With an impressive résumé in an industry dominated by women, Marlon Teixeira reached a position that only a few male models gained. When he was 16, the boy who just wanted to surf and skate in itajai, Santa Catarina, got a possible job offer at diner for the most desired runways of the world. Today, he’s 23 and he has an agenda worthy of tops like Gisele Bundchen and Alessandra Ambrosio.
"I never even imagined I would be a model, much less that I would have success in this career. I dreamed of becoming a professional surfer. I became a model as an excuse so I didn’t have to work at McDonald’s".
Spotted on the streets of New York, where he has been living for five years, Marlon says that the beginning wasn’t easy. After traveling to Sao Paulo to make a book without any pretensions, he flew to los angeles, london, paris and milan, where he worked right away for armani and dior. "I thought they were going to call me to ask for the money back, but people started to call me beautiful and wonderful and that was weird! I don’t think I’m beautiful and I hated taking pictures. I didn’t even pass in front of my first billboard in New york “
Even today Marlon feels ashamed when he sees himself on pictures. His first small steps in the runway were taught to him by his younger sister, Natasha, when she was only 9 years old; she used to go on children runways. "I had no notion of what was happening. I cried and wanted to quit, but my family didn’t have much financial condition and I needed to work. I got used to it and now I consider myself super accomplished."
The worst was to have difficulties of communication. Even though he already begun his international career, Marlon didn’t speak English "I have never spent two weeks away from home. But one of the greatest treasures in life is experience, that helped me mature, at the beginning I had to spend so much money to come to Brazil two times per month, but then I got used to it."
During the walk through the park Ibapuera, the model fell in love with the works by artists like Osgemeos and Kobra. "I enjoy a lot art and music. I paint my own surfboards!".
The future:
In addition to the full schedule of work as a model, Marlon is now venturing into another office: the entrepreneur. He is the owner of a Mexican restaurant, TJ’s Mexican Beach House. It’s located in front of Praia Brava in Santa Catarina "I wanted a rustic little place for the guys who surf, It wasn’t an idea to make money. " Next year, he plans to build a skate park and a little shop attached to the restaurant. In the future, he plans on modeling and studying gastronomy "I had to learn how to cook because I ate a lot of crap when started to live alone" his specialty is “salmon on a stretcher” accompanied by little salad of walnuts.
Marlon is single, and he is good that way "I learned that everything is always changing and I don’t dare to imagine myself in the future. Stuff happens to me because I don’t crave it, God has given me much more than I expected!"
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Interview with QUEM magazine: "The king of the runway"
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