Brian Whittaker

We enjoyed chatting to the multifaceted super model, Brian Whittaker. It was his Insta posts which brought Brian to the attention of the fashion industry - he was scouted at age 15 and signed by Select when he was just 16.  After a manic few years which consisted of crazy highs to painful lows, Brian is now at the top of his game. He has modelled for Calvin Klein, Pause, Stone Island, and many others, and at Paris Fashion Week he walked for FentyxPuma by Rihanna. 

Wellcome to Chromatica Magazine, thank you for joining us, 

How are you?

Thanks for asking, I’m generally pretty good but of course I’ve had my moments.. most of the moments  being when the gyms are closed. I’m someone that thrives in physically, mentally and spiritually when active in the gym, it’s pretty much my church so it really effects me not having that focus zone. Other than working out and trying to stay on top of my health I’ve been spending a lot of time producing music for fun and also have been learning so much more online and reading more books, unfortunately I can’t say I’ve really done much more… every day is the same.

Looking back you started modelling at the age of 16, how difficult was it, how did you cope with such a demanding and competitive industry?

It’s been a lot of different emotions, obviously I understand that I’m in a very privileged place to be able to make good money based on having the right genetic makeup for fashion marketing and I’m very grateful for the unique opportunities that have presented themselves and people I’ve met through it.. But yes the industry does have it’s difficulties from the unhealthy characteristics that are glamorised to the blatant circle jerking, it’s not necessarily a place where you could succeed to the highest level off of just having “the look” or just showing up on time with a positive attitude.. the way industry influences see you plays a big role and often the way they value you is based off who you know, how many followers you have, your family and your sex appeal. It’s clear that there is a game being played and a lot of bullshitting and its kinda frustrating because its so see through and fake, I’m just not really that guy so I’m still trying to find my spot in the industry.

You have a very positive and humble approach to life, where does this come from? How do you maintain your positivity?

I’ve honestly just spent time reflecting on how I make people feel and how others make me feel and the best feeling is love so I try to always have love and understanding with everyone. I would say my parents taught me to be humble, they both worked hard to give me the upbringing I had and that’s something I saw day in and day out. My parents were also just cool beings they were very real with everything and more focused on the humanistic side of life rather than judging people based off of their position in life or their views. 

Do you feel the pressure of being so successful when you go to castings?

I don’t feel any pressure at castings, I never have my hopes up so I can’t really be disappointed haha. I think we just have to go and allow the client to visualise us in their garments and if the fit is right its right. If not then its not the end of the world.

What’s your favourite project/shoot you’ve done so far?

Probably the Nike job I did in Tokyo just because the team was amazing and there were just a lot of great memories around that time. It’s always so much fun working with the Nike team and working on location abroad.

What would be your dream modelling job?

To do the CK or Tom Ford underwear campaign

Who are the models you aspire(d) to?

I honestly haven’t paid enough attention to models to know who’s modelling career I would want to emulate.

From your perspective, how do you think the fashion industry can improve?

I think they need to normalise recycled materials in new products like Apple is doing, most of Apple’ s new products are made almost entirely out of recycled materials. I’m not sure how easy or (profitable) it is to do with fabrics used for clothing but that’s something that needs working on. Also I think brands should aim to make better pieces of clothing that you want to keep and could potentially pass down to family members rather than making poor quality garments that have been rinsed out. 

I think the industry also needs to reassess what kinda characters they glamorise because if you keep rewarding toxic people the people trying to break in the industry will become more toxic just because they want the same opportunities, this is why everyones instagram looks the same, everyones trying to be friends with the same people etc. Lastly, I want to see more experimentalism, after all fashion is an art form so I would love to see more art and craftsmanship in fashion.

Any advice on Models starting out? What has been the most valuable lesson you’ve learned throughout your career so far?

To stay true yourself as cliche as it sounds.. there’s a lot of characters that have bad intentions, a lot of people might not be waiting for you to fail but love to see you when you’re  down. A lot of people want to be around you when they perceive you a certain way and you need to be aware of that, so don’t get too invested in people your gut doesn’t trust because they will stick around and force themselves into your life if you let them. You must manage your relationships. You need to stay on top of your health, and make sure you’re always ready for the next opportunity.

Where is the first place you will visit after the pandemic ends? (fav holiday place etc)

Honestly I’m just trying to work my ass off during the pandemic and after the pandemic. I’ve already spent so much time traveling the world that when I travel for work I try to be in and out of places so I’m not wasting time, however, I really would like to go back to Japan at some point or go to Turks & Caicos again to see my family.

What’s your motivation in life?

To help advance our civilisation.

Brian Whittaker @brianwhittaker at Chapter Management @Chaptermgmt

Photography: Dimitris Theocharis @dimitristheocharis