His name is Duco Ferwerda, he was born in Amsterdam, and he is 21 and six feet two inches tall. In less than two years he has starred a successful campaign for Gucci. The prelude of a promising future? Not long ago I met him at View Management, one of the greatest model agencies which represents Duco and lots of other national and international models. He told me he hadn’t had lunch, so I suggested him going together. I could understand then what a model feels when he plunges into a world which can be so frivolous at times. But in just a couple of minutes I realized Duco was looking forward to taking on the world. The sooner the better.
One year and a half and you have already been a Gucci guy?
I know. But even though I have appeared in Fiasco, Fashionisto or GQ, I can’t help but looking forward to starring some editorials for Vogue and covers… A lot of covers!
What do you really like doing?
I love travelling. I go out with my friends every time I fly back to Amsterdam. And I can’t deny that I also like art. I want to start studying, although I don’t know what yet… Oh! And I have to learn Spanish!
I am curious… Is Duco a typical name in Holland?
Not at all. The people from a small village in the north of The Netherlands invented it. When I was a kid, I didn’t like it. I would have preferred a more common name. In fact, I tried to go unnoticed all the time.
How can a boy who doesn’t like to excel end up working as a model?
When I was in high school, one of my best mates was scouted as a model, but I used to think that world was kind of superficial. When you tell people you are a model, you sort of put a barrier in between. It is like that when you tell people that you have studied this, it may seem you are showing off your intelligence. People think that being a model implies being handsome and it’s not like that. I turned it down then and when I dropped high school I thought it could be a good opportunity to earn some money. The truth is that two months later I started working. I was really lucky.
Isn’t a mother terrified when her son wants to become a model?
My mother worked as a PP.RR and she knew how much models travel and work. She was a bit scared at first but now she is really proud of me. I basically told her that if it worked, it’s OK, but if it didn’t, I wouldn’t be disappointed. And, in fact, it’s different when you are a boy. Girls get frustrated more easily if the experience doesn’t go well.
How is a normal day in Duco’s life?
There are no normal days in my life.
Do you know how many people would love to say that?
I travel so much that even when I’m home it looks as if I was still on holiday. I spend some time in New York, Paris, Milan, Barcelona… Barcelona is my favorite, it is the nicest European city I have ever seen. Nice weather, beautiful women…
Maybe if you tell me you work out a lot, I will be able to forget the idealized image I have just made up in my mind of a model’s life.
If I tell you the truth, my only problem has always been my skin. Nothing I can sort out drinking a lot of water (three liters!). I don’t do much exercise but I try to eat healthily. My biggest problem was not taking care of my appearance when I started working as a model. In fact, I think if I had cared a little bit more things would have turned better for me…
Come on, you have asked for a salad…
True. But just because when you tell the guys in the agency “I’m going to have a sandwich” they tell you “Ok, but if it could be a salad…” What do you want me to do? Truth is I eat whatever I want, except chocolate because of my skin. What’s more: when we travel we eat really badly. In fashion shows we always have Burger King.
I didn’t see that coming…
I don’t do any exercise, and I know I should. I want to get fitter but I don’t want to be a “Dolce & Gabbana boy.” I don’t envy them, basically because of the gym.
I’m sure being a model must have some disadvantages!
Sure. You live really odd experiences. For some castings there can be up to a thousand boys queuing for let’s say three hours, and then, when you finally get it they don’t even look at your book, not even at you, and you go home feeling horrible. At first it can affect you but you get used to it.
Any ugly situation?
I was in a casting for an important campaign once and someone from the stuff was really rude to another model. It has just happened once in a year and a half, is not that bad.
You’re trying to make me believe that yours is a very easy job.
I must admit that there are difficult moments. I am used to being touched by different pairs of hands at once: a pair of hands brushes my hair while another pair zips my pants, smoothes out my trousers or makes my laces. Now I could be talking to you with ten people touching me at the same time.
Really?
Sure. I can’t make my laces because I would wrinkle my trousers. I can’t touch my hair because some wrinkles would appear in my shirt. Sometimes you feel like a puppet.
Any funny anecdote?
For Gucci shows you have to wear a thong. Weird… Moreover, you have to bear in mind that we get undressed in front of everyone. I had to wear a thong once in front of all the models that were waiting to walk on the catwalk. You know how boys are so one shouted: nice butt, huh? It was terrible…
Is there anybody you would like to work with?
I would love to meet my high school friend, the one who started modeling first. I would love to share this together. You make a lot of friends working as a model —specially English, they’re so fun!— but you realize that meeting so many people implies not having deep relationships.
Shows or shootings?
Shows. I had stage fright at first but I felt so relaxed at my first show that it just disappeared. I prefer shows because of after parties, and because everyone enjoys the moment after so many months of hard work. On the other side, though, shootings are OK because you have physical work to keep.
What can you tell me about relationships? Would a girlfriend understand your job?
It’s hard, not because of girl models but because you travel a lot. The pictures you see with girl models are all fake. We aren’t hugging all day long! It’s like an illusion. The real problem is travelling. You have to be realistic, you are not going to see your girlfriend as much as you would like to. Although I know two models who are going to get married! And it is weird, because they don’t see each other for days and then they meet somewhere in the world because of work.
So the most difficult thing is combining your job with love. Is it worth the money?
People think we make a lot of money and we don’t earn a ****! My friends tell me: “hey, buy me a drink”, and I think “come on man, you have more money than I do”… Sometimes I even have to pay for the trips, and there are some brands which don’t pay you a thing. For Marc Jacobs’ shows in New York you don’t get paid, you get clothes. For DKNY I was paid $300. And you don’t get the money right after…
You’re not going to be rich, then…
I don’t think so.
If I write you are girls will start calling you…
That’s another thing: girls get paid a lot more! I guess it’s fair. It’s tougher for them because they have more pressure on their physical appearance. There’s more competition and they also sell more stuff, maybe that’s why they get paid more. In the end great models get the greatest jobs. Once you are one of them… you got it!
After a salad —Duco— and a Coke —me— I thanked him and I wished him good luck and as many covers as he wants to star. Just because he’s aware that once this comes to an end there will be more things waiting for him out there. Just because he knows it is just a game, because he promised his mother he wouldn’t take it too seriously and because he will be able to enjoy the good opportunities which I am sure will arrive.
