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Meet the Male Model Who Went From Cashier to Calvin Klein Catwalker
Modeling is known for its discovery stories. A new face might be spotted by scouts while eating a burger at McDonald’s, dancing his or her heart out at a music festival, or simply running errands. But few have a story as serendipitous as Dylan Christensen, the 18-year-old Long Islander currently starring in Calvin Klein’s Fall 2017 campaign. A fashion enthusiast since childhood, Christensen landed as a sales associate at discount department store Century 21’s Manhattan flagship, working in its vintage department selling pieces from Chanel, Céline, and Saint Laurent. Though his work gave him access to some of the world’s chicest brands, Christensen never considered being in front of the camera until he was approached by a scout. “It’s still surreal. I mean, this time last year I was about to run out of the last of my money; now I’m on a giant billboard on Houston Street!” shared Christensen during a visit to Vogue’s offices. “Before this happened, I was trying to figure out how I was going to make my way into this industry, and then it just popped up into my life. Perfect timing.”
Soon after being signed, Christensen caught the eye of casting director Ashley Brokaw and was cast in Raf Simons’s debut show for Calvin Klein. With his androgynous good looks and long waves, he made an appealing addition to the lineup, but he almost didn’t realize he’d been confirmed for the show. “The night before, at the fitting, I just thought it was another casting. I didn’t even know what a fitting was,” he admits. Though his unfamiliarity with modeling’s routines caused some initial awkwardness, Christensen’s naïveté also allowed him to be fearless. “The first time I met Raf I didn’t know who he was—I knew his name, of course, and his work, but I had never seen him,” says Christensen, who struck up a conversation with the designer backstage. “He’s very nice; I think he could see that I felt a little out of place, and he just took me aside and said, ‘You wouldn’t be here if we didn’t love you—there’s nothing to be worried about.’”
By the time Christensen walked his second show for Simons during the menswear season, though, he was a pro. “I was honored to be a part of Raf’s first collection for Calvin, but to also be a part of his personal collection was special,” says Christensen. “I remember looking at Raf Simons pieces in stores, thinking, Wow, how am I going to afford one piece? And now I’m in the show. It’s just cool how life can pan out.”
With two big shows and a campaign under his belt, Christensen is a rising star, but he’s not interested in being one of fashion’s flash-in-the-pan success stories; he’s planning to be in the business for the long haul. “There are a lot of things that I want to do in this industry, and out of it, but I think one of the biggest things is styling,” he says. “Not necessarily for magazines or celebrities, but on a personal level with clients. What I like about it is that you almost get to be a teacher helping someone to develop their individual style—you give them the training wheels, and by the time you’re finished, they can ride the bike themselves.”
Next/Vogue
