Frank was photographed exclusively for MODELS.com by Robin Kater, with styling by Bodo Ernle, grooming by Claudia Fischer.

interview

Name:
Frank Kilp

Agency:
PMA (Hamburg), IMG Paris

Age:
21

Height:
6’1″

Place of Origin:
In 2016, I moved from Darmstadt (Germany) to Heidelberg into an Olympic boxing sports boarding school to be able to concentrate better on my boxing career. From this time Heidelberg has become my main living- and working place.

Ethnic Origin:
My ethnic background is rooted in Russia which later due to deportation forcefully become Kazakhstan. This group of people are called Volga Germans.

Birthsign:
Taurus

Instagram:
@franky_tnk

How discovered:
I was contacted by a model scout via Instagram.

Best modeling experience so far?
My best model experience was my first job in Paris for the Balenciaga SS21 Pre-collection. I met a lot of cool people. The show was very big and pretty well organized. Shout out to the whole Balenciaga team who was very nice and friendly to me.

Currently you’re obsessed with/about:
My current obsession besides modeling is definitely Olympic Boxing. Since I can remember, I’ve trained to compete at competitions such as the German Championship, which I won five years in a row, as well as international tournaments like the European Championships.

What is something you’ve always wanted to do/try?
I’ve always wanted to participate in the Olympic Games. Standing on the podium and representing my country. My whole life is shaped by mental and physical training for this part of my life. So I hope one day I’ll be able to live out these goals.

How do you want to make an impact in the world?
I want to be a role model for children. I want to show them that everything can be reached with hard work and discipline. Not just in sports, but also in everyday life. In the future, I want to build a boxing gym and organize infrastructures to support kids in all situations. I was personally impacted by my coach as a young kid. That’s why I want to inspire the next generation just like my coach inspired me.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
When I experienced my first loss at a tournament, I felt the urge to quit then and there. I was disappointed and angry. My outburst caught the attention of an old man. He was watching me and approached me with the following advice: “Don’t be sad, you are talented, but you need to trust the process.” It takes time. These words caught me. Later I won the exact same tournament and made a name for myself. This is why I can surely recommend to anyone in a similar situation to have trust in the process. It might take a little longer, but you will get there eventually.