World Premiere Interview: Claudio Valdivia

Claudio Valdivia
 By Christopher Uvenio    
  

The Young and the Masculine have worked doing commercial modeling, editorial and fashion modeling. And yes I personally have asked him to join me on the very successful Premiere Fashion show at the prestigious Fashion Institute of Technology, EDEN: The Fall of Paradise. He modeled down the runway in the Jacques Isaac a few weeks ago. World Premiere Interview only on my blog and lucky to have him with him for the interview and yes, Claudio will also appear in my Coffeetable book too in my menswear collection!  

 Tell me about yourself and where are you from and how it brought you to New York, the Fashion Capital of the World?

I´m from Chile, I'm a musician, I played violin for six years and I also sang opera for two years. I´m also a law student, just one exam away to get my law degree in Chile and I came to New York to get my LLM (Master of law) applying in the next fall. I came here the first time last year for a business course and I fell in love with the city. Since then I've been coming back to get more law courses and to pursue a modeling career on the side.

 

  Do you have a Nickname?

Yes, my friends in Chile call me Clau. 

 When was it that you got started becoming a Male Model and how did it come about?

The first time I got involved was actually in college; I went to a casting and I got booked for a whole year in a commercial campaign in the release of the medical faculty of my university. All that year I was featured in billboards, newspapers, bus stops, buses and websites. Then when I came to New York and a photographer told me I should take modeling seriously. 

Are you expecting more in the near future? 

Yes, my goal is to continue to pursue a modeling career in New York.

When you get offered a shoot from a photo shoot, what kind of preparation do you need to do for modeling? 

 I always eat healthy and workout a lot, but especially if I have a photo shoot the day before I try to get good sleep and I stop eating and drinking twelve hours before the shoot; to look lean.

 What was it like doing your first photo shoot - scary, interesting, exciting, sexy? –

It was a lot of fun and a lot of hard work. Very interesting and exciting at the same time. We started with the underwear shoots and I had to do different poses. Then we followed with the different outfits where I wore things between classic and modern; a lot of different styles. We spent eight hours in the whole photo shoot that day and I enjoyed, at the end I was starving and after we finished I ran straight to Shake Shack to get a burger.

What's the funniest or weirdest thing that's ever happened to you during a photo shoot? 

 Ok, so I didn´t do this photo shoot actually but I was requested to do a photo shoot for a health company that was promoting a healthy life style, learning to live with Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and they wanted me to do some shoots eating celery, prunes or sitting naked on a toilet. After they sent me the concept of the photo shoot I refused to do it.

What companies have you modeled for?

 Aki Ashe, House of Merlot, Dario Mohr and very recently I walked for Jacques Isaac.

Who are your favorite Designers?

 Dolce & Gabanna, Moschino, Valentino and Calvin Klein.

Who are your least favorite Designers?

 Zara

What would you not wear in Public?

 A Jock Strap

How do you keep up to date with Fashion?

GQ magazine and Instagram

Are you a Brief or a Boxer guy?

 Brief

Do you eat nutritiously? How often do you exercise or go to the gym?

 I do; I always try to eat a lot of proteins and veggies and drink a lot of water. I go to the gym five times at week.

How do you stay in such great shape?   Share your fitness routine?

 I like to do spining and weights. As I said before I go five times at week and I do weights; one day I work out chest, the next one legs, then back and shoulders, the other one biceps and the last one triceps. Three of those days I take spinning classes and every day I do abs.

You love to travel? And where do you like to go?

 I love to travel, I really enjoy it and I have been lucky to visit a lot of places in the past. I would like to go to Egypt; because it´s one the countries i´m missing and because the culture and history there are extremely interesting.

Do you have any limitations? Would you model any kind of clothing at all?

 I do. I wouldn´t do completely naked frontal shoots. I wouldn´t model flashy underwear, sex shop underwear or jock straps.

What do you do in leisure/spare time?

 Traveling, jogging, trying new restaurants, going to the movies, independent films, Italian classic films, on and off broadway plays, opera, concerts and walking around the city with a coffee in my hand listening my favourite playlist on my phone.

 

What advice would you give a newbie who's just starting in the industry - any suggestions on what to do or what to avoid?

Self confident, tough and being ready to work hard.

          THANK YOU Claudio!!!