Joshua Smoot
Wishing to go against the grain of the fashion industry, model and father Joshua Smoot’s rebellious balance of glam and grit is granting him exactly that.
Since setting foot in the fashion landscape just a few years ago, Joshua Smoot has signed with Major Models NYC, I Love Models Milan, and most recently B&M Toronto. At his echelon, he finds that his adornment of tattoos and long curtained hair in today's increasingly post-macho era have become sought-after qualities in the modeling scene.
I meet with Joshua earlier in March, not long after he had been swaggering down the runway at New York Fashion Week for his third year. Managing his day job at an upscale restaurant, I’m keen to learn how this particular sous-chef-by-day can moonlight stirring sauces and searing steaks for one evening and flaunt high fashion regalia in front of millions of spectators for another.
Joshua talks overcoming past social anxieties, advocating for androgyny, and balancing his unpredictable lifestyle with fatherhood.
Walk me through this grind of yours in a single phrase.
A tricky balance between work, pleasure, and family. Because I do have a son, so...
What’s his name?
Bowie.
You mean like David Bowie?
Yeah. [laughs] He’s two. So life’s a pretty tough juggling act.
How would the high school version of you feel about getting into modeling? Is it a surprise, or is it about time?
It’s funny. When I was in high school, I was actually really shy. I was one of the quiet kids in the background. I wanted to be popular. I wanted to talk to all the girls and stuff, you now? But I was always scared and anxious, always in a bubble.
I grew up in a military family, so I moved a lot. Those fresh starts made it very difficult to feel comfortable making any friends, but I think by the time my sophomore year came, I was just so ready to not feel like that anymore. A big thing that helped me was soccer. I played really well because I lived in Italy, so I played real Italian soccer. The soccer boys happened to be very popular kids in my high school, so I fit right in and they accepted me as the new guy, and I made friends immediately. It was the perfect time to finally feel comfortable.
High school was the breakaway for me to be outgoing, to really let people know who I was, and to figure out who I wanted to be.
How did breaking out of your shell lead you into pursuing modeling?
I’ve always had friends and family encouraging me, but you know, when you’re growing up you always hear compliments from your relatives. It wasn’t until I was working in my current job at the restaurant when a friend of mine came back from New York—she’s a model herself—and she gave me that same encouragement. “You should do this. This is what I’m doing. Trust me. Let me just take your pictures.” And I trusted her.
As soon as I started doing it, there were just constant affirmations for these anxieties that I battled with when I was younger. I still go to every casting nervous, and since I’ve started modeling, it’s definitely broken those comfort zones. But my motto right now is to put myself into uncomfortable positions to become a bigger person. I’m not going to hold myself back from opportunities.
“I still go to every casting nervous, and since I’ve started modeling, it’s definitely broken those comfort zones. But my motto right now is to put myself into uncomfortable positions to become a bigger person. I’m not going to hold myself back from opportunities.”
After spending more time in front of the camera, did some of the anxieties you had when you were younger no longer bother you anymore?
Mostly my body. I’ve always been self-conscious about my body. I hit puberty later than everybody. I was always skinny while my friends were muscular. We all lifted weights in high school, and I was still super skinny. But after going to New York and feeling this acceptance that you should just work with what you’ve got, it’s probably one of the better things that I love about what I do. It’s gotten me to feel more comfortable. Being able to look inward is important.
What’s the story of how you first got signed?
My same friend who suggested I try this out took my pictures and sent it to her agent who happens to know a lot about the business, and he’s now my agent, too. The minute he saw my photos, he was like, “You have to try and do this.” So I did. I went out to New York, he sent me to see an agency, and they signed me right away.
What types of modeling work have you gotten to explore so far?
Every couple months, I’ll do a few editorials. I want to be able to do all kinds of work—everything from suits to androgynous stuff to portraits to more natural things—but most of my work nowadays is e-commerce, so I shoot for different brands and their clothes.
I’ve been working with a brand out of Virginia called Need Supply Co. who owns another clothing brand called Totokaelo. In New York, I’ve worked on John Varvatos. Right now, I’m looking to expand my work abroad. I’m trying to get some work in Paris. I would love to do a campaign for a clothing brand like AllSaints or something like that.
Is the high fashion scene particularly where you planned to be?
I started thinking the high fashion route. For skinnier models, that’s kind of the thing, but I’m very connected to wanting to be a business owner. I really want to work with brands that are not so much about the fashion entirely, but about what it means to brand their social aspects. I’m figuring it out. I’m sure my answer to that question is constantly going to change.
I saw that you were in New York Fashion Week in February. What’s it like being a part of the show?
This was my third year and I still feel fresh about it, but from my experience alone, Fashion Week is a huge opportunity for people. You see agencies signing fresh models beforehand because it’s a big moment to break out into the scene. If you get booked, you could be doing big things right away. Agencies will send their models to a million castings, and you’ll run into the same people at every casting you go to. You get to meet the community. But it is rather competitive—especially for the women.
Has it been really competitive for you?
You know, it just depends on the person. I know plenty of people who are open and very nice to talk to in the short amount of time you get together, but there are a lot of people out there who don’t want to give you the time of day. It’s kind of a jungle, to be honest. It can be competitive when you watch each other do “the walk.” And Fashion Week is all about the walk, right? It can get pretty intense.
When you’re walking down the runway, what goes on in your head?
I get this feeling that I used to get before any sport competition. I would just start to have nervous sweat. It’s funny because you walk every day. It’s such a simple thing. You just walk in a straight line. But the moment you’re in a room and 50 people are looking at you, and you know it means something because you have one chance to stand out or not?
But looking back at some of my videos, I’m like, “That doesn’t look too bad.”
You’ve gotten to try on many interesting kinds of clothes in your shoots. Were there any you’d never thought you’d wear, but appreciate now that you’ve seen yourself rocking it?
Oh, man. So many things. I tend to fall in a lot of androgynous editorials, putting on makeup sometimes, dresses or fishnets, whatever—I actually love it. It’s kind of freeing. Any time you wear something you know is real expensive, you feel like a million bucks. It exudes a certain confidence. Any time I wear leather or makeup, I feel almost like an actor. I have this thing where my dream is to be a rock star, so the glam rock kind of stuff is right up my alley.
You could pass for a rock star. Do you play any instruments?
I’ve been trying to teach myself guitar for years, but I haven’t been able to put it as a priority. I sing a lot of karaoke, though.
“Any time I wear leather or makeup, I feel almost like an actor. I have this thing where my dream is to be a rock star, so the glam rock kind of stuff is right up my alley.”
So do you embody a different version of yourself when you’re shooting, almost like you’re playing a character?
Honestly, yeah. You go on set and your hair is done differently. I start to feel like a new person once makeup’s done. Confidence takes over. You always want to showcase an article of clothing differently, so I’m always studying movies. I love to study the actors. They give me a lot of material to work with for posing or loosening up on set.
How would you describe the “Joshua Smoot” look?
A combination of “long hair, don’t care” and a little “mysterious, would totally wear a woman’s top to a wedding” thing. It’s funny because I went to my restaurant’s awards ceremony that we have every year, and I wore a girl’s leather top with a blazer over it. It was a mix of rock and roll and something outrageous that I knew no one else would wear.
I’m all about going against the grain. As much as I want to fit in, I want to find my way to fit in, and then stand out so loudly that someone—even if they don’t speak to me—will just remember me by my face or my style.
Our society’s grown more accustomed to and accepting of gender fluidity, and the fashion world is a big example of that. With some of your work, how do you see yourself being represented in that spectrum?
I think I’ve always thrown myself in there. I’ve already had the opportunity where I’ve been thrown into makeup and dresses, and I genuinely felt like I looked good. It was about working with what you’ve got. Not every person out there has to decide to be like that, but some of my favorite idols are classic 70s rock stars like Mick Jagger, and he would always talk about how he would just borrow stuff from his friends—men, women, it didn’t matter.
In a sense, it’s never really died. Maybe it shifted, but for those who are brave enough to just do something different, then you know—why not? I think I’ve always kind of wanted to be more like that when I was younger. I dressed a lot like what my friends did to fit in, but there was a point where I started to dress differently, and people started to want to dress how I was dressing, and I was like, “Why didn’t I just dress this way before?”
“I’m all about going against the grain. As much as I want to fit in, I want to find my way to fit in, and then stand out so loudly that someone—even if they don’t speak to me—will just remember me by my face or my style.”
As someone who used to have doubts about your self-image, what do you see in modeling that might help support or heal people who are also dealing with insecurities?
If there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that whether you’re a model or not, people are people and everyone deals with their insecurities. Some models are the most self-conscious people out there. You’d never guess. Personally for me, modeling offers a platform to conquer fear and challenge yourself. You have nothing to lose. If insecurities take over you, it might affect your opportunity, but there’s always more opportunity. You have to realize that you’re constantly going to be given roadblocks, and it’s a matter of identifying how you’re going to take on what’s there in the moment.
“Personally for me, modeling offers a platform to conquer fear and challenge yourself. You have nothing to lose. If insecurities take over you, it might affect your opportunity, but there’s always more opportunity. ”
I know this industry can demand some sacrifices. In what ways has modeling changed your lifestyle?
I’ve always been very responsible and on time. My father was a military officer, so if you’re not early, you’re late. I think that says a lot about you as a professional. So it’s never changed for me, even if I’m juggling a lot of stuff nowadays. Before the modeling, things were less stressful for sure. Like today, I just got notice to come to New York tomorrow. Having to work those things out, especially if I had prior plans, is different. But I’ve made it work.
As much as I’d like my work to be more planned in terms of juggling other things like taking care of my son, because modeling is inconsistent, I do get periods where I can spend more time with my family or take a break and do something like finally learn guitar.
Even though you’re still fairly new to the industry, do you think you’ll want to ride this wave for as long as you can?
This year’s been really great for me. I’ve been working more, I got to do a lot of shows from Fashion Week. I feel like there’s a brighter future if I continue. I was afraid I was on limited time with how old I am. I’m 30. Having a son, I’m thinking at what point will I need to decide where my home is to raise him properly? Like, how am I going to raise him doing what I’m doing now? But I really like where I’ve put myself in the last couple of years.
Working at my restaurant, I got promoted really fast. I reached sous-chef in a very short amount of time, ready to become head chef in a couple years. But there was a lack of a fulfillment in artistry there. I love cooking, there’s art in cooking. But I wasn’t ready to just do it. With modeling, I have tons of opportunity to travel, and I don’t want to have to say no to things I want to do for myself. If I had the opportunity to travel to Paris, even for a week, I would love to. It’s an experience of a lifetime. As long as I take care of my responsibilities here, I just want to continue with the track I’m on and not worry about planning too ahead of myself.
Does that mean the hair is just going to keep getting longer and longer?
[Laughs] Potentially.
What’s something that constantly goes on in your mind?
In this industry, I’m surrounded by a lot of younger guys. They don’t know I’m 30, or that I have a kid. Being a father is an important thing to me, and yeah, I get to talk to other business professionals, photographers, people on set, models, but I still feel disconnected when I’m socializing sometimes because these other models are in different chapters of their lives.
Being a father to me is my greatest accomplishment. I just don’t meet a lot of dads out there. I don’t have any dad friends. I wish I could connect with people about more things other than fashion. You don’t often hear about single fathers and how they do their grind. I want to give props out to other fathers out there trying to raise their kids. I feel blessed to be doing the stuff I’m doing, and raising my kid as well.
Let’s say Bowie is in high school, and he’s figuring things out just like you were. If there’s anything you’d like him to take away from what you’re doing, what would you say to him?
To be able to look at what you’re doing in the moment. What are the things you’re doing in your life? What are the things that are making you happy? And what are the things that are not? You really have to break it down, because at the end of the day, you have to figure out if you’re happy moving in the direction you’re going. You have to figure out who you’re going be.
In my own venture, I’ve always chased the wrong things to make me happy in the moment for shortness of time. It wasn’t really long-term or true to myself. Having fears, I avoided things that made me scared, but now I’ve come full circle. I’ve come back to wanting to eventually learn to play guitar and play music in front of a live audience—which is my biggest fear ever—and through modeling, I’m discovering that confidence in myself.
I guess I would just tell my son not to be afraid of anything. Even to try something once for the hell of it, or to challenge yourself and see what you think about it. You’ll probably never know how you honestly feel.