demand do on his days off? MDC checks in with the man himself to shed some light on his mysterious persona.

MDC: Where are you from originally?
CC: Parisian/ Cantalian (from Cantal, France) with some Italian roots

MDC: How did you get your start in modeling?
CC: Some people stopped me in the street and then I came to Success kids, at 16 I moved up to the men’s board.

MDC: What do you do during your off time? (any hobbies, sports, activities etc?)
CC: I like to study, listen to music and go to concert. Also sports like skying, biking, badminton and rugby. I also like doing nothing sometimes.

MDC: What do you think of the men’s shows this season?
CC: The look was very specific - colorful, nice shapes and innovative materials. Very nice!

MDC: Which show has been your favorite to walk in thus far?
CC: I can’t answer that question, most of them.

MDC: What was it like working with Steven Meisel for your new Cavalli ads?
CC: A lot of emotion, a little bit of pressure. Well orchestrated.

MDC: What would you consider some high points of your career thus far?
CC: Meeting Raf Simons and the Jil Sander crew, Maida, Rami, the shows and of course the Cavalli campaign.

MDC: What do you wear when you are relaxing?
CC: Casual clothes  though not necessarily designer.

MDC: When you need to dress up?
CC: I wear the clothes I get from the jobs I’ve done mainly.

MDC: Where do you live when you’re not working and why do you choose that city?
CC: Paris, because my parents and my beautiful girlfriend are here in Paris

MDC: A big trip you want to take and why?
CC: That is a hard questions, I have many ideas because I want to travel a lot.

MDC: If you weren’t a model you would be a………..
CC: I would be definitely doing manual labor, and giving something back to society.

MDC: Favorite book or books?
CC: Les fourmis de Werber, The Perfume of Patrick Suskind , French literature, 93 Victor Hugo. Paulo Cuelho the Alchemist, Portobello’s Witch , Message des Hommes, Marlow Morgan, everything that I’ve read so far and the ones I’ve forgotten already.

If you thought the first peak into Paris mens fashion was a treat then you’re going to love the second helping. Even more big named designers - Lanvin, Thierry Mugler, Kenzo, and more top tier boys Jeremy Young, Luke Worrall and the red hot Jakob Wiechmann, just to name a few. The excitement keeps coming and Eric Sposito captures it all for MDC.

Make sure to catch all the new action right here!

Alexa/Women Model Management Polaroid courtesy of Women NY.

As we at OTM cycle down on the men’s shows, it is time to cycle up on our new faces watch and streaking across the radra right this minute is Alexa Yudin, the fresh faced newcomer at Women who walk the Resort boards for Miu-Miu, PHI and Calvin Klein. That means come the September sweepstakes, this sleek young girl will loom as very coveted.

Paris is burning! Menswear mayhem was in full swing last week with powerhouse collections from the finest designers and every boy worth watching in attendance - Simon Nessman, Clement Chabernaud, Nils Butler, Ash Stymest, you name it they were there. The shows themselves were full fledged spectacles - from Galliano’s Napoleonic extravaganza to the dapper dandies at Ungaro, and there was no shortage of entertainment to be found. Naturally the events backstage were just as exciting and Eric Sposito was there to document each and every moment for MDC. With a skill for capturing the details and an eye for the unsual, Eric never fails to capture what matters behind the scenes.

Don’t miss a minute. Check out Mens Spring/Summer 2010 backstage coverage!

AJ Abualrub is having a moment. From his stint as face of Calvin Klein to his red-hot Milan season and controversial profile in the New York Times, AJ has set tongues wagging and is fast becoming one of the most talked about boys in the industry. Naturally, the buzz surrounding the blue eyed Kentuckian was building before shows started and MDC was there to capture a bit of the excitement. Photographer Eric Sposito followed AJ as he made the rounds of Paris castings and given his impressive season so far it seems he made quite the impression.

All pics Eric Sposito. Please credit to Eric if posting elsewhere. Special thanks to Catherine at Success for arranging everything.

New kid in town: Jacob Coupe. Pols courtesy of Models 1

Though the men’s collections are frenetically happening in Milan and Paris, London’s phones have been ringing off the hook about hometown boys Jacob Coupe and Charlie France. JacobModel Link, from Nottingham and in his first season ever, opened Prada S/S 10. Birmingham native Charlie, featured at the end of last season as a face to watch on OTM and in the upcoming F/W 09 ads for Burberry,  was exclusive for the British brand in Milan as well as being Boy 1 at the show. Both young men also held exclusives for today’s Hugo by Hugo Boss S/S 10 show in Paris. 2 models, 2 cities, 4 exclusives… not a bad beginning for the newest English boys on the block.

Charlie France. Pols courtesy of Models 1

Photo: Tim Walker

From what he’s done for Mcqueen, to photographers such as Tim Walker, Emma Summerton or even his own personal projects of the British Folklore museum… This Art Director/Creative Director/Set Designer is a new personal Favorite of OTM & 1 Management’s Christopher Michael.

SIMON COSTIN // INTERVIEW //
// Guest interview by 1 Management’s Christopher Michael //
- see more interviews on the One Management Blog -

Q. I admire the fact that you refuse to own a blackberry and have managed to achieve your current success without succumbing to the demands of technology; I also share your habit of not watching much television but indulging in many movies. What is your favorite Film?

As far as not succumbing to technology goes, the blackberry is the only thing I’m loath to acquire, I’m not a luddite, I just find the constant demand to be available to answer questions by tapping away at a tiny screen, demeaning when someone could just pick the phone up and talk to me. My favourite film is a really hard one as there are so many. So in no particular order, here’s a Top 10! (think yourself lucky I didn’t do my Top 100….)

1. A Canterbury Tale, Dir; Powell & Pressburger.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Canterbury_Tale

2. A Matter of Life and Death, Dir; Powell & Pressburger.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Matter_of_Life_and_Death_(film)

3. Peeping Tom, Dir; Powell
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peeping_Tom_(film)

4. The Mirror, Dir; Andrei Tarkovsky
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mirror_(1975_film)

5. Gallivant, Dir; Andrew Kotting
http://filmstore.bfi.org.uk/acatalog/info_125.html

6. Fanny & Alexander, Dir; Ingmar Bergman
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanny_and_Alexander

7. And the Ship Sails On, Dir Federico Fellini
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/And_the_Ship_Sails_On

8. Suspiria, Dir; Dario Argento
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suspiria

9. Jubilee, Dir; Derek Jarman
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jubilee_(1977_film)

10. Performance, Dir; Donald Cammell and Nicolas Roeg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Performance_(film)

Q. You have recently embarked on the journey of making real one of your dreams, to open a British Folklore Museum..Something that you originally intended to be a plan that would unfold later on in life, what made you change your mind and decide to do this now?

There were many reasons behind starting the project sooner rather than later. About 18 months ago, a number of friends and acquaintances all seemed to be stricken with various illnesses that seemed to come like a bolt from the blue. There’s nothing like spending time with a loved one in hospital to get you thinking about the bigger questions in life. What do we want from our remaining time here? What do we still want to achieve? Is there anything we want to be remembered for etc. My interest in Folklore and museums has been with me for as long as I can remember so events conspired to make me start the project sooner rather than later.

Working as a free-lance designer is wonderful and I wouldn’t swap it for anything else in the world, but over the last few years I’ve found many clients and photographers have been getting increasingly safe in their outlook and work. The present financial climate has of course affected this. I was reminded of a scene from Tim Burton’s film, ‘Ed Wood’. The protagonist of the film, dispirited with a failing project, goes to a bar and there spies Orson Wells sat at a table on his own. Ed plucks up the courage to speak to the great man who gives him this advice. ‘Visions are worth fighting for, why spend your life making someone else’s dreams?’ I wrote this down and pinned it to my notice board.

Q. I find myself to be someone who also appreciates and enjoys the history of England and it’s ancient traditions, I’m curious to find out what it is that is most alluring about these Rites and Rituals for you, is this something that was common in your family growing up? Or more of a personal attraction.

I can’t really say that there has been any direct family influence, my parents were antique dealers not Morris Dancers, but they both have a great love of the British countryside and particularly my Mother who was evacuated to Devon during the war. As children we would often spend trips exploring the UK and the history of an area would always be researched and relayed to us as children. My parents also had a copy of ‘Folklore, Myths and Legends of Britain, published by the Readers Digest in the mid-sixties. Inside its black, embossed covers, was a rich and magical world of Stone Circles, Witches, Giants, Haunted Houses and Seasonal Customs. In many ways it engendered my life-long interest in the folklore traditions of these Islands. Over the years I’ve become increasingly involved with the customs themselves, not only going to witness them but also taking part when invited to do so. By their very nature, they are anti-authoritarian, anarchic and often downright dangerous. They represent a moment out of time, where the norms of existence are bent or forgotten. Bonfire Boys can carry burning crosses through the streets before burning the Pope in effigy, (Lewes, November 5th) men and women paint themselves green and cover themselves in flowers and leaves to honour the coming of summer, (Jack in the Green Festival, May), crowds of people can follow a madly cavorting Obby Oss through the streets of Padstow on May Day, singing a song unchanged for hundreds of years. With the museum project, I hope to highlight that our Folklore traditions are just as alive and relevant to people today as they were hundreds of years ago. Times change and the meaning may not be the same, but the music and the customs go on with new relevance.

www.museumofbritishfolklore.com

Q. As my own obsession with art and it’s importance in Fashion increases, I’ve become incredibly inspired and somewhat obsessed by the works of Certain photographers such as Tim Walker and Emma Summerton, both of which work quite frequently with you! It was only recently that I stumbled across the information that you were the creative genius behind these legendary sets that have found themselves on many a blogs as well as the wallpaper on my own computers. I would love to start with the over sized props of your Tim Walker sets, where did this style originate for you? What was it that initially inspired you to design the oversized objects concept?

Tim and I must have met over seven or eight years ago now. The first shoot we did together was for Italian Vogue and featured Camilla Rutherford passing through a magic mirror a little like Alice did. When we first met, we found that we shared a similar love of British History, Folk and Fairy Stories and what has been termed, English Magical Realism, as exemplified by the films of Powell Pressburger and Derek Jarman. The visual language that Tim uses in his images is drawn from many of these strands and the story of Alice in Wonderland may well have been the starting point for the over-sized prop idea. We found that the unreality of a gigantic camera, glass, book etc instantly gave the viewer an invitation to step through that magic mirror with us.

Emma is completely different and has her own very particular inner world. Again, we have found we both share a love of similar artists/books/films and there was a moment last year when Emma started to tell me about an incredibly obscure artist she loved. As she described her work I suddenly shouted, ‘Vali Myers!!’. I have one of the only books on her work in my library and Emma even lives in her old apt in NYC.

Q. With all of the sets you design and build, surely it would be a shame to have it all go to waste..what happens with the objects after? Where is that large camera for example that was use for the story you did with Tim?

It often breaks my heart to consign the props I create to the skip, but sadly, with them being so large, there is little alternative. When I work in NYC I can call Materials for the Arts and have things dropped off to them. Sadly London has yet to set something like that up. I’m pleased to say though, Tim has been able to store many things and has then displayed them at exhibitions of his work. The camera is one such prop. Nick Knight is currently setting up a scheme at his new Show Studio home in W1, which will aim to offer to the public, items that have been used in shoots, which is a fantastic idea and a huge relief!

Q. What was your first break in this business? How did you start?

Between the ages of eleven and sixteen, I used to visit the Natural History Museum on a Saturday morning to attend a Young Naturalist’s club. I should point out that it had nothing to do with nudism but everything to do with the study of the natural world. One of the things I ended up specialising in was the art of taxidermy. Many years later at Art School, I made what could be called jewellery or body sculpture and once I left college I continued to do so, refining the techniques and using more diverse materials such as precious metals and stones and notoriously, human sperm. Once they started appearing in shops the magazines at the time, such as I-D and the Face, reported on them and so the fashion industry became aware of them too. After several years of working in this way I became frustrated at the scale I was forced to work in, given that they had to be wearable and so started making more purely sculptural pieces. Around this time a fashion student from Central St Martin’s wrote a very sweet letter asking if he could borrow any pieces I might have left for his degree show. Never having shown the work in this way, I thought, why not and loaned him 7 pieces. His name was Alexander McQueen. I later became his Art Director for seven years.

Q. What is your favourite Set ever designed to this day? Be it your own, or that of someone else…for a show, editorial or even perhaps an advertising job?

That’s such a hard question. I used to love those mad over-blown shoots Steven Meisel and Peter Lindbergh did for Italian Vogue, about eight years ago, when it was so creative, having it’s renaissance. Tim Walker of course has shown consistently that a good fashion story can be elevated beyond the norm by having inspiring sets and the work he now does with Shona Heath is stunning. A fashion show that I will never forget was a Dior Couture show, designed by Michael Howells at a Railway Station in Paris where a beautiful steam train pulled in to a platform covered in coloured sand and plants and disgorged the models. As far as my own work within the industry is concerned, a personal favourite would be the Untitled show for McQueen where I was allowed to turn the catwalk into a piece of sculpture, a glowing 60ft long structure made from low tanks of water which turned black when ink was pumped into them at a moment when there were no models on the catwalk. Then after some minutes, when the next girl did appear, a curtain of rain poured down for the final half of the show drenching them all. It was a great marriage between the set and the collection. Oh, and a party I did in a stunning private house in Florence where the hallways were forested and all the forest fruits, nuts, berries and mushrooms were all made from chocolate infused with flowers and the party last year for Hermes set in the grounds of an 18th century house which resembled an Indian Palace, where the guests visited Indian Gods in the ornamental gardens and then watched as a live horse painted pink transformed into a life-sized mechanical elephant……….

Q. What question have you never been asked in an interview that you’ve always wished someone would ask you…? If there is one…

Recently it would have to be, ‘Would you like a cheque for 4.5 million for your museum project?’