introducing CARL ANTHONY AGAPIT @ Re:Quest NYC/ Natalie Men Paris

Carl Anthony Agapit photographed by Tarrice Love

I had the opportunity to work with newcomer Carl Anthony Agapit who is currently represented by Re:Quest Model Mgmt. in NYC and Natalie in Paris. Carl is currently one of the faces in the United Colors of Bennetton campaign. He is has an extremely beautiful face and his body is slender but cut.

Carl Anthony Agapit featured in United Colors of Bennetton campaign Spring 2010

Carl Anthony Agapit (photographed by Tarrice Love)

styling by MacGuyver

Carl Anthony Agapit photographed by Tarrice Love

Carl is from the island of Martinique and speaks fluent French. His English was very broken and it was new for me to work with a model i had a hard time speaking to because i love to talk, lol. Despite the language barrier, he took direction well and we was able to create some hot shit. I really enjoyed working with Carl and I can't wait to see more of him editorially and commercially.

Carl Anthony and photographer Tarrice Love

Carl Anthony Agapit photographed by Tarrice Love

RICHIE KUL @ Re:quest Model Mgmt.

Thai-American model Richie Kul is currently represented by Re:Quest Model Mgmt and Models1 in the UK.
you gotta LOVE a model that brings brownies..... yes he brought me brownies :)

 

photographed by Tarrice Love

RICHIE KUL @ Re:Quest Model Mgmt.

styling and grooming by Tarrice Love

GREAT MINDS THINK ALIKE... congrats: face of Calvin Klein - - artist/ model DAVID AGBODJI @ Re:QUEST MODEL MGMT.

David Rgbodji @ Re:quest model mgmt. photographed by Steven Klein

It is great to see another fashion door swing open and model/ artist David Agbodji @ Request Model Mgmt has kicked it off its hinges. Being the current face of Calvin Klein, David has definitely hit a milestone in his modeling career. Last fashion week he was the first black male model to open the Calvin Klein Spring 2010 show. This season David closed out the Fall 2010 show. ... a big break for any male model.

It is interesting to see the black male image being associated with the standards of American beauty.

The Calvin Klein images took me back to when I was a photography student at the University of Memphis. They reminded me of my own photographic works. Every semester I created images that I felt celebrated black beauty. This sparked many heated debates in my art classes. I was the only Black person in my photography classes and I fought for my classmates to acknowledge and recognize the beauty we as black people brought to this world. I wanted them to respect and appreciate our beauty instead of objectify us.

Just as Trace magazine's Black Girl's Rule issue gave power to Black female beauty, I hope my work gives power and validation to the Black male image and forced viewers to see us in an artistic way. I always hoped for change and wanted my work to contribute to the big picture. I was not surprised that validation of Black beauty would have to come from someone like  the  people at Calvin Klein and photographer Steven Klein. Truthfully, its no different than Steven Miesel's collaboration with Italian Vogue's "Black" issue celebrating black female models. We as black people have for so long spent most of our time trying to fit into a social standard of beauty that never included us. Instead of taking our own image and creating our own standard of beauty...we sit back and wait for society to hand us their version of beauty.

 images from my art projects during my college days at University of Memphis

Brandon Parker shot by Tarrice Love in 2006

When I first came to New York, my style and approach on male beauty weren't received with open arms. Agents, stylist, and others told me that my style was too artistic and no one was interested in seeing black male models photographed that way. I was told to focus on shooting the black guys in a more upscale "catalogy" way.  In the past, the Black male image was urban - street hoodlum.  The election of Obama has made a black man the spokeperson of this country which has reinforced the black male image as commercial, safe, and boring. (if you don't believe me, go look at the top agencies (with the exception of Red NYC) and check out the black guys books).

Pierre Woods@ New York Models 

GREAT MINDS THINK ALIKE..... keep watching. I am excited to see where all of this is going.