TOP MODEL SECRETS

LUCKY BLUE SMITH

The Justin Bieber of modeling opens up about his obsessions (girls), career dreams and what his next hair color will be. Meet Lucky Blue Smith.

PHOTO: CALLE STOLTZ/MINK MGMT

With icy blue eyes, peroxide bleached hair and an Instagram following the size of a big city, Lucky Blue Smith is the most sought-after male model on the planet. The 17-year-old Utah native is even lankier in real life than he appears in photos, and his natural hair color has begun to grow out, making his signature blonde–blue-eyed brow less distinctive.

“I’m going to grow it out and stop dying it”, he says about his new look. “I might color it all black. But we’ll see.” 

Like any teenager, he holds his phone in a firm grip during the time we meet, and when describing an uncomfortable situation he draws a parallel to the feeling you get when you’re out and realize you’ve forgotten your phone at home. And it’s not hard to understand why he keeps it so close – it’s his online presence that keeps him connected to his fans, who call themselves his Lucky Charms. They want to know where he is, what he’s doing and at what locations they can meet him for selfies, autographs and hugs. Events he’s been organizing now and then throughout the past year.

“The girls who come to my meet-ups are really cool. In Paris, a girl fainted when I hugged her. Then, when I hugged her friend to calm her down, she fainted, too,” he says and describes his quick rise to Internet fame as crazy – but fun.

Although he’s still just a kid, Lucky Blue Smith does have an impressively long resume. After being discovered – together with his older sisters – at age 12, his family relocated from Utah to Los Angeles. There, Japanese Vogue featured the Smith siblings in an editorial shot by none other than Saint Laurent creative director, Hedi Slimane. After that, his career was put on hold and he got to spend a few years doing normal teenage things, but then things exploded when he turned 16. Since then (i.e. last year) he has become a high-end (and high-street) favorite and editorial star, and he has made big plans for the future – he’s going to go from modeling to music and acting. He’s already in a band and has the lead role in the teen love story Love-Everlasting that is set to premier next summer.

We sat down with Lucky Blue Smith while he got his hair and makeup done for a shoot at H&M Photo Studios in Stockholm. Keep scrolling to read all of his top model secrets.

MY FAVORITE PHOTOGRAPHER IS…
“Annie Leibovitz or Steven Klein. Steven because he won’t stop until he gets the perfect shot and Annie because she’s really nice to work with and has a very clear thought of what she wants the image to be, and follows through with it.”

IN MY CAREER, I AM MOST PROUD OF…
“Being on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, releasing my first single and filming my first film. The film will be out next summer, and it is a teen love story where I’m playing the lead – it’s really cool.”

“Modeling-wise, my proudest career moment is probably shooting the Tom Ford campaign and doing a bunch of stuff with him.”

I am obsessed with surfing, skateboarding and girls – always girls

MY MOST MEMORABLE SHOOT/SHOW WAS…
“There are a lot! I really like doing shows because I get to meet a lot of old friends I rarely see – it’s like having a reunion every six months. I shot a Moncler campaign with my sister Pyper in Iceland. It was by Annie Leibovitz and the location was really cool.”

THE MUSIC THAT ALWAYS GETS ME GOING AT A SHOOT IS…
“I almost never choose music during shoots but if I do it’s old school hip hop like Tupac, The Notorious B.I.G. and Ice Cube. Sometimes I plug in my phone and see if the others like it.”

“My taste in music is all over the place, but I like to listen to hip hop or bands like The Black Keys and The Killers.”

MY CREATIVE OUTLET IS…
“Playing the drums and coming up with beats. Since I’m away traveling all the time I don’t get to play as much and as often as I would like to, but whenever I’m in L.A. I practice. My sisters and I have a band together where my eldest sister Starlie is the main songwriter. She sends me songs and then I tell her what I think about them. Strangely, it actually works well.”

MY MODEL ICON IS…
“I don’t have a modeling icon and I haven’t ever really looked up to any male models. My icons are David Bowie, James Dean and Billy Idol.”

MY BEAUTY SECRET IS…
“I don’t have one. I should say sleep but I never get enough of it. I like sleeping but I don’t like going to bed so I always stay up late and talk to friends – or girls.”

I KEEP IN SHAPE BY…
“Eating a lot of junk food. I actually went to the gym yesterday, but I usually go there like once in a million years.”

FOR A QUICK HAIR FIX, I…
“…put some water in it and push it back. Since my hair is bleached I sometimes use some leave-in conditioner that makes it soft, which is really good if I’m hanging out with a girl and she wants to play with my hair.”

MY DE-STRESS TRICK IS…
“I don’t really get stressed out and if I do I’ll just go hang out with my friends, relax and not worry about anything.”

MY SECRET TALENT IS…
“Eating a lot – and I mean really a lot. No, I’m kidding. I would say drumming but that’s not very secret.”

I SMELL LIKE…
“Either Tom Ford or Versace cologne.”

MY FAVORITE OFF-DUTY LOOK IS…
“I like to wear black or blue skinny jeans and a black T-shirt. If it’s cold out, I’ll wear the same thing with a leather jacket on top.”

RIGHT NOW, I AM OBSESSED WITH…
“Surfing, skateboarding and girls – always girls!”

THE BEST BEAUTY TIP I’VE EVER RECEIVED IS…
“I don’t know… I guess people have told me to wash my face – which I never do.”

MY FAVORITE HOTEL IS…
“The Standard Highline in New York! I love New York and will definitely move there. My plan is to get my own place in L.A. when I turn 18 [next summer] and live there for six months before moving to New York. So many of my friends live there now.”

MY FAVORITE RESTAURANT IS…
“I should probably say something fancy but I really just like burgers. Anywhere that has a good burger is a place that I like! Or tacos, tacos are good too.”

FOR BREAKFAST, I ALWAYS HAVE…
“Toast and bacon. When I’m at home I always eat a bowl of Lucky Charms cereal, they’re my favorite. And no, I’m not named after them!”

FOR A LONG FLIGHT, I ALWAYS PACK…
“A pair of good headphones, my computer and some good snacks. I always have to have candy on a plane. I used to not like flying until I learned to sleep on planes. Maybe that’s my secret talent? That I can sleep literally anywhere.”

WHEN I HAVE SOME FREE TIME, I…
“I wake up early – really early – and go surfing. Then I’ll go skateboarding, hang out with my friends and maybe go buy some cool clothes. I like buying vintage denim or leather jackets.” 

THE BEST ADVICE I’VE EVER RECEIVED IS…
“Confidence is key. I’m confident, but not cocky.”

MY FAVORITE THING TO SHOP FOR WHEN I AM AWAY IS…
“Right now I’m here [in Stockholm] with my mom and pretty much leave all that to her. She’s into going to museums, stores and seeing the sights. When I’m done shooting, we meet and do cool stuff.”

BEING A MODEL, I’VE LEARNED…
“A lot about different cultures and traveling. Modeling has got me into super uncomfortable situations that I’ve had to handle, which has made me grow up a lot faster than most others at my age. I don’t feel 17, I feel 23. It feels really good!”

POST-MODELING, I WOULD LIKE TO…
“Be in films and play sold-out stadiums with my band. If I wasn’t in a band with my sisters I would probably pursue acting more, but I really can’t pick which of the two I prefer – it’s honestly fifty-fifty.”

MY FAVORITE TV SHOW IS…
“Friday Night Lights. I usually watch it at night before going to bed. When I’m traveling for work I try to see my friends who live in the cities I’m in, but sometimes I’ll just stay in my hotel room and watch American television.”

RIGHT NOW, I AM READING…
“At the moment I’m not reading anything. The last book I read was To Kill A Mockingbird, which we read in school.”

MY GOAL IN LIFE IS…
“To be in huge films. I like Leonardo DiCaprio, Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt and Christopher Walken and would love to be in a movie with one of them.”