Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Rowles.
Hi Michael, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was scouted by a woman named Iris Alonso while working at American Apparel in 2012, she oversaw the creative at the AA Headquarters at the time & offered me the gig. I went on to work with them for a few years off/on and started to get recognized by people. From there, I would work with Independent brands (non-paid & small fee) to gain exposure and experience, fashion shows with Ankara Fashion & Music Fest, Men’s Fashion Week presentations, etc.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It hasn’t been a smooth road but also not the worst, and of course, you would only see that in hindsight. In the beginning, it was wanting to be considered by the people making the decisions, having body image issues (yes, men have them too), the psychological warfare that you go through when it comes to the social/social media aspects of it. There was a time where I took a year off because it was causing me stress and started to re-evaluate what I wanted to do with myself. But after much consideration and conversation with a good friend of mine, I understood that it was all about the timing of my life and that things would work out accordingly as long as I kept doing the work.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Working as a model, of course you want to set your sights on making the money and obtaining the notoriety that comes with it. Just being my true genuine self is what I want to be known for when it all comes down to it. To know that I could have inspired someone to go for a position in a field they feel like may not have been curated for them is a goal cause all it takes is one face.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
People can support/collab with me by simply sending me a direct message on Instagram @michvelr or emailing me at [email protected].
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/michvelr
Image Credits:
The first photo in black & white was taken by Milton Alexander (@m.alexander_) & the additional photo by Jacq Harriet (@jacqharriet)
