Model Moment: Andrew Shimomura

As we peruse the men's shows, serving up airbrushed abs and bloodied noses, we have to wonder: what is it truly like to be a male model? Luckily, one of our very own StyledOn users, Andrew Shimomura, can tell us from experience: he has walked for Patrik Ervell three times and once for 3.1 Phillip Lim, and you've seen him in Another Man Magazine, Fader Magazine, and in Opening Ceremony's lookbooks. Shimomura, a native of the Pacific Northwest, was kind enough to sit down with StyledOn and give us some insight into the life of a model.

StyledOn: How did you get into modeling?
Andrew Shimomura: When I was still in high school, I went to Mode Models in Portland (now Muse Model Management) with my father during their open casting. When the guy before me left the room, I remember one of the directors, Darren, turning around and saying something like "I want you." Funny, I haven't thought about that in awhile, but it started there. After that I visited New York, checked out some agencies, but ultimately decided I wanted to finish college first. After that, the thought of modeling didn't cross my mind again until I came across an open casting listing with Fusion online. I emailed them a couple Facebook pics, walked across Manhattan the next day and started going to go-sees within a week.

SO: What is best part of walking in a fashion show? Are you nervous beforehand? 
AS: The odd balance of serenity and chaos. There is tons of energy–eyes, cameras, next day's blog posts–pointed at you as you walk, so it can be unnerving. But that's balanced out by my own experience and the sort of whimsy that comes with modeling. Experience says "I've done this before, no problem." And the whimsy comes from the thought "All I'm going to do is walk for 30 seconds." Of course, that half-minute is an emotional roller coaster–from anxiety, to exhilaration, to relief, to joy. It's exhausting, but at the same time, as long as you don't fall on your butt, you're probably just fine.

SO: Who is a designer you would love to work with/walk for?
AS: I've been really lucky to be able to walk for Patrik Ervell. He's an awesome guy, articulate and smart. And his work is stellar. I also dig Thom Browne's aesthetic and would love to walk for him. We'll see what happens!

SO: Top three songs you'd like to walk to?
AS: It'd be fun to do a show with the 10-minute epic "Platinum Rows" by Tyondai Braxton off his last album or some Gang Gang Dance like "God's Money VI" or "Inner Pace". Walking to "Someone Great" by LCD Soundsystem in the 3.1 Phillip Lim  show a few seasons back was a bit of a dream come true.

SO: Can you describe what the atmosphere backstage is like?
AS: As a whole it appears totally chaotic, but most people are super focused and having a great time. It's great mix of business and pleasure, the fruition of many talented people's hard work. It's really a party.

SO:  What do you find inspiring about working in the fashion industry?
AS: The almost ruthless desire of some designers to turn their ideas into actual objects inspires me. The final pieces are both art and consumer products, and watching how different people balance the exotic and the everyday has been eye-opening. The non-verbal ways of communicating blew me away in the beginning, winks, smiles, body angles--everyone's using these on- and off- camera.

SO: You've done photo shoots for Adidas, Opening Ceremony, and Another Magazine (below). Of all the shoots you've done, which was the most fun to work on?
AS: Well, they all have their good points. The last photoshoot I did was of a couple other models and me just dancing our heads off. I walked out of that shoot with tons of glitter and confetti just pouring off of my extremely-gelled-up hair. That was a pretty fun shoot and a funny subway ride home.

SO:  What do you do when you're not in front of the camera?
AS: I'm kinda a web junkie, so I'm either working on a website or dreaming about them (editors note: check out Shimomura's site, Darushimo.com for a taste of his web savvy). Ha, I had a dream last week about a tablet PC and when the iPad came out a couple days ago I was asking myself whether or not it was as cool as the one in my dream. I also play music and sing, read blogs and books, and drink a lot of coffee.

SO: Do you have any advice for aspiring models?
AS: Get your face out there, be kind, know rejection is not personal, be polite, and SMILE. And if you do start modeling and going to castings in New York, get some comfortable shoes.

A game of this or that:
Pacific or Atlantic? Pacific.
Hot or cold? Hot.
Snickers or Milky Way? Mars
Asleep or awake? Awake!
Bark or bite? Bite.
Sweet or salty? Sweet.

http://darushimo.com/