Male model and space-enthusiast Doug was born in Australia’s capital city, Canberra, and still lives there to this day. Born to two public servants, he thinks his exposure to the political system in this country and how it affects everyone’s lives has had a major impact on his worldview. Although, with self-awareness beyond his years, he says that having been born into a reasonably privileged family, his worldview “is not quite as relevant as many others’ are.” If you were in town visiting, he’d take you on a grand tour of the sights—from Parliament House and all the national buildings that have influence Australia-wide, to Questacon where you’re guaranteed to have an “absolute blast” [Ed note: can confirm this is 100% true].
As is the way with most male models, his entrance into the modelling world wasn’t something he pursued, instead he was randomly scouted last February at the Canberra Show (“a kind of agricultural festival”) while with his brother and dad. “Right by the entrance these two women came up to us and started to talk to us,” he explains. “Unfortunately, we kinda assumed they were going to try and sell something to us, so my dad said, ‘No thanks, we'll be alright, thank you’ or something to that effect. But as we continued on our way, and started to explore the Show, these two women kept looking at us from over where they were. Eventually they came back over to us, and said, ‘I'm sorry, there's been a slight miscommunication here…’. Those two women were IMG scouts, and a few days later I did a test shoot, and the rest is history.”
For him, the most rewarding part of his work as a model is travelling to places he never would have visited and meeting new people—moreover “amazing and remarkably unique people that [he] never, ever could have come across otherwise.” In saying that, he thinks that continually engaging with other people, for hours on end, can take its toll. “You’ve got to be taking direction, holding conversations with people, and being very patient, all at once,” he says. “It might come easily to others, but for me just keeping that energy going is quite difficult!” Feel u.
He doesn’t consider himself to be a spiritual person in the traditional sense, but he does like to take a lil’ moment here and there to organise his thoughts and channel a sense of calm. The best advice he’s ever received is, Be stoic; live your life for tomorrow rather than today, because “so many other pieces of advice link back to that statement—it’s invaluable.” If he gave up social media for a week, he imagines he’d be a lot happier, because at current, it eats up a lot of his time. In the morning, he slips into comfy clothes because for him, feeling so fresh and so clean is essential to having a clear head all day, and if he could only eat one meal for the rest of his life, it’d have to be a warm, toasted bagel with butter on top. Delish.
The coolest thing he’s learned recently is that some of America’s first astronauts were chimpanzees (Astrochimps!) called Enos and Ham, which in turn has become the coolest thing we’ve learned today. Wow! His highlight for 2018 was Fashion Week, and he’s excited to walk in more shows again this year. He’s currently reading ‘Packing for Mars’ by Mary Roach, which he describes as “a book all about astronauts and the difficulties they face on long astro-journeys!” His favourite song is ELO’s ‘Mr. Blue Sky’ and, in continuing with the space theme, his favourite movie is The Martian (2015).
In the next ten years, he hopes that the “the international connections formed by the internet translate into a more tolerant and knowledgeable society” and also that “pseudoscience and ignorance will give way to research, and eventually action about our quickly-changing climate!” He thinks it’s super important to have good, solid friendships so that you can get a different perspective on everything in the world.
“There’s nothing more self-destructive than narrowmindedness,” he elaborates. “You might think something is perfect, but your friends might point out an amazing addition you could make that you’d never thought of!”
His brand of cool is people that are “confident, unique, and doing their own thing.” Amen.
Words: Maddy Woon Photos: Sarah Adamson Fashion: Miguel Urbina Tan
Doug is represented by IMG
Shot on location in Canberra, Australia
