Still Modelling

Not much will make me down my Sunday morning coffee and toast in astonishment, but the Mail on Sunday headline "Poster hunk Gandy packs his trunks - and quits modelling" was certainly news to me, especially when by sheer coincidence, at that moment, the new Light Blue 2 commercial came on the television.
Reading the article further, I discovered that apparently, my two friends Stefano and Domenico (Dolce &Gabbana) and I had fallen out because I had shown an interest in acting and, sadly, our “future looks bleak together”. Now, I may not be the most intelligent person on the planet, but just a week before I had been shooting the apparel campaign with them in NYC and we talked excitedly about our future projects in 2011 and of acting - something which Stefano especially has been encouraging me to pursue. Just to make sure though, I went to check all my bags and cases. There were definitely no “trunks packed”.
I am lucky to have had, and to continue to have, a lot of support from the media and I'm very grateful for that, but it's incredible how wrong reports can sometimes be - and this very far-fetched story certainly falls into that category. Before being involved with media so much, I would have believed everything I read, thinking that lies and even quotations (that have never been said), could and would not be printed. I guess I was a little naïve then.

Tuesday evening and the British Fashion Council Awards 2010. The awards at The Savoy were very lavish - it was a beautiful evening and very special to have the top British people in fashion in one room. As you know, I was really proud to be the only man nominated in the Model Of The Year category. It was Lara Stone who took home the award on the night, she's a totally worthy winner so big congratulations to her. I cannot say that I wasn't a little disappointed though. I admit I don’t like losing anything (as anyone who has ever played Monopoly with me will vouch for!). However, as the night went on, the huge amount of people who came over to congratulate me for being recognised alongside the top female models and for raising the profile of male talent on the same level as women's was very touching and I realised the achievement in just being nominated. It was very kind of them and started an interesting discussion point ... should the BFC take the plunge and create two categories next year? We don't compete for the same covers, campaigns or work so it why compete for one award? A dedicated award to Female Model of The Year and another to Male Model of The Year would be a big breakthrough in the industry - maybe something to look into...
A very special mention and congratulations to Patrick Grant for winning Best Menswear Designer. His personal style is the best I have seen for a long time and he is also charming, handsome and down to earth. Being recognised for his work on the label E Tautz is hugely deserved - some people really do have it all!
It's been a busy week, as ever, and one which ended working with Massimo Dutti. I've been shooting their campaign on and off for many years now and the clients and crew are like family. They are such a great bunch of people and show just how respectful and lovely the industry can be and it's an honour that they chose me again. I'm looking forward to seeing the campaign soon.
Last but not least, a big thank you to everyone who not only comments on my blogs, but to those of you who came up with ideas, experiences and solutions for my charity blog last week. We're looking at all of them and I will let you know of any developments.
Source: http://www.vogue.co.uk/blogs/david-gandy/101214-still-modelling.aspx#CommentList