interview

Name:
Alex Valley

Agency:
Soul Artist Management (New York)

Age:
20

Height:
6’2″

Instagram:
@alexvalley

Place of Origin:
Hazen, North Dakota

Ethnic Origin:
I’m like 85% German and then a mix of a few other little things like 1/32 Native American, but I’d say pretty much German.

Birthsign:
Leo

How discovered:
Models.com! I made a profile on Models.com and had my roommates take some terrible pictures of me that I submitted to some agencies in Miami, and Front responded like two hours later and were like, “We want you, let’s Skype and talk about this.” They scheduled a two­ week trip for me, all paid for, and I was like, “Hey, at worst it’s going to be a two- week vacation and if it doesn’t work, I just had the best vacation of my life.” I went down and the next day I got up and met Bruce Weber and shot with him all day and then he was like, “I’m shooting the Barneys New York campaign tomorrow and you are perfect for this,” so I went the next day and ended up shooting with Christie Brinkley and Brooke Shields.

Favorite things:
I love being active, so anything sports­ related, I’m there. I like watching UFC fighting. It’s also fun to be in North Dakota and go camp and hunt with the buddies. Anything active outdoors is something that I love to do.

What are you listening to at the moment?
It all depends on where I’m at. If I’m in the gym, depending on the mood I’m in, I’ll listen to hard, hard rock, like lots of guitar and drumming, or I’ll listen to Drake and Meek Mill and hip hop. I’ll listen to Nirvana if I’m at home just hanging out or some Third Eye Blind. It all depends on the mood that I’m going for.

Favorite movie, tv show:
I really like any movie with Leo DiCaprio in it, except I wasn’t a huge fan of his last movie. I would say TV series ­wise, Breaking Bad with Bryan Cranston was my all­ time favorite TV series ever. Also House of Cards is the best. for recent movies, I really liked The Big Short. I watched it and then the next half an hour I was speechless. The fact that they say it’s going to happen again is crazy.

Favorite designer, fragrance or beauty product:
I like Acqua di Giò and I use that all the time. I think I got it because it’s what my dad wears.

What would you be doing if you weren’t modeling?
A few weeks before I got discovered, I had started a fiber optics business, so I’d be running that. After I came back from Miami, I started to work on my business and I was working 85­hour weeks and I kind of forgot about modeling. I was making really good money and I loved it for the first eight months, but then it just hit me one day and I was like, “I cannot do this for the rest of my life. I can’t work myself to death for the money.” Money’s great, but at a certain point I’d have all this money, but I didn’t have any chance to spend it. I was stuck in North Dakota and I realized I needed to get away. Now I’m here in New York and actually just sold the business to my partner so I have nothing tying me down, so I can get up tomorrow and go to LA or anywhere if I need to.

What’s the most surprising thing about the modeling industry?
How many people there are that want to be big-time models really badly. There’s just so many people who are trying so hard to get it. When I first started, I didn’t even think it was a realistic thing. I just went for it thanks to Models.com and it worked out for me, but now that I have had this little bit of success, there’s a lot of people that message me on Facebook and Instagram like, “How did you do it? How can I do it?”

What’s something uncool that you love anyway?
I love going on dates and making them super romantic, and I feel like that’s a thing that’s falling to the wayside with our generation. I feel like everyone meets in clubs or on Tinder. I meet a girl and I scare her away instantly because I’m like, “Let’s go on a date,” and she’s like, “Whoa whoa whoa, we’re not to that stage yet,” and I’m like, “No, I just want to get to know you because talking to you at a club or seeing you on a dating site is not real. I’m not really talking to you, and I’m swiping or talking to you at a club purely because of your looks.” So I’d rather go on a date and get to know someone.

Favorite modeling experience so far?
I would have to say without a doubt the Barneys shoot, shooting with someone like Bruce Weber and those ladies. That was my very first job ever and that’s why I stuck with it, because Bruce is amazing and all the people there were amazing. I got to hang out, ride a dune buggy on the beach, and talked to Christie Brinkley for like three­and­-a­-half hours about her life and her career. It really felt like a family for five days.

What’s the best thing about your hometown/country?
The best thing about my hometown is how tight­ knit everyone is. If I was in a different town, I probably wouldn’t have as much success and support. Every single person in my town knew the minute I started modeling. Whether that’s good or bad, I don’t know

Which brand would you really love to model for?
Any campaign that my friends and family would see when they go to a local mall. Really any brand that they’re going to see in a billboard or a department store would be cool to work with so I have that exposure and my friends and family can all see.

Place you would love to visit:
The reason I went for modeling is because I want to be able to travel the world, so I really want to take these next few years and just travel everywhere. I studied abroad in China but other than that I’ve never really been anywhere. It was a culture shock leaving North Dakota, so now getting out of there I just want to explore everywhere.

Currently you’re obsessed with/about:
Greek yogurt is my new thing. I’ll put Kind peanut­ butter­ flavored granola and grapes in there. It’s amazing and I eat too much of it.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
It’s really clichéd, but if you want to be successful, just be yourself. There’s a lot of fake people and there’s a lot of people who aren’t genuine. You can tell when people are genuine, so just being yourself, people are going to love you for your honesty or hate you for it and there’s nothing you can do about that except be yourself and be a nice person and be kind to everyone.