interview

Name:
Joel Leon Perreira

Agency:
Tomorrow Is Another Day (Cologne)

Age:
18

Height:
6’2.5”

Instagram:
@jojo_dragneel

Place of Origin:
Berlin, Germany

Ethnic Origin:
My father is from Trinidad and Tobago and my mother is from Germany.

Birthsign:
Libra

How discovered:
I was scouted on the first of May last year. In Berlin, there’s always a big free festival with loads of music stands and food and everything, and Eva [Gödel, the founder of Tomorrow Is Another Day] just came up to me and asked me if she could take some photos and gave me her card. She said, “You should come to the casting in two days,” and I just thought, I’m going to give it a try, and went to the casting. The week after, she wanted me to go to fashion week in Paris.

What was your first modeling job?
My first job was Givenchy. I did the show in Paris. To be honest, I didn’t even really know what Givenchy was at that time because I wasn’t really into fashion. I only knew big brands like Louis Vuitton and Versace, but I’d never heard of Givenchy, so I just thought, I’ll just do my thing and just stay cool and if it works, then it works, and if not, then not.

Favorite things:
I really love to do sports. I play American football. One of my best friends played American football for two years and then one day he said, “You should come to training and just try it out.” I went and I really loved it and then from that point on, I just played. I’m a wide receiver.

What are you listening to at the moment?
Migos and Lil Uzi Vert are my favorites right now. I’m more into rap.

Favorite movie, tv show:
My favorite movie is Princess Mononoke. I like the whole story and the message it delivers. Favorite TV show is Death Note, it’s an anime.

Favorite designer, fragrance or beauty product:
To be honest, I don’t know that much about designers, but my favorite brand would be Nike. My favorite fragrance, my brother bought me Hugo Boss and that was so nice and since then I’ve always kept buying it. I always use Nivea cream, because my skin is so dry. I always have to put on cream after I have a shower.

What were you doing before modeling?
I was just in school, nothing special. I dropped out after 11th grade because I didn’t really feel like going to school anymore. Then obviously because the modeling was going quite well, I thought, I’ll just give it a try, put school by the side, and then just see how the modeling goes.

What would you be doing if you weren’t modeling?
I guess I would finish school and then just chill for a year and travel and stuff.

What’s something uncool that you love anyway?
Watching anime and playing video games.

Favorite modeling experience so far?
My favorite one, I must say it was the Calvin Klein show in February. The people and the models were just all so friendly and everything. I made quite a lot of friends too. We just had loads of fun.

That was Raf Simons’ debut for Calvin Klein. Did it seem like more pressure than a normal show?
Actually, everyone was just so chill. There was no pressure, really. We just had fun. We danced and laughed a lot and everything. It was just a fun time.

What’s the best thing about your hometown/country?
The city of Berlin is just beautiful. Beautiful people, beautiful place, beautiful places to party.

Which brand would you really love to model for?
I think it would be Nike, because I’m really into Nike clothes and stuff.

Place you would love to visit:
I’d love to go to Cuba, Tokyo, and Brazil.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
The best piece of advice was from my father. Even when I was younger, he was always the one who said, “There’s no need to feel pressure or anything because of school or anything else. You just do what you want and everything will be fine.”