This past NYFW we had 44% models of color walking the runway (that was predominantly women). TV: You mention being one of only three black male models in Miami. So, it was a few people and things, especially that GQ shoot, that gave me the cosign to pursue this. It was the only thing I had, but it gave me the confidence. Right before that I had booked my GQ Italia spread, the Miami Vice spread. I saved up enough money working my side jobs to say, “OK, I just got signed to in Milan and they want me to come out for Milan Fashion Week.” I thought this could be my opportunity to finally break in. So, I figured, you guys aren’t booking me, I’m not going on castings, I have to just make some stuff work. At that point I had to be out there for a minimum of six months - that was in my contract. I was working three different jobs: bar back, and two different janitor positions. I was like one of three black guys that were out there. When I was in Miami, I was not booking a single thing. No one knew it was happening to me, but if I say it now, other black male models will say “That happened to me,” “That happened to me yesterday.”īH: I’m sorry my story is kinda crazy. But that was one of the things I had to do to get to the point where I could be an advocate for talking about certain issues like that. I just crashed the casting, got put on option, then got released, then got called back, and then I got the show and the show led to the Ciara video But that’s a whole different story.īut to answer your question, when that kind of stuff happens, back then it was like a silent thing now I’ve gotten to a point in my career where I can call it out and people will respect that. I was like “Sh*t man, I got to do something,” and there were still castings going on. But that silence fueled me into my next step, which was crashing the DSquared casting. The only thing I had to do was just be silent, unfortunately. I didn’t want to be regarded as the black kid who wasn’t grateful enough for an opportunity and didn’t want to be a good sport about it. TV: In instances like that, that feel so obviously racist, how do you respond in a way that isn’t accusatory but doesn’t undermine your truth?īH: At the age of 19, if I was to blast on social media, saying “Hey, yo, f*ck, they replaced me with a white guy,” I probably wouldn’t be here, because I didn’t have the backing behind me to continue my career. And I was like “Oh, sh*t, this is my first big deal.” But then six hours before the show, I got released and they replaced me with a white boy. My “OK, this is something I can do” moment happened when I was in Italy for the first time. So, when modeling happened it was a way out, and an opportunity to start something new. My mom and dad weren’t going to let me go about life without going to college. I was using whatever I had left in me to play basketball just to get into college. Teen Vogue: Let’s jump to your teen years: When did you first have any inclination that you might be model material?īroderick Hunter: The thing about it is that I stepped into the industry on a whim.
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