THE GUCCI MODEL

Photos By Kevin Sinclair

Playing basketball as a kid in high school, Katie Johnson didn’t think about fashion growing up. She did not know she’d soon move to NY and fall in love with the clothes in magazines suddenly available, nor did she realize her ideal body frame would model them. Many models today got their start by being cast exclusively for the most talked about runways of fashion week— Chanel, Dior, and Louis Vuitton.  So, considering Katie just finished her second season as a worldwide exclusive for Gucci, her rise to the top is imminent. The 21-year-old model found time to chat with her agent about feeling insecure with her body and how her style has evolved.

Christophe Sanchez-Vahle __ How did you get scouted?

Katie Johnson __ I was living in California and it was my senior year in high school. I was just hanging out with friends and two women came up to me and wanted to know if I thought about modeling. Fashion was never on my radar. So when they asked me if I wanted to model, I honestly thought at first it was a scam. I gave the women my mom’s e-mail because I was still a minor. They reached out the next day. And it all started from there.

Christophe Sanchez-Vahle __ Was it difficult in the beginning? 

Katie Johnson __ It was definitely challenging in the beginning juggling high school and modeling, especially when it came to my body and how to move. Let’s just say, it is a lot different on the basketball court. 

Christophe Sanchez-Vahle __ Your look is very special and I am especially proud you hung in there. 

Katie Johnson __ For sure! Even though it was frustrating at first. I fell in love with modeling.

Christophe Sanchez-Vahle __ How did your Gucci exclusive come about? 

Katie Johnson __  I was sent to Milan to meet Alessandro Michele who is the Creative Director at Gucci. I was at a hotel where there were so many other girls being sent home from the casting. It was really nerve wracking to say the least, but I felt something in my gut telling me “you got this” —  as corny as that sounds. I was confident, and I really think it is all about attitude.

Christophe Sanchez-Vahle __ Who did you call first when you heard you were confirmed for Gucci?

Katie Johnson __ When I heard that I had been confirmed, I immediately called my mom. She’s always been my biggest supporter my whole life. She is my everything and she was ecstatic for me.

Christophe Sanchez-Vahle __ What has been the best experience so far? 

Katie Johnson __ I’ve really been lucky to have travelled so much due to modeling. But a highlight would definitely be shooting the Gucci x NorthFace campaign at a ski resort in Cortina d’Ampezzo in Northern Italy. I got to ride in a helicopter up a mountain, canoe on a lake. It was incredible! We were there for five days and the whole atmosphere was amazing. But, the best moment was that everyone was so nice and we were all enjoying ourselves.

Christophe Sanchez-Vahle __ If modeling had not come along, what do you think you would have been doing?

Katie Johnson __ It’s really funny, my whole life I had been heading toward a career in basketball. It was going to be my future, my next step was college basketball. But to be honest, I kept getting injured playing in high school so modeling came at exactly the right time in my life. And it really made me start to see the world, meet new people, opened my eyes to so many possibilities.

Christophe Sanchez-Vahle __ When you are not modeling do you find time to get back on the court? 

Katie Johnson __ I do, but I love to referee basketball as well and I am pretty good at it. Now that I am modeling, I am trying to be a bit more careful with sports. [Laughs]

Christophe Sanchez-Vahle __ What is your personal style? 

Katie Johnson __ It’s funny but my personal style has really evolved over the years. When I was a kid and my mom took me shopping at Old Navy, I would immediately run to the boys’ section. Friends of my mother always commented ‘she’s shopping in the boys section again’ but my mother was always supportive of my choices no matter what.  

Christophe Sanchez-Vahle __ You have a great style. It suits your personality and is still quite fashionable.

Katie Johnson __ Thank you! When I was growing up going to high school, I started to wear more athleisure wear. I was still unsure how to dress and was still figuring out my own style which tends to be on the more masculine side, and I love to be comfortable. So the loose fitted garments were more ideal for my wardrobe. But when I started modeling, I really had to get out of my comfort zone. Fashion really opened my eyes to try new things. I am now painting my fingernails and trying new hair styles. I am wearing more tailored  fitted clothes which I now blend in with my own personal looks. All this has really allowed me to be even more creative with my style. I love the fact that today with fashion the old days of binary dressing are a thing of the past. Harry Styles can wear a dress, and I can wear a suit. All the lines are blurred, with style and fashion being even more expressive. The creation of what is beautiful.

Christophe Sanchez-Vahle __ You are an inspiration for young women wanting to be in the industry. Thank you for taking time out to do this interview for Vestal? 

Photography Kevin Sinclair Interview Christophe Sanchez-Vahle Styling Martin Gregory Jerez Hair Yohey Nakatsuka (using Gisouby Negin Mirsalehi) Makeup Andrew Colvin Model Katie Johnson (State Management)