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When models turn role models

If you think the 'glam gods' gracing magazine covers and billboards everywhere are no more than eye candy, think again. Many of them would argue there's far more to them than meets the eye - and they are living examples themselves

Models. Those ethereal beings you envy for their incredible good looks and Instagram lifestyles - and, in the same breath, write off as vacuous and superficial. Wait, what? Well... isn't it true? There's always a certain degree of disdain in the conversation surrounding 'the model life' and it inevitably ends with someone remarking that the profession doesn't merit as much as a 'real' career. But as WKND discovered this week, models cannot be typecast so neatly (or carelessly) under those labels. Because, for these folks, while modelling is a part of their identity - it is not all they are.
Elena Weber, entrepreneur
German expat Elena Weber has always seen modelling doors open for her on account of her striking looks. 'Discovered on the street' as a university student, it was a trip to Argentina in between modelling gigs that led her to discover the zero-calorie, natural sweetener stevia and inspired her to put her business administration degree to use by founding a lifestyle coffee chain that offers healthy alternatives to sugar. Today, ICONS Coffee Couture is present in six countries - and counting. "I was always very clear that I wanted to do something more serious than modelling," says the 30-something fashionista. "Modelling was a beautiful opportunity, and I was doing well - but it was also all about the external. And I think I have more to offer than that."
We're seated in a corner of her coffee shop on Sheikh Zayed Road, where Elena insists on serving up some delicious 'skinny cakes' - guilt-free versions of much-loved desserts that, surprisingly, don't compromise on taste, despite being vegan and gluten-free. On shelves across one wall is merchandise that borrows heavily from the latest fashion trends for its designs, while the food counter across it seeks to entice customers with everything from nutritious waffle burgers to ice cream frappes. Fashionably healthy seems to be the USP - and it's perfectly in harmony with who Elena is.
Elena credits modelling with equipping her in many ways for her current avatar ("I used to be very shy and modelling taught me to be more social") - but it's entrepreneurship that has been challenging her to learn new things. "One of the first things I realised in trying to start this concept was that I can't bake," she laughs. "I realised I needed a team - and that it's not about doing everything by yourself." That has been just one of many lessons along the way. And that she needs to be consistently proactive. "As a model, I only had to show up and present a look the best way I could; as an entrepreneur, if I don't work on my business, no one else will."
If her looks opened doors for her during her days as an international model, they do no less for her even today, shares the young entrepreneur candidly. "That's just how society is," she says with a shrug and a smile. She could do without the labels though. "Many times, people don't take me seriously because they think I'm just a pretty face. But they're surprised when they see we're still around and doing well after six years... To be seen for more than just your looks - when you see that people value who you are and not just what you look like - that would be a really nice accomplishment."
It's what Elena is hoping - and gunning - for. "My work is my life," she says. And she intends to let it speak for itself.
Paul Frangie, chef
As a university student, there was one rule in the house Paul Frangie shared with a few housemates: if you didn't cook, you cleaned up. "I hated washing dishes, so I preferred to cook. I was also always the one manning the BBQ at friends' places," he recalls.
It may have been those humble beginnings that kicked in when, a year after landing a corporate job and realising the 'desk life' wasn't for him, the Dutch-Lebanese expat decided to go to culinary school. It was during this time that he began to model for clients like Tiffany and Saks Fifth Avenue, and magazines like Esquire and Rolling Stone Middle East. Paul was even the face of Russian retail giant O'Stin for a season. Wouldn't he have made big bucks if he'd stuck with the former? "Sure, but modelling was never a career for me," says Paul. "Just something I used to fill up my spare time."
That's not to say he didn't milk the title for what it was worth. Producers in London who he'd approach for collaborations or cooking shows loved that Paul was 'also a model'. But the now 32-year-old has refused to allow himself to be pigeonholed into that box, pursuing both culinary and fitness interests. While his peers graduated from culinary school with dreams of owning their own Michelin-starred restaurants some day, Paul went on to start a cooking show on YouTube called This Dude Knows Food.
That was in 2013. Since then, Paul recognised (after some well-received advice) that if he ever wanted his own TV show or publish his cookbook, he'd do well to start his own restaurant. And that's how he opened Hapi at Al Serkal Avenue, Al Quoz, in 2016. "As anyone in the F&B industry will tell you, there's not much time for anything else when you're working in a kitchen," observes Paul. Everything else - from modelling and travelling to public speaking and parkour - has taken a back seat for the last three years, while he threw himself into his restaurant.
Watching him whip up meals for his customers at Hapi, Paul is instantly recognisable behind the grill with what seems to now be his trademark man bun. He has an almost enviable focus about him (which one of his staffers knowingly notes as Paul being 'in the zone') - and one gets the impression that this is a dude who does indeed know food, and works very hard to deliver it well. "There are a lot of extremely ambitious people who make it in the modelling world but will not let that be the highlight of their careers," says Paul. "It's a cool industry to work in, but you can get stuck in it, if you don't think forward."
Though perfectly happy to run Hapi for now, continuing to build up his profile is always on Paul's mind. "I've a lot more ideas for fun food projects, so am I already thinking of what's next? Always."
Aydin Momtaz, events director
Have you seen the movie Zoolander? Male model Aydin Momtaz of Niche Models swears by it. "'I realised that there's a lot more to life than just being really, really, really ridiculously good-looking,'" he quotes Ben Stiller's character (who plays a superbly self-involved male model in the movie). It's a rather cheeky way of saying the half Iranian, half-Spanish expat also realised (around the time he was turning 40 a couple of years ago) that he needed a more steady source of income - something modelling, though a fairly lucrative line of work, did not guarantee. But it wasn't because work was hard to come by that the penny dropped for Aydin.
The 41-year-old has been in the profession for the last 22 years (a peer we spoke to playfully referred to him as the "godfather of the industry in Dubai") - and his distinct chiselled features ensure he is still very much in demand today. If he continues to stay in shape, Aydin believes he can carry on into his 70s. But it was a friend who challenged him to broaden his horizons and co-found an events management company called Zing Events. "Sometimes I wonder why," he says drily. "I was really comfortable with my modelling assignments."
It certainly hasn't been a catwalk. "I'm experiencing things now that I should have in my 20s: dealing with people who over-promise, but under-deliver, running after clients for payments, all the red tape... I know you grow more in discomfort than in comfort - but. I'd much rather grow in comfort!" he deadpans. Dry humour aside, Aydin admits he wouldn't change a thing.
One of the biggest challenges for him, though, has been the stereotyping, with clients looking him up, seeing his work as a model and then coming back to say, 'How serious can you be if you're a model?'. "What is the relation between the two?" Aydin asks. "It's not like I'm going to pout every time I see you..." At the same time, he's finding that being a model (ironically) also works in his favour, because everyone "wants to work with the 'celebrity'" - a term he believes really should be reserved for "actual stars". How does he reconcile the two? Roll with the negatives, make the most of the positives - that's his mantra for now.
Aydin admits there may be a grain of truth to the prevailing stereotype, in that he's met many models during his travels who couldn't hold a conversation on politics - but would be in their element discussing a fashion designer. "That superficiality has more to do with many of them leaving school (as young as 13) to travel and model, instead of studying," he notes. "Not because they're necessarily superficial people, but because that was their upbringing - on account of their job. So, to those in the industry right now, I'd say: educate yourself. Practical skills are critical - and you don't even have to go to a class today to learn." Don't take rejection personally either, he adds. And it always helps to have a Plan B. "There's nothing scarier than feeling like you've had enough - and not knowing what's next."
For his part, Aydin - who never thought himself model-material because he "wasn't the typical Marlboro Man" - intends to play to his strengths: both in front of the camera, and by continuing to put together picture-perfect events behind it.
Krysia Makiela, photographer
Becoming a model was never really on Polish expat Krysia Makiela's radar - just something that "came up" when a friend encouraged her to send her pictures to an agency eight years ago. "They took me in almost immediately, and I went on to travel a fair bit for shoots." But Krysia's dream was always to do underwater shoots - and four years ago, she met her husband on one.
The 23-year-old credits him with eventually winning her over to the world of photography. Up until that point, she'd only enjoyed postproduction and retouching work, finding photography itself to be far too complicated. "Now that I have an experienced photographer by my side, it's much easier," she laughs.
Though Krysia still takes on modelling assignments (she's signed up with MA Models in Dubai), they are quickly taking second place to the more challenging photography projects she gets offered. "After several years of doing the same lookbook shoots, modelling can get a bit tiring," she admits. "I much prefer the challenge of photography, which is just as competitive and requires you to be responsible for every aspect of the final output. There's so much more to think about with regard to lighting, equipment, and all the different parameters you need to try to control for the perfect picture - and I love learning how to get it right."
The reason Krysia now increasingly prefers being behind the lens - as opposed to in front of it - is because of the scope for growth it offers. "With modelling, you just have to bring your heels and you're good to go. There's obviously a lot of emphasis on how you look there. So, I actually find it a relief to not have to care that much about how I look when I'm behind the lens."
The young photographer clarifies that most models are very hardworking and intelligent. "People imagine modelling is very easy and that it's glamour through and through, but eight hours on a set can be very
tiring. Supermodels give the impression of a life of glamour, because they can dictate the terms of their work - but the majority of models need to really work to get their money."
Her current goal is to work towards executing her childhood dream of an underwater shoot: she's been on the other side, modelling for one; now, she hopes to be the person shooting one in the near future. Has she ever wondered what she might have become if she hadn't chosen her current path? "An engineer, for sure. I really enjoyed studying Math and Physics at school!"
karen@khaleejtimes.com