Tosh Yanez: International Supermodel With Wilhelmina

Often times we get our reality mixed up with such trivial things as beauty, class, status and wealthy when we need to be more considerate in how we represent not just ourselves, but the people who make us who we are; our family. It isn’t hard to recognize true talent and if you are blessed to witness civility, poise and humility all wrapped up into one; well that’s a sight to be seen. And Tosh is just that kind of person.

Initially, I pondered on what I would write about him. What would his introduction be to our readers? And at first I was just going to let his interview speak for itself, but after reading it and editing it, I found myself compelled to express my thoughts into words. I hope you’ll enjoy this article as much as I did.

Many people believe you can tell a lot about a person from their body language. I believe you can tell a lot about a person by looking at a photo of them. And my first impression of you wasn’t the glitz, glamor and physique, but actually the generation values I see instilled in you. How important is family for you and in what way did the relationships with your immediate family members dictate who you became as an adult?

Family is very important to me. There isn’t a day that goes by or a job that I book as a model, that I don’t consider them. It’s important to me that my family is proud and respects the work that I do. They taught me to live my dreams and to be true to myself. They helped me understand that I could achieve any goal if I work hard and put my mind to it.

Perfect or not, we all have our own insecurities.There was something we didn’t like about ourselves growing up that we may now be at peace with. What were some of your insecurities and how did you overcome them?

There were a couple things I was insecure about growing up. As a child, I wanted to blend in more, but it was difficult because I had an unusual name and I was always the tallest kid in my class. Now-a-days, I embrace my height, as it is a valuable asset to my career. Also, I recently discovered the meaning of my name and
to my surprise, it’s meaning was “strong Viking warrior’.’ I think it’s pretty kick ass now!

As your career expanded with your first huge campaign being Skyy Vodka, shot by the infamous David Lachapelle from Interview Magazine, did you experience any backlashes from close friends who became intimidated by you?

Most of my friends were very supportive and even, at sometimes, more excited by my accomplishments than I am. I do have a few friends that tease me and call me “Zoolander.” It’s all good though, they just want to keep me grounded.

During the Skyy Vodka shoot and thereafter, what was the most important insight you can say David Lachapelle contributed to your career?

Working with David Lachapelle was awesome. He was a child of the 70’s and a protege of the infamous Andy Warhol. I was honored to be in front of his lens and his sets are always fun. I remember him playing Donna Summer’s “Love to Love You Baby” as he shot us models. Truthfully, it never feels like work with him. It’s more like a party. The Skyy Vodka shoot was the first Billboard I had ever done. For me, it was the beginning of my career.

I interviewed International Supermodel and DJ Sky Nellor for the cover of our June issue and I asked her about the stigma of models being a bit ditsy. Do you feel most models aren’t considered favorably when it comes to social interactions or is that just hoopla?

Continue reading about Tosh Yanez here!

Source: David Walden
Contributors: Tosh Yanez, Jordan Swain & Patrick Kelly