Вэлкам ту зе клаб Дэвид Ганди! (18+)

Join David Gandy on the London Eye for a model's eye view

Vogue: I would like to start with a memory of first meeting you in the Oxford University Union when we were asked to speak in the Union to give advice to students on their careers. Can you please tell us now what you told us then about your rise to fame

David: 'My Rise to shame [laughs] it was supposed to be advice wasn't it? It was a quite outlandish story my rise to fame. It was a bit embarrassing… I was at University, Cheltam University, and I was in my third year studying multi media computing and a housemate of mine sent in a picture of me to a competition. I had this guy call me up from Select Models agency who told me he wanted me to come in and I (bit?) the phone down on him. Thought he was a real freak and weirdo and it actually turns out… I actually told Abby who entered me for the competition and she said 'no no no you've got to call him back!' Entered the competition and it started from there. Won the competition on this morning and that was ten years ago. Ten years ago probably in August actually so ten years exactly.'

Vogue: What was the first job you did?

David: The first big job, well, I call it big now, was Paul Smith lookbook. That's a British brand actually! Which I burned every copy of so people never ever get to see those pictures. [smiles]

Vogue: Do you make it your business now to help aspiring models?

David: Not just models, I mean I just…. there are people that I think that are very talented that I like to bring in to all aspects of my career. I mean, I just got on one job and the guy who cuts my hair cuts many models' hairs. The guy called Larry from (Damien Hershan?) whose a close friend of mine, I've just taken him on a job because he's the best at what he does for mens hair and grooming in London and they absolutely adored him and now he's like working kind of non stop for these companies. But yeah they often come up to me for advice and want to talk to me and of course I'll give them the advice they want and talk them through it. But it's very difficult because there's no one pattern that you can tell someone to become successful. It's different, it's different how people get scouted, it's different from their careers. They might walk into it and straight away they might be on billboards of Calvin Klein within the first two weeks of modelling and that's not what happened to me. It took years and years and years for me to be noticed and for my career to develop. So yeah, you can give them advice and I often do. About dealing with clients and never believe in your own hype and one of the big problems is that you know… People do come into this industry very early and because they get the acclaim straight away they do get a big head about them and that's one thing you can never ever do. You're only as good as your last campaign or as good as or your last editorial so you have to keep on and on and on. In ten years I haven't stopped to keep on pushing and I am still today.

Vogue: I've been to a few other events with you and I've seen girls literally queuing up to speak to you. Is that weird?

David: It's just my mum tried and come and see me one time and it's embarrassing but she doesn't need to que up [laughs] No, ehm…

Vogue: No seriously, would you ever stop to reply?

David: No, I very much like talking to people. I think it's a bit of an honor that people want to come up and say hello. Everyone is different and everyone has something different to say and to ask and I'm more then happy [to talk to them]. I do get stopped quite a bit but that's an absolute pleasure.

Vogue: Presumably you get stopped quite a bit in the street because everybody has seen the unmistakable Dolce-ads and you're so famous for those white pants. (David: Yes those white pants [smiles]) What's the reception like? How do boys and girls react when they see you in the street?
David: Ehmm… It's very strange. What I do like is that I'm not stopped by one demographic.You know gay guys come up to me, heterosexual guys come up to me. hetero's would come up to me and say 'I've seen you in my girlfriends magazine'. You know, I've been stopped by bouncers, or doormen, and they would say 'hey YOU!' and I'm like 'oh now what's going on here?' and they would say 'can I get an autograph for my girlfriend?' which is lovely that they can come and kinda say that. I've had lots of people who from after Jonathan Ross (TV talk-show appearance Gandy did) who would say 'well done, really great interview, congratulations'. So I'm very proud that people come up and say that to me. And it would go from older ladies and gay guys & everyone and then young girls would come up and want to have a picture. It's quite amazing really.

Vogue: It never gets boring? That kind of adulation?

David [laughs] No why would it? I encourage it!

Vogue: Now here you are as Dolce and Gabanna's official muse and they dedicated their latest book to photographs of you. Some of those photographs are pretty racy. (David: they can be yes) How involved do you get into the choreography of those images?

David: Well the racy images started really when you look at the history of fashion, it started with the Bruce Webber's of the eighties and we moved away from that. We've moved away from the male form and celebrating the male form and we went to this androgynous, skinny guy kind of thing and you know… you can't celebrate those kind of bodies they are not something you want to look at in many ways. So it's… We were looking to do something different for the promotional calendar (me and Mariano Vivanco) It was really something promotional for the underwear campaign, well for the calendar. But you can't have 40 images of… boxershorts of pants… it was boring. It was just me and him… We started off….…. I knew him from my first week of modeling and he said: 'How far do you want to take this?' I said: 'Well, how far do we want to go? Do we want to do something very different? And go back to celebrating the male form like they did in the eighties? And we just did and in the apartment it was just me, him and an assistant and I felt very comfortable with him. And you know, It just started and I think the pictures were stunning. And they worked and I get a good ribbing from my friends back home and that's the fun thing you know. There are so many things I have done now you know. Like I did a shoot with Mario Testino and I was dressed as Superman. Now if you… My boys back home, my friends back home are from Essex and if we were having a bit of a ribbing between each other you know emailing between each other each one from their different work and I had something, to say something… It's really easy to google an image of me and they'd say "man Shut up. Here's a picture of you being Superman, here's a picture of you with your bum out as usual' You can't comment on anything. That pretty much shuts me up.

Vogue: We asked the Vogue.com twitter followers to send in questions. We have edited out all the people who sent in rude questions. The first one: I heard he's from Essex and I'm an Essex girl. Could you ask him where about actually he grew up? Could you tell Rosh_Harrison?

David: I actually grew up in (Rosh_Harrison?) … I'm from Billericay, in Essex. That's where I grew up for eighteen years.

Vogue: How long does it take you to get ready in the morning or do you just naturally wake up that hot?

David: [Laughs] With this hair?! Honestly it's got a mind of it's own, sadly. Believe ! No I don't take that much time. I'm not the best morning person so I would stay in bed for as long as I can so I've got it down to about twenty minutes of up, shower, out. So I think it's not too bad.

Vogue: Impressive! What's your real twitter account? Apparently there are a lot of fakes out there.

David: I don't have a twitter account. There are a lot of fakes on Facebook. There's only David James Gandy. That's about the only one, but unfortunately twitter and Facebook don't delete the fake ones, even if I tell them. So it's very confusing for people. I feel very sorry for people who think they're speaking to me when they're actually speaking to some fake so I don't have a twitter account.

Vogue: So you're not on Facebook either?

David: I am on Facebook.

Vogue: What's your hidden talent?

David: I can make my stomach rumble whenever I want. It's the weirdest thing in the world! [laughs] It's like a party trick where you have to turn the music off and everyone has to be silent so I won't do it here. Hidden talent… I'm actually really quite good at cricket which no one really knew. I grew up playing cricket since I was small and I captained and everything and I played for Essex and everything so that's my hidden talent.

Vogue: that's good! Would you be doing any more acting?
David: I don't know. I kinda hope to. The W P [Away We Stay - for W London Hotel] I did was ehm… (which everyone loved) There was a second part to that. So everyone's intrigued by it but (interviewer with Helena Christensen. Will it be with her again or somebody else?) I don't know if we will do a second part though. I wish they would. They guy would be interesting if he would like to see a second part. But then the mistery of it not really having an ending was kinda the peach of the piece. So if the right project came along I would love to get into acting. But something that interests me. Probably something that people or part of the people won't directly associate me with. So indirectly I would love to yeah.

Vogue: Have you ever been stalked? Tell us the story.

David: I have been stalked a couple of times, yes. One… not really stalked. There was… one was a nice stalker who sent me stuff but I don't quite know how she knew my address.

Vogue: What did she send you?

David: She used to send me paintings, oil paintings of me and stuff and cars, so that was nice, that was fine. But I never ever got to meet her, she just sent me stuff so that was great. And the second one was a little bit scary. I was stalked for a while and the police had to get involved and very very strange…

Vogue: It's now solved?
David: Yes it's now solved. She's in America somewhere and it wasn't really nice to me and my family & everything else. But yeah if you don't have time - and I wish I do - to speak to everyone or to reply to everyone and some people take offense to that which I do apologize for but that's life and I'm very busy.

Vogue: You are very busy of course! Last twitter question from Drumstick lolly [David laughs] Did you get into modeling for the money and then fall in love with the clothes and the industry or was it always an interest?

David: No, just for the money. [Laughs] People always think you earn a lot of money because thats just what people think:the stereotypical views you won't get out of bed unless you get I don't know, ten thousand pounds a day kind of thing. Which is, if you're very lucky,most of the girls situation, which is fine. But the guys don't get payed anywhere near that amount really.

Vogue: It's pretty much the only industry that women are payed more then men. How annoying is that?

David: Yes, I'm glad I got into that industry, my dad should be proud of me for being int he one industry where women get paid more than men. But no, men should really take notice of the women in the industry. They use it as a business, they run it like a business. They have the ideas, the financial advisers and everything and the longevity of their careers and the men don't treat it as seriously as the women. They deserve everything they get.

Vogue: What do you think about the new kind of rise of the femiman model. Of the male models that are so feminine that they take some of the women's jobs? Has that affected your jobs? I mean, they're stealing from you and our Laura Stone.

David: It really hasn't affected my job. Fashion is at the forefront, everything moves along, new things come along. I mean why not? If it works and people want it then good luck to everyone. But with the money: I mean it's actually… When you first get into it, it actually costs you more money then you get as a guy! I mean I have done shoots where I had to fly myself across to south america and stay there for weeks and all but it cost me money. So if you get into it for the money then you don't want to get into this industry. I've seen depths where the men don't take it seriously and I think they should in this business and we've done pretty well so far.

Vogue: So please give us your london tour. What's your favorite restaurant and point it out if you can.

David: My London restaurant is that way, near where I live, south west [points out] which is Eight Over Eight. Brazzers (?) for afternoon tea. I'm a sucker for afternoon tea, scones and tea.

Vogue: Where do you go to relax in London?

David: I have a Little park (?) by me which is Fullham, which is called the Fullham Park (?) from the 16th century where the bishops used to live in London, called Bishops Park which has been renovated. It has a Georgian House, It has a coffeeshop, a restaurant at the back and gorgeous green, and the church and the river Thames and you'd never think you're in London. So it's a stunning park.

Vogue: I know you're a car man, but when you're in London what's your favorite means of transport?

David: I'm driving more and more now. Which is surprising. I'm driving my Jag [Jaguar] at the moment. I've got a Mercedes being renovated which never seems to be finished but it will. Hopefully, one day. But actually I'm quite happy on the bus.

Vogue: What's your definitive piece of London style advice? If I was a tourist coming to London, how would you tell me to dress?

David: I like, which is what London is known for thanks to Vivienne Westwood & Saville Row, is individualism. Be individual, don't copy. We're in a world now where every city has the same shops. All the internet, every bit of clothing, so everyone seems to dress the same. If you go down the road there are 25 people dressed in the same shorts, the same Abercrombie & Fitch poloshirt, which I can't stand so I like to be individual.

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