Follow the link for the original interview on Look Books or read below.
Model Musing: Samuel de Cubber
Nudity in the modeling industry has always been a big topic for discussion, but for Samuel de Cubber, it is nothing but his proudest moment. His big career break came in the form of a campaign for an Yves Saint Laurent fragrance, in which he was asked to pose wearing nothing but fragrance.
Samuel knows the ins and outs of the modeling career and believes it’s a blessed one; “If you are a very successful male model you work three to four times a week at the most, so there’s plenty of time to enjoy life!” says de Cubber.
The top male model, who has traveled the world shooting with some of the most beautiful girls in paradisiac locations now takes from all the experience and networking he gathered through the years and is applying it to another end of the industry. Today Samuel works as a model scout for one of France’s leading modeling agencies, New Madison. Looking ahead, Samuel contemplates the possibility of working in the health and fitness industry: “I want to open up gyms, promoting boxing and Taekwondo as the best way to lead a healthy and happy life.” - And if he continues to take advantage of his body like he did in his modeling career, we don’t see any reason why his gyms wouldn’t be packed.
Once you were discovered, did you have support from your family?
I didn't need anyone’ s approval or support, growing up in Marseille you take every opportunity you get to improve your life.
Was modeling a dream for you or did it just happened by chance?
I had no idea guys could be models, I got lucky.
What have you learned from your career that you consider truly valuable?
I learned that I am my own business, therefore I became the greatest sales person ever! (laughs) In that respect I am the product and this not only can be applied to modeling but also to my every day life. I have also learned a great deal about myself, I learned to recognize my good and bad sides, and that ability, I owe to the modeling business.
What advice would you give to aspiring models?
Don’t believe everything people say, learn to listen and make your own opinion, be patient and organized and also, save money when you are lucky enough to make some!
Do you love fashion?
Not really, I wear T-shirts and jeans all the time, nothing else.
What was your biggest challenge as a model?
Not much of a challenge there, I always get very upset when I hear models complaining about their job; no one is forcing them to do this and if they had any other job in their life before modeling they would realize how easy they got it compared to anyone else.
Why do you love that fragrance campaign?
Because I’m naked on it, and there’s nothing better than being naked (laughs)! No, seriously, it profoundly changed my life, I don't know of many pictures that were able to change someone’s life so much, I had no idea what I was stepping into when I took that job.
Who took it? Were you excited to work with that photographer?
Solve Sundsbo took it, but I had no idea who he was.
Who else was in the crew?
From what I recall it was Tom Ford , Solve and his assistants, Sam McKnight and Thomas Lenthal on the set.
What direction did the photographer give you?
Solve is really cool, we spoke a lot the day before the shoot and he showed me pictures of Greek statues and similar references, so once we were on the shoot we just went with the flow and tried a few different things, until Tom, Solve and Thomas where happy with it.
What was it for?
The fragrance M7 by Yves Saint Laurent.
