World Premiere Interview: Tao Caino

(interview by Christopher Uvenio)

"It was a photographer (Martin Traynor) that believed in me and opened my career in Argentina..."
"One of my upcoming project is a video that we are producing, a video with a Spanish photographer friend of mine (Marcos Domingo Sanchez)  its a charity video..."
"I always need to do something, so in my spare time I work on my music or I  go to the gym and I do a lot of sports and classes like yoga, dance.."

Tao Fernandez Caino doesn't need any presentation, he has done a lot of major campaigns and he is one of the most successful models of the world. What people might not know is that despite his success Tao is a simple and strong person who always fights for equal rights.


Hello Tao, I'm flattered you accepted to be interviewed for my blog!, to start this interview off, please describe yourself and the first years of your modeling career.Well I guess I feel a bit weird describing myself but I'll do it for you to get to know me better...
My name is Gustavo Fernandez Caino named as TAO in the fashion world I was named after that name without knowing the strong meaning of it. I was born in a little town called Goya (Corrientes) in the north of Argentina, where I was living for 16 years until I decided to move to Buenos Aires, to go on with my studies in graphic design and I started to get involved more with fashion thanks to people that believed in me since the beginning when I started to do shows for boutiques back in my town.

I can say that my career as a model wasn't easy at first because I had to deal with different judgments as I was one of the first guys working as a model in my town... also when I went to Buenos Aires it was hard to start to work because I wasn't the right look for the Argentine market at that time and it was a photographer (Martin Traynor) that believed in me and opened my career in Argentina, introducing me to clients, agencies and people working in fashion.
In 2000 my life as a model changed when I met the staff of the agency BANANAS MODELS headed by Patricia D. that was in Argentina looking for new faces to bring to Europe (Paris) so I didn't hesitate of accepting her proposition of coming to try...

Really hard step in my life, of course we are never ready to face things that we don't know especially when you are young and you don't speak the language of the country and even the culture it's so different and first time so far from home, but I did it, I closed my eyes I got into the airplane and I tried not to show my tears when I was leaving my family at the airport to face the new and important adventure in my life...
Today I describe myself as a dreamer, I am a person who always tries new adventures and tries to discover new ways to pass the obstacles that life puts you every day. I'm a simple and strong person who works in fashion and who always fights for equal rights, I'm a person who always helps others, who always has the feet on earth and I really enjoy different personages when I'm in front of the camera, I'm very positive and ambitious and I really try hard all the times that I need to make my dream come true, I know my limits and the rules of the game even if some times some rules are made to be broken...

What people doesn't know is that sometimes I can be a bit impatient and a little insecure and I make mistakes and sometimes I'm hard to handle but I guess we all have those periods in life ... and hey I didn't say that I was easy ahahah
I love to do my job and I really enjoy learning from it. It can be very helpful if you know how to use it.


- How did you get your first modeling job? What was it like?My first job was in Argentina, I was chosen for a jeans campaign shot by Martin Traynor (that same person that believed in me when I started as a model) and we went to the north of the country, a place called Iguazu is where Argentina and Brasil share the waterfalls, incredible place. We were shooting for 5 days there everything was just amazing until I had tooth pain, but well the pictures were amazing and the client was very pleased with the result which helped me to work a lot more for the brand.

-Just for curiosity, can you tell me what you bought with your very first earning as a model?Well I am a person who likes to save money and invest,  so what I did was to save money and buy a house for my parents in Argentina.

-You are a very successful model, what have been some of the most memorable modeling experiences you had so far?  I have some memorable experiences to share with you specially because they are funny ...
Once I had to do a show wearing high heels for a haute couture show and I couldn't even walk so I wondered why I had accepted to wear those shoes if I knew what would be going to happen! We had to go out 5 guys in line but of course I broke that line by being too slow..ahahah
Other time I was chosen to do pictures for a book with a very important photographer and friend  that I really love (Tyen) and it was a picture wearing a dress from Jean Paul Gaultier  museum the dress it was very transparent and it was a woman body.

 So I found myself naked with my arms up with 3 persons pulling the dress that was really small for me ... Once I was into that woman body dress I saw myself and I really couldn't believe that I was doing that.
Or other experience I did a show for Galliano in a circus during his first season  for men. We had to do many things during the show to make it more interesting and entertain the audience during the show. I was wearing cowboy boots and I had to climb up onto some high boxes in front of the cameras... Going up it was easy but when I was there I realized that wasn't that easy to go down so I decided to jump and I fell flat on my back because the floor was slippery ... To save the moment I started dancing, still lying on the floor and no one realized I had screwed up...                        

                        AND LIKE THESE STORIES I HAVE MANY ...

 -Can you share with me some of your recent and upcoming projects?
Well one of my upcoming project is a video that we are producing a video with a Spanish photographer friend of mine (Marcos Domingo Sanchez)  its a charity video that gonna use to try to stimulate people to help people... and is all I can say for the moment.

-Tell me about your professional plans: apart from modeling, what else would you like to pursue or are you already pursuing?Actually one of my passions is music so I got the chance to get into the music industry and working on my first song as a singer and writer, I really enjoy it because for first time I do something that makes me feel free.

-How do you like to spend your spare time? What is the meaning of fun and having a good time for you?I always need to do something, so in my spare time I work on my music or I  go to the gym and I do a lot of sports and classes like yoga, dance or things like that otherwise I go to see friends...I always find something to do even in my place; I really enjoy being in my place.

-You must have been to a lot of wonderful and exciting places in the world, what's the most beautiful place you've ever been to?                                      YES; I can say that I'd been in so many exciting places but you know what? I can't really tell you which one is the most beautiful, because I always see every place as special! I love to discover so I try to see it with other eyes and even if I go many times to the same place I always try to see and learn different  things from it! Every place can be beautiful if you want it...

-What's your favorite kind of music?I am very open  with music its depends on my mood but lately I've been putting myself into jazz...

-Thanks Tao for taking your time to reply to my questions, it was a gift to me and my readers!Thanks to you  for giving me the chance to share my story.