Ingvild

Who:

Ingvild Sem Kristiansen, 180 cm / 5’11”, Norwegian, born December 18th.

We Asked:

What have you learned since you started modelling?
“To never take criticism personally.”

What is an issue or cause you are passionate about?
“I think an issue I am very passionate about is discrimination against people because of gender or color. I hate that.”

What’s the most interesting thing about your family? Do you have siblings?
“I have a loving family, two elder brothers and a younger, beautiful sister, two messy, noisy dogs and a lazy cat.”

Where:

i-d.studio (Oslo – mother agency)

Who:

Brad Alexander, 187 cm / 6’1.5″, British, born December 5th.

We Asked:

What do you wish you were better at?
“There’s like a 0.2 second space between mutually extending out your arms, and deciding on the appropriate type of handshake that someone is going for, and I get it wrong every time. If you attempt a fist bump I’m already committed to the firm-grip business shake, and vice versa. How do people know? Should I be keeping a log? Also, those guys who do the traditional shake and then slide back out for the bump – please inform me in writing next time, or I will be forced to limit you to the tight-lipped stranger nod.”

What have you learned since you started modelling?
“So much, really. I’ve been doing it full-time for a matter of weeks and I feel like I’ve gained so much knowledge already. I have begun to adopt thoroughly un-English cultural practices. I have mastered the world’s public transport systems. I’ve learned to deal with disappointment productively, and success with humility, at least I hope. Also I’m getting way better at Instagram.

Mostly though, I’ve learned to be grateful. With all the anxiety, with all the joy and optimism and success and failure and disappointment that comes with the experience, sometimes I just think you know what, I’m out here in a beautiful foreign place, going on new adventures everyday, speaking with eccentric, fascinating, sometimes important people, I have time to exercise and socialise, and I’m not in total financial ruin thus-far. It’s a unique position to be in, and a total privilege. I can think of no better way to spend my time at this point in my life. ”

What are your interests/favorite things?
“I’m fairly committed to meditation practice. It sounds dangerously new-agey, which is a shame because its benefits are so profound to me, without all the horrible incense and chanting. It’s ludicrous that something as simple as sitting down, closing your eyes, and focussing on your breath can redefine the way you see and appreciate each moment even when not meditating, but that’s exactly what happens with practice. It’s so odd that, generally speaking, no one at any point between waking up and going to sleep takes a second to just step back and put the constant flow of thoughts on pause. That’s what meditation gives me, it’s kind of like therapy. It’s so easy to get caught up in the minutia, but you just have to remember that you’re alive and breathing, so all is probably well.”

Where:

Faze Models (Berlin – mother agency)
Elite Paris ()
Established Models (London)
URBN Models (Milan)
Fifth Models (Barcelona)