Léopold Dutrey by Anthony Dehodencq
HEYBOY x VTEEN Exclusive Interview
Photographer: Anthony Dehodencq
Model : Léopold Dutrey
Q) At what point in your life did you realize you wanted to have a life in the fashion & modelling industry?
A) I was 18 and just got to University. I used to train 7 hours per week in acrobatic gymnastics to compete at a national level. I left high school being France’s national Champion in the mixed duo category. But I couldn’t continue in University. I needed to find myself another activity. Something to help me balance out. I always was attracted to modelling and I wanted to give it a try, live the experience, discover the world and maybe also get money out of it and have a cool student job.
Q) Which pop culture icon from the past or present has had the most effect on your life so far and why would you say they impacted you so greatly?
A) I don’t feel like I’m really impacted by a particular pop culture icon. I mean I’m inspired by a lot of different people. On Instagram, I look up to Moritz Hau or Luca Heibl for example. I inspire myself of their fitness content, how they share their workouts. I really like Daniel Illescas feed and pictures. He has just such a beautiful colometry to his feed. Raphael Say is also very inspiring. His quotes are always accurate and I love how he fights for non-toxic masculinity. But if I have to think of one culture pop icon. Like a top model. I would say Heidi Klum. I’m inspired by the fact that she’s a strong business woman beyond being model icon. I started to get interested in modeling in Germany and I loved watching her TV show: Germany’s Next Top Model. Of course, the TV show probably doesn’t portrait the industry exactly as it is, but I often felt very inspired after watching an episode. I wanted to do better than the models there. I also admire how the show is built to retain our attention. All those different types of shootings that show the versatility and the different facets of the industry. On a more personal level, I just love how she acts in the show.
More broadly I’m inspired by a lot of other pop culture icons. I mean I really enjoyed watching the documentaries about Lady Gaga (Five Foot Two), Demi Lovato (Dancing with the Devils), Taylor Swift (Miss Americana). I would definitely recommend them. You really get the sense of the struggle they went through and we see them from a new angle.
Q) Favourite Netflix series or movie you have watched recently and why has it stuck with you!?
A) It’s funny how I used to never watch Netflix. In high school, I just didn’t have the time. I started watching Netflix with a friend who gave me her passwords and said I could just use it because I was like a brother and it was family account. I started getting addicted to it haha. Sometimes I force myself to go a week without watching Netflix series, because I’m human, and when I start, stopping myself is a huge struggle. So rather avoid that struggle or the temptation in the first place. But anyways if I had to recommend one I would say “What if” because it’s just a season long and it’s good too. It feels like a movie. I like the ending. It’s about power. Money. Conflicting values.
Recently I watched “I care a lot”. Loved the movie.
Q) Do you have a dream photographer you want to work with one day? If so, what draws you most to their work?
A) Frederic Monceau. I just love his photography. I feel like every picture he takes really comes out as and icon with a statement and that’s what I admire in his photography. I asked him a few times, but I think I might need to wait to be a star haha.
Q) Favourite place you have ever travelled and what caused this specific place to leave such a mark on you?
A) I lived in Thailand for 8 years and it will stay in my heart. I loved the warm weather. I have a lot of souvenirs there. I had careless childhood. It’s where I learned to speak English.
When I started modelling, I dreamed of travelling. Travelling to model around the world. Visit new places and try new things. I’ve seen part of Asia as a kid. I want to go back to those places with new person I’ve become.
Q) You have gained such a solid following on social media. Anything you think your fans do not currently know about you but would be super interested in hearing?
A) I think I’m pretty transparent. Maybe I would like them to know that Instagram is just one side of me. Or maybe I do choose to show different facets of myself there but it’s not all how it seems. I choose what I want to show and what I don’t want to show. I try to stay positive. Inspire. I also want to push my followers to go beyond the surface. Do simple things like read the captions. Too bad, some just stop when they like a picture a keep scrolling down. They consume. Quickly. But they rarely analyze, go deeper, try to understand, comment what they think. It’s a challenge to awaken that habit. But that’s just how most people are (including me). Our lives are complicated and sometimes we just want to be entertained. Stop thinking for a moment. And that’s okay too. I think there isn’t a good or bad follower. Objectively there are maybe active and unactive ones but the most important is that what I do contributes to spread joy, entertain or inspire some.
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