Ben Hill

[laurlaur]

An interview he did to promote Eternity Aqua

Eternity Aqua aims to bring another facet to the Calvin Klein Eternity fragrance franchise. It is described as a modern, aquatic woody scent that embodies casual elegance, easy confidence and effortless charm.

The fragrance face, model Ben Hill, is the personification of all those qualities. Born and raised in Sugar Hill, Georgia, he oozes southern charm and charisma as he discusses his partnership with Calvin Klein and Coty.

“I am really happy that I am representing a fragrance that I really love, and has a lot of history behind it,” he declares.

Hill is dressed in a stylish, slim-fitting grey suit, wears a jaunty hat and sports an immaculately trimmed beard. He also possesses what must surely be the most piercing blue eyes on the planet – the perfect accessory for a fragrance called Aqua.

Hill is also engaging, articulate, and considers every question carefully .“I was super ecstatic about being chosen [as the fragrance face],” he tells The Moodie Report. “I couldn’t believe it. I was so excited, but nervous too. Every actor or model gets a little nervous at first about something really strong or big that they have to carry, and I knew I was responsible for something very important.”

Hill says he grew up with Calvin Klein, and as a consumer it’s a brand he’s always known. “I grew up on it,” he shrugs. “I wore his stuff for years. When I was in college, some of the first jeans I had were Calvin Klein. It’s always been a part of my life. And I can tell you for a fact, the first suit I ever bought – with my own money – was Calvin Klein.”

Hill also claims that the first fragrance he ever bought was Calvin Klein’s Obsession. “Oh, they got me good, when I was just a kid,” he laughs. “But it’s true. I remember all my friends talking about it, when we were young and first getting into all that.

“My aunt took me cologne shopping; she always bought me a fragrance every year,” he continues. “She would give me her card for Rich’s [a department store] and let me pick what I wanted, and I remember that’s what I bought.”

Hill says fragrance was a treat for him when growing up. “I knew I was going to get some at certain times of the year, Christmas and my birthday. When I got older, I made my own choices, and I reckon I have bought every single Calvin Klein fragrance, because it all smells pretty good on me.”

But certain favourites he has stuck with. “The basic Eternity has always been a staple,” he notes. “I’m careful not to run out of that.”

Returning to the subject of Eternity Aqua, Hill generously paid tribute to the teamwork on the shoot, singling out the stylist Karl Templer and the photographer David Sims. “It was the first time I’d worked with both those guys, and they were amazing,” he notes. “And we were lucky enough to be in a great location, in Montauk.

“It was really great fun,” he continues. “The team had their kids there, so there was a relaxed family vibe. It was not such a strenuous shoot. Everyone seemed laid-back, with no high tension – and trust me, not all shoots are like that.”

http://www.moodiereport.com/document.php?c_id=29&doc_id=23160

 

[laurlaur]

continued

Neither are all jobs. Perhaps the reason Hill seems so appreciative of his lot in life now is that he started out as an industrial electrician, repairing equipment in manufacturing plants and factories. What then gave him the impetus to cash in his tool box?

“I had a bad car accident, which made me think hard about my life,” he replies. “I had a model girlfriend, who’d always told me I should try modelling too, but I really didn’t know much about it. Then after the accident I decided to go to New York. Originally I wanted to act but I got into modelling instead.”

And while Hill has since worked regularly, featuring in campaigns for the likes of Zegna and Louis Vuitton, being selected as the face of Eternity Aqua is clearly a career milestone.

“This is the biggest thing I’ve ever done; this is major,” he confirms. “I’ve enjoyed so many things already, and worked with so many great people, but this is huge.”

So what does the future hold next for Hill? Will he pursue his original dream of acting? “I get offers quite a bit,” he responds, “so why not go into something if somebody keeps offering me these things? Why not pursue it, if they think I’m great for it? Every photographer I’ve ever worked with in my entire life has told me I should be an actor.

Model Ben Hill at the Eternity Aqua launch​

“They say I move like an actor, that I take on a character when I do a shoot and they don’t have to tell me what to do. I feel things, just like an actor has to.”

On the Eternity Aqua shoot, however, Hills says his motivation was simply being himself. “It was all about having the feeling of coming home from work, relaxing, feeling the presence of the ocean, and enjoying what I have,” he explains. “And you need confidence to do that, which takes time to build; it’s not given to you.”

Refreshingly, Hill is au fait with the concept of travel retail, and professes himself to be an avid shopper while travelling the world for work.

“If I’m shopping at an airport, I’m a sucker for a nice bag,” he confides. “And I don’t only shop for myself, I shop for other people, such as family, agents, friends. And there are such great deals there, because it’s all tax free – and who doesn’t love that?

“And of course there are things you find at the airport that you can’t find in [domestic] shops, so it’s a little different. And because every airport has its own shops, often with local culture stuff too, you never know what you’re going to find.”

Hill has travelled extensively for work, and reveals India to be one of his favourite places. “I went to New Delhi, Mumbai and Jaipur, and the latter especially was just so beautiful,” he notes.

“But I’ve been lucky enough to see so many amazing places, so it’s difficult to choose. But I loved Argentina also… and I remember how amazed I was the first time I came to Paris and saw the Eiffel Tower.”

moodiereport

 

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