The Herald Tribune:
Anyone have any pics perhaps?
New face of Dior: He’s 15 years old and comes from Brechin
MARTYN McLAUGHLIN and CAROLE ERSKINE October 11 2004
HE comes from a town that, only four years ago, was dubbed one of the most boring places in the UK when the Knowhere Guide to Britain disparagingly announced: "The best advice is not to go to Brechin and, if you are already there, leave."
Johnny Hood, aged 15, could be doing just that after beating hundreds of established male models to be named as one of the new faces of Christian Dior, the fashion brand which boasts Charlize Theron, the Hollywood actress, among its stable of models.
With his tousled hair, the fresh-faced teenager seems an unlikely candidate to enter an industry notorious for its vanity and greed. But it is his natural looks and laidback approach to life that has impressed the fashion world, and more talent scouts are preparing to flock north in an attempt to unearth fresh talent.
Johnny may be about to swop his life in Angus for the catwalks of Paris, Milan and New York, but people in Brechin have no reason to believe he will forget his roots. Already, the conscientious schoolboy is being represented by an agent who helped turn Scots shopgirl Kirsty Hume into a supermodel and multi-millionaire.
The Brechin teenager is to feature in an advertising campaign for Dior's new denim jeans after being spotted by a scout in the audience at a music festival. Hedi Slimane, the label's head designer, flew Johnny to London for the photoshoot and so his whirlwind story began.
The only child's reaction to his new career is the same as could be expected from any teenager – a mixture of excitement and bamboozlement. He has given up rugby to avoid injury and, although some of his friends have been ribbing him about posing for photographs, most have been supportive. He also revealed that he was finding it easier to attract interest from girls since becoming a model.
Johnny said: "It was a bit of a shock to be asked if I wanted to do some modelling, but it has been really exciting so far. I had never considered being a model, but I am now realising the benefits that could come out of it."
Johnny, whose interests in-clude playing in a band and snowboarding, said he was keen to do more photoshoots and maybe make some money to help him go to university, where he plans to study languages. "I am just enjoying it while I can," he added.
Dean Clear-Patterson, of Oxygen Model Management in London, is already keen to get his young protege only the right sort of publicity, but admitted: "We are so excited about Johnny and see a very bright future for him as a male model. There's something about people from these places. They don't always get spotted but because of their upbringing in small towns, they tend to be very at ease and natural.
"Johnny is in very good hands. We know he's young and his schooling comes first. We are very keen to protect him, but even so, for a 15-year-old to be modelling for Dior is remarkable. He's going to be a huge star. He's very relaxed and cool with having his photo taken, but he has his feet firmly on the ground."
Indeed, so taken are the agency with Johnny's naturalistic approach, they are planning on sending more scouts to rural Scotland in a trawl for more unearthed talent.
Having represented one supermodel, Mr Clear-Patterson's downplaying of Johnny's future is difficult to reconcile with the career path of Ayr-born Hume. Reported to be worth about £11m, she abandoned plans to study art when, at the age of 18, she was spotted by the friend of a Parisian talent scout for the Elite modelling agency while on holiday in Miami. Within months, Patrick Demarchelier had photographed the teenager for the cover of Harper's Bazaar, and by the mid-1990s, she had landed a lucrative contract as the face of Chanel.
Such tales are a world away from the quiet streets of Brechin, which for many years was considered a city because of its status as the seat of a diocese of the Episcopal Church of Scotland. The town is perhaps best known in the entertainment world for playing host to the now-defunct nightclub, Flicks, renowned during the late 1980s for its dazzling light displays and guest appearances by stars such as Kylie Minogue.
But it is young Johnny who is best placed to mark out the future of Brechin, and members of the community were pleased yesterday.
Rob Murray, leader of Angus Council, said: "I'm absolutely delighted for the young lad to get such a huge break. It's not the usual career path for people from Brechin, but it'll help put us on the map.
"We're just a fairly standard county town, the kind of which you'll find across Scotland. The teenagers have a youth centre, The Attic . . . but really, for a boy of this background to go on this road to success is wonderful."
Anne Mitchell, secretary of Brechin community council, said: "It's remarkable. It's the last thing you'd expect to happen in a place like Brechin. But anything that will help raise awareness of where Brechin is and what we do is superb. And it's equally good for the young lad himself."
Anyone have any pics perhaps?
