While Instagram is quickly becoming a popular place to find new models, few scouted on the social site have a story like Chris Davis’. It wasn’t a picture that first got him attention, it was a comment left on the profile of supermodel Candice Swanepoel. “It’s kind of a wild story,” quips Davis. “I was commenting on Candice’s Instagram, and there’s a photographer who’s good friends with Lana Winters of VNY Model Management. I was saying something crazy, and there were a lot of people responding to it. A girl there said I had a cute face; the photographer saw that girl say that, clicked on my profile, and saw some of my pictures. He took a screenshot, sent them over to Lana, and they flew me to New York four days later.”
Since his fateful Instagram moment, Davis has become a regular on the runway for labels like Hood by Air, Rag & Bone, and Gucci. As one of a handful of guys to walk Alessandro Michele’s Resort show, Davis found himself alongside girls like Binx Walton and Harleth Kuusik in an experience he found enthralling. “It was great! There were only a few guys. Each girl only had one look, so there were 50-something girls and only eight of us.” At 6'3" with delicate features and a wiry frame, Davis is far from the typical male model, but he embraces his one-of-a-kind look. “There are classically good-looking guys, but I’m just kind of the weird model, and I’m not afraid to admit that, I don’t have a problem with it.”
If Davis seems especially grounded, it may have something to do with his choice of pre-modeling career. Prior to being scouted, Davis studied psychology at the University of Charleston. “I wanted to be a juvenile psychiatrist—I still would have four years of studying after I graduated.” When asked if his psych background has ever helped him navigate the wilds of fashion, Davis simply laughs. “It’s always cool when you did something extremely different, and then you become submerged in this world. It’s a big change from South Carolina, but now that I’m used to it, I’m loving it.”
