Aiki

Who:
Aiki Smith (@canicopythis) — 188 cm / 6’2″ — American from Santa Cruz, California, USA — born May 28th — he/him.

Where:
Photogenics LA (Los Angeles – mother agency)

— One thing people may be surprised to find out about you:
I majored in product design so that I could create furniture and home decor.

— What are three interesting facts about you?
1. I was the top Tetris player in Los Angeles for a day.
2. I used to compete in Guitar Hero competitions.
3. My thumbs are double-jointed.

— How did you become a model?
I began modeling in college after getting scouted at an arts and design convention.

Aria

Who:
Aria Shine (@ariashine_) — 174 cm / 5’8.5″ — Australian from Perth, Western Australia — born June 25th — she/her.

Where:
IMG Australia (Sydney – mother agency), IMG London, Donna Models (Tokyo)

— What are three interesting facts about you?
1. I love astrology and tarot. My chart is ruled by cancer, which I think reflects well on my personality. I got into tarot in high school but recently started again when I found a deck in the verge-side collection. It seemed like the universe wanted me to get back into it.
2. I really love singing and music. I learned piano classically as a kid for about eight years and taught myself how to play guitar and ukulele. At the second high school I attended, I auditioned to be a part of their music program, where I studied music with a voice scholarship until I graduated. Now I don’t really practice besides having fun and signing with my friends and roommate, but I still really enjoy music.
3. I’m currently studying Law and Journalism, which I plan to pursue after modeling. I want to become a political reporter. One of my biggest passions is writing, and telling stories, so to turn this into a career would be amazing.

— What’s a story your family/friends like to tell about you?
I was constantly in character as a kid, which my family love to joke about. My mum jokes that I started kindy [kindergarten] a year early because she was tired of being Donkey while I played Shrek. For a solid six months, I only wore yellow and only accepted being called Greg (my favorite member of the Wiggles and apparently my alter-ego).

— An issue or cause you are passionate about:
I’m really interested in feminism. My mum has her doctorate in how women, specifically teachers, are treated in the media, which I think is a really interesting topic. Roughly 75% of people quoted in the news are men, compared to 25% of quotes from women. Women’s voices, perspectives, and experiences are marginalized in the news, and our opinions are not being heard. There is still a strong bias in the modern world against women, and how our voices are eradicated from the news world is indicative of this. This needs to change.

Inès

Who:
Inès Vincent (@inesvincent_) — 180 cm / 5’11” — German/French from Hamburg, Germany — born November 10th — she/her.

Where:
Modelwerk (Hamburg – mother agency), Next New York, Next Paris, Next Milan, Next London

— Who is your favorite entertainer?
Lena Situation, a French YouTuber who lives in Paris. When I watch her videos, I feel like I’m in Paris too. That always puts me in a good mood. She’s also very inspiring because she achieved much at such a young age. 


— One thing you never want to do again:
I don’t want to go climbing ever again. My sister loves to climb, so I went along once and found out that I’m really afraid of heights. It was bad! 


— What are three interesting facts about you?
1. I started playing the guitar when I was six years old, and I’m still in love with it.
2. I love to go on a run; it helps me relieve my stress, and my mind feels at peace when I run.
3. I was born in Paris, but my family moved to Hamburg when I was seven. 


Joel

Who:
Joel Vegas Perez (@j.vegasperez) — 188 cm / 6’2″ — Dutch from Amersfoort, The Netherlands — born January 23rd — he/him.

Where:
Editorial Model Management (Rotterdam – mother agency), SOPHIE MODELS (Milan)

— How did you become a model?

Two years ago, around September, someone approached me when I was walking in Rotterdam. The first thing he asked me was: “Hey, are you a model by any chance?” And I responded: “No, haha, I am not.” After that, he asked me if I would like to do modeling work sometime. I was thinking about modeling a few years before this, but I never had the right information or guidance to really start. After our interaction, we shared our socials, and he explained the industry. A few weeks later, I had my first-ever photo shoot.

— What are three interesting facts about you?

1. I work as a cook in an Italian restaurant.
2. I have a degree in IT.
3. I’m actually half Latino, but I don’t speak Spanish, unfortunately

— One thing people may be surprised to find out about you:

I’m pretty decent at playing the piano. A lot of people are shocked when they hear about it. I have been playing for around seven years now.

Mia

Who:
Mia Sato (@mmmia0_) — 178 cm / 5’10” — American from Portland, Oregon, USA — born February 22nd — she/her.

Where:
Q6 Model & Artist (Portland – mother agency), Elite New York City, The Hive Management (London), Elite LA (Los Angeles)

— The most interesting thing about your family:
The most interesting thing about my family is that we come from a small island South of Japan called Amami-Oshima.

— Who is your favorite entertainer?
My favorite entertainer has to be BTS. I am and have always been a big K-pop fan. I love how they are not only talented people but people who have come together to create change through music. Music is a big factor in my life, and I would not be able to survive without it, so discovering BTS/K-pop and learning the deeper meaning through their songs was very comforting to me.

— What weird or useless talent do you have?
I have extremely flexible shoulders and knees, so much so that I can hyperextend my knees backward.

Vlad

Who:
Vladyslav Pitko (@vladptk) — 187 cm / 6’1.5″ — Ukrainian from Warsaw, Poland — born October 8th — he/him.

Where:
X MANAGEMENT (Warsaw – mother agency)

— An issue or cause you are passionate about:
I am passionate about helping others, specifically those with suicidal thoughts who are depressed, lost, and burned out.

— One thing people may be surprised to find out about you:
I’ve been dancing for four years.


— What’s a story your family/friends like to tell about you?
They say that I’m a guy who dreams of taking a photo with a spider in my mouth
.