With his boyish charm and loveable personality, Tom Barker is one of those guys that we simply can’t help but adore! And we haven’t felt any way different since he joined the Elite London team over a year and a half ago.
So what is it about Tom that makes him so special? Well, since he’s continuously on the move all around Europe and across the pond walking for some of the biggest names in the industry, we finally managed to catch up with him here in London to find out why - and as predicted, his boisterous character armed with the cutest set of dimples simply melted our hearts once again!!!
Elite: Hello Tom! Why don’t we start off with how you got scouted?
Tom: I was actually a walk-in; when I was 16 my mum kept pressuring me to get a job and I didn’t know what I wanted to do - there was nothing out there that really stood out for me… So my mum suggested I give modelling a go. Elite was the first agency I went into, was offered a contract and I stayed with them ever since. And the rest is history!
That was like a year and three quarters ago, but it feels only like yesterday!
E: Where are you originally from, what’s your story?
T: I was actually born in Finsbury Park, North East London and we lived in this small two-bedroom flat where my sister and I shared a room, then my dad luckily got a new job and we could afford a big house in Kent, in this small town called Whitstable where we are situated right by the sea – it is the most gorgeous place, everyone should go and visit it!
E: Do you miss not being at home then?
T: I definitely - most definitely miss it a lot! But what I find now is now every time I go away I miss it less and less. Obviously I don’t miss my family less, I just feel that I’ve grown up now and I feel like I finally stood on my own two feet!
It is funny, because when I first started going away all I wanted to do is go back, but now I’m more eager to go away and see all these different places!
E: What’s so special about your home town?
T: A fact: it has the best oysters in England
It’s so nice to go back there after spending practically all my time away in big cities.
E: Out of all the cities that you travel to, where do you like going the most?
T: I love going to New York New York
E: What do you do when you’re not busy working?
T: I used to party a lot in NYC, but now I kind of mellowed out – I still like a good house party though! I enjoy going to small gatherings, chill out and catch up with my friends! I also love to ride my 20” BMX.
My average days off are so random, like this evening when I get home I might head to a festival called “Lounge of a Farm” and it has 10,000 people capacity, sounds quite fun – and why not?!
E: If you weren’t a model, where do you think you'd be now?
T: I honestly don’t have a clue – I’d probably still be at school studying!
E: What is your ‘show survival’ strategy?
T: That’s a good question, let me just gather my thoughts on this one… Right, pack really light – but bring lots of boxers and socks because you don’t get time to wash your clothes! In fact I washed my clothes once in three weeks!!! (Ok, umm that’s quite dirty, maybe I shouldn’t say that)… So, yeah – bring LOTS of underwear, umm you have to remember to budget yourself really well otherwise you will find that you’ve spent a lot of money in a short space of time, keep all your receipts, always talk to the dressers – they’re the cool girls that you’re most likely to get on well, plus they’re always a lot of fun! (yeah, that’s a REALLY good tip for the guys!)
Erm, go shopping in Milan (even though you are budgeting yourself!!!), all the designer brands are much cheaper in Italy
Also, I’ve heard a lot of people say that you always know who the new faces in town are because they come into Fashion Week dressed all nicely, and if you’ve been around you shouldn’t care, etc etc - now that’s bullsh*t. You should ALWAYS look smart and presentable when you go to castings!
Another tip for you – stay in the shade. And if you do a summer season in Milan Milan - I’ve got really sore knees now from Milan
And the last one is: wear suncream – I see so many kids walking around in vests with pink shoulders... I’m even gonna say, 50+ suncream is a must!!!
E: …Interesting! Ok, what was your first ever modelling job?
T: My first modelling job was an editorial for “Sheer” magazine, where the photographer used this 50’s double exposure camera which means that every time he pressed the shutter all the models had to stand still there for like couple of minutes! It was crazy!
E: Do you have any tips for the new faces that just started out modelling?
T: Yes – you have to remember never to be late, because clients REALLY don’t like that! And secondly, don’t go into castings like you know everything – arrogance never goes down well – but then on the other hand, you can’t be too formal either. Sometimes models speak to clients in a really formal manner and they never get booked on jobs. It’s good to be confident but not cocky, and just let go and let your personality shine… I know loads of models who keep getting booked by the same clients because they really like them! And my final tip is – save money! And make sure you have a plan for what you’re going to do after modelling!
E: What are your plans for the future?
T: I would really like to get into property developing – I know I’m only 17 but being a model makes you really conscious of the future so I’ve been saving up over the year or so, and hopefully I will be able to do it when the time is right!
E: And finally, is there anything that you are really looking forward to now?
T: Yes - next week I will be going on a lads holiday to Magaluf, so that should be interesting! Like, my mates that I’m going with are absolutely mental, so I don’t even know what to expect – I just know that it will be MENTAL. I’m actually tempted to take as little clothes with me as possible and see what happens!!!
Thank you so much for the interview Tom – and we hope you have an amazing time away on your holiday!
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