Lucky Blue Smith: Meet the 'insta-famous' model dominating the menswear shows
The 17-year-old model made famous through social media is storming his way through the latest round of menswear fashion week
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Your support makes all the difference.If you are a teenage girl or happen to live in close proximity to one, chances are you've heard of Lucky Blue Smith.
This month Smith has been dominating the catwalks at the bi-annual menswear shows walking for the likes of Tom Ford, Versace and DSquared2.
The 17-year-old model who boasts an Instagram following of 1.1 million, attracts One Direction levels of fan-girl hysteria wherever he goes.
The 6ft 3 model, was born in Utah, raised a Mormon and began modelling at the age of just 12 when he was signed to Next Models agency.
Smith may have been modelling for almost half a decade but it's this year that has seen him really hit the big time with runway appearances for everyone from Tom Ford to Versace and ad campaigns for H&M, Levis, Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein.
Whilst it's not unheard for female models to attract world-famous celebrity status -think of nineties' icons Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Linda Evangelista, and today's cohort of ever-growing insta-models Cara Delevingne, Karlie Kloss, Jourdan Dunn and Gigi Hadid - for male models this level of fame is fairly unusual.
Smith's success in the industry is not particularly unique, but the fanbase that follows him wherever he goes (be it a departures lounge in an airport or a catwalk show) undoubtedly is.
A picture posted on his Instagram account earlier this week showed him leaving a show being mobbed by girls, and this is by far a one-off occurence.
Earlier this year Business of Fashion spent the day with the model during Paris Fashion week and described encounters with fans that included crying, fainting and intervention from the police.
He told the publication of his relative inexperience of the fashion industry:
“Before I came to Italy, I’d never heard of most of these designers. I think I’d heard of Fendi and Gucci and that’s it. What’s that one I did? Botte… Venet or something? And Roberto Cavalli, I didn’t know either,” he said.
And despite his profile going through the roof, Smith doesn't think fame will affect him:
“I don’t want to be one of those kids who gets famous and then changes and becomes cocky. That’s why it’s so important to me to try and take a photo with every girl who comes to see me. I don’t really get why they seem to like me so much, but if I can make them feel happy by sticking around and that makes their day better, then what’s an extra 30 minutes to me? What else am I going to be doing?” he explained.
More than just a pretty face Smith, also harbours ambitions in the music industry, he (along with his three older sisters) is in a band The Atomics - they're currently putting together their first album.
Smith also has acting ambitions and stars in upcoming film Love Everlasting. But with an inbuilt fanbase to rival most megastars whatever Smith does next, he's guaranteed to suceed.
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