| David Gandy (left) at the Chester Barrie presentation at London Collections Men AW16. |
He has business interests, he is the ambassador to London Collections: Men, LC:M the biannual fashion week for menswear in the UK, an enviable pop start girlfriend (although in an apparent rocky relationship) and the looks most men would swap their other half for.
GQ’s Most Stylish Man of 2015 jets around the world and every fashion season is photographed, interviewed and promoted as one of the faces of the British Fashion Council’s LC:M.
So what more can the man do? He’s got his own line at Marks and Spencers that’s about to explode. The line is about to almost triple in the number of pieces after May.
Then there’s his on/off relationship with The Saturdays singer, Mollie King. Media reports say it has taken another turn for the worse with a split with the couple disagreeing over if to settle down and have children.
Despite the reported turmoil in his love life, his business interests looks rosy. Not only is his M&S line growing, Gandy, 35, is not dismissing owning his own standalone brand.
He also spoke about the idea late last year. So a few months on had he made plans?
Gandy said at the Chester Barrie presentation at London Collections: Men autumn/winter 16: “Well, I have my David Gandy brand as M&S so that’s what I do.”
So when asked about a separate brand he said: “You never know. You never know.”
“I have started off and I am learning the business. I’ve got the brand at M&S so it’s David Gandy at M&S and I am learning about clothes production and designing and everything else.
“So, I am not going to jump into it straight away. I wouldn’t presume I could. But I am learning it slowly and you never know what the future holds.”
| David Gandy in the designer showrooms at London Collections: Men AW14. |
David’s business bling
So, as he continues to pursue business opportunities aside to his modelling career, modelling now, he says, makes up a small part of what he does.
Gandy said: “I have been doing this for a while. I have investments in a few things. Everyone still calls me the model but modelling is a very small part of what I do now at the end of the day.
“So, I have the range with M&S which after May time has gone from 22 pieces, from two years/18 months ago to 60 pieces after May.
“So that is ever increasing. And yes it is turning into more of a business and more of an entrepreneurship and we will continue that I suppose.”
David’s shoe love
And as a sign of his entrepreneurial spirit taking another step, the man who is the face of Dolce and Gabanna, bought shoemaker, David Preston a year ago.
GQ magazine reported earlier this month Gandy “invested in a few fashion brands over that last couple of years” and The Financial Times reported a year ago his earnings are just above £1m a year.
His David Preston label showed at London Collections: Men again this season.
Gandy said: “It’s going very well. Obviously I am seeing at first-hand how LC:M can influence and help smaller brands. We are a very small brand.”
“I have always wanted to keep it that sort of bespoke limited edition brand. And put it on the right people and go from there.
“I have always wanted it at the right pricing point. I have never wanted anything over £500 so hopefully we will never have to go above that.”
He said he want to take on designs of Lanvin and Tom Ford but with Italian and Spanish production quality but not at £800 or £900.
Gandy said: “I have always wanted to keep it at around the £500 mark, which I think there is a gap in.”
And there you see a glimpse of the business nose the model and entrepreneur is developing. And, as he says, you never know if that will spring into a full collection with his name on it.
Fashion trend follower? Nope
But if you ask the man about fashion and what his tastes are he is quite candid that he is no trend follower.
He said: “I don’t say I really follow trends. People sort of see things off the runway thinking that is the trend they have to follow and sometimes it won’t suit them.
“I think be an individual and have the confidence to wear what you like. If you look at, what we call the style icons of yesteryear, Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, if you actually look at what they [dressed] it was a barber jacket, T-shirt and a pair of brogues and that was it.
“We call them most stylist man but I don’t really think half of them were really into fashion.
“It’s just they had their trend. They were very utilitarian wearers of fashion. They were driving racing cars and motorbikes and wore what was best for that. But now we associate them with classic barbers and classic belstaffs and stuff.”
So, what is the advice from the model for your own style?
He said: “Be confident in yourself and be an individual.” There you go.
