How Male Model Jeroen Teerlinck Switched From Ad Sales to Fashion
By Janelle Okwodu
No matter how striking a model may be, career longevity is never a guarantee. Jeroen Teerlinck’s clear blue eyes and modish style caught the attention of scouts back in 2012, and he quickly made his way onto the runway for Saint Laurent and Gucci, but his initial success proved fleeting. “I tried it for two seasons, but it didn’t work out,” Teerlinck tells Style.com. “I was younger and didn’t know the rules of the business at all.” Soon after, Teerlinck decided to trade modeling for a job in ad sales, working with magazines back home in the Netherlands and settling into the rigors of a 9-to-5. Though his new vocation was lucrative, Teerlinck found himself missing the industry side of things. “Selling advertising is tough, and even though I got good at it, the job wasn’t making me happy,” he admits. “I missed traveling so much, I thought, Hey, let’s give fashion another try.”
With a rookie season already under his belt and a fresh outlook on modeling, Teerlinck approached his fashion world second coming with optimism. Prada took note, with stylist Olivier Rizzo and casting director Ashley Brokaw tapping him for one of the label’s coveted exclusives. “All the other guys who were sitting there at the casting were new faces just picked up from the street—I was so nervous,” Teerlinck admits. “I walked for Olivier, and he looks at me and says, ‘You’ve done shows before, haven’t you?’ I thought that was it and that I would have to just go home, but he told me that I looked great and he liked my walk. A few days later I got the call, and I was confirmed for the show.”
Prada propelled Teerlinck back into the spotlight, and work for Diesel, Tom Ford, Vogue Hommes International, and Theory soon followed. As one of the busiest faces during New York Fashion Week: Men’s, Teerlinck seems bound to clean up come campaign season, but for now he’s simply content to enjoy the moment. “Everything that is happening right now is incredible, from my work, my personal life, being able to travel again. I’ve been writing it all down—maybe one day I’ll have enough for an autobiography!”
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