Why supermodel David Gandy moved from the catwalk to the boardroom
David Gandy, one of the most familiar faces in the world of male fashion, wearing clothes from his new self-designed Wellwear range.
Kate, Naomi, Cindy, Christy, Gisele, female supermodels, so globally renowned, we know them by their first names alone. When it comes to their male counterparts, there is only one approaching a similar status: David Gandy.
As the world’s foremost male supermodel, he has spent the best part of two decades starring in advertising campaigns for the likes of Dolce & Gabbana and Jaguar. He collaborated with high street retailer Marks & Spencer on a successful line, and has received multiple modelling awards.
He’s instantly recognisable: whether lounging on a boat off the Isle of Capri, his chiselled physique clad in skimpy white trunks; red carpet appearances where he is fitted in debonair suiting from the finest Savile Row tailors; or as the recipient of numerous ‘sexiest man alive’ accolades.
Perched in a plush living room in his London home, David Gandy, 42, is chipper and charming. Even speaking over Zoom, only visible on a grainy computer screen, he is undeniably attractive with well-groomed, sculpted facial hair, razor-sharp bone structure, and a slightly overlong coif. His fresh-faced expression belies any signs of fatigue one might expect following the arrival of his second daughter, Tabitha, with his partner, the barrister Stephanie Mendoros.
His off-white long-sleeve polo neck, in a sweatshirt material with a collar, belongs to his line David Gandy Wellwear, which launched in September.
Having spent years in front of the lens, forging his career, and learning the fashion trade on sets in each corner of the globe, Wellwear fulfils his desire to put his creative stamp on clothing.
“I knew one day I wanted to be in complete control of the creative design elements,” he said.
Wellwear began as a conversation with a friend who had founded a creative agency during the first lockdown; the pause in regular life allowed them dream up an apparel brand with a focus on modern lifestyles.
Many will be familiar with the model’s collaboration with high street retailer M&S, which also taught him much about design, production, and marketing.
“This brand is an extension of what I did with M&S but I wanted to improve the sustainability side of things,” says Gandy, who advocated for the line to be produced in Portugal, where he could easily visit the factory.
In addition to sustainability, Gandy didn’t want to compromise on quality which would have meant rushed, subpar clothing. Technology is used to ensure the fabric is breathable and soft or, for example, that undershirts have the appropriate elasticity. Moreover, the clothing is priced at its true value with the model adding that, “we’re making it as attainable [as possible] from the get-go.
With its wellness association, Gandy wants to engage more meaningfully with clothing. On a fundamental level, he hopes the line’s technical aspects and aesthetic values can enhance physical and mental wellbeing. (The result of research prompted by his own curiosity about why he gravitated towards the same model of t-shirt or jumper over the last five years) One of his primary considerations was the notion of psychological wellbeing and how simply touching smooth fabrics can reduce negative emotions.
Of course, fashion will not cure all ailments but this informed the line’s tactility. The finest natural fibres (including Pima cotton, Lyocell, and modal) are engineered with temperature regulating and moisture-wicking qualities for additional comfort, while anti-odour and anti-bacterial properties have obvious merits. In addition, aloe vera plant extract is woven into the fabric for its wound-healing, anti-inflammatory, moisturing properties. A recent Blue Collection used colour theory to arrive at its palette choice based on ‘cognitive and affective’ considerations; ‘blue is scientifically proven to have a positive impact,’ stated the brand’s marketing.
Gandy’s primary design consideration was, “how do you make a comfortable sweat that you can wear every day, to the office, to go pick up the children, or wear out in public?”
In shades of black, off-white, burgundy, and navy, results were more stylish than your typical loungewear. Adopting elements of traditional tailoring, silhouettes are more fitted. A wider leg on a heritage jogger gives a more fashion-forward flair. Short collars or shawl necklines are added to sweatshirts. Elsewhere, the line is rounded out with bomber jackets for quotidian appeal.
On a broader scale, he endeavours to support charities such as HUMEN; Wellwear hosted a charity walk to support the suicide awareness charity in December 2021.
“The stigma of men talking about mental wellbeing is slowly eroding, and I hope we become a lot more open and that people get the help they need. We’re combining clothing and wellness. I hope that says a lot about what [the customer] is buying into.”
When it comes to offering style advice to Irish men in the year ahead, Gandy is tactful.
“What I always say to men is wear what you’re confident in and know your body type, know what style suits you, and have the confidence to push away from the crowd,” he says, adding, it is perfectly acceptable not to succumb to the trends that might not suit you.
He believes successful modern dressing is a marriage of smart and casual. To achieve this look, he resorts to his favourite denim jeans and cotton shirt, elevating them with a tie, blazer, or his favourite Barbour jacket.
“You’re not too smart, not too formal. I try to mix the two all the time,” he says.
Wellwear combines both, with an initial focus on casual; perhaps surprising to those who recognise Gandy for his more dapper ensembles.
“I’m proud to be known for that but when it came to starting a brand - I’m not a tailor or pattern-cutter and there’s this other 80% of my life where I’m in t-shirts, hoodies and loungewear. People just don’t usually see me like that because I keep my private life quite private,” he says.
Between the birth of his second daughter and mandated lockdowns, the model and entrepreneur spent much more time confined to home in the last two years. When the pandemic first began, he was sequestered in his mother-in-law’s Yorkshire farmhouse with his partner and their first daughter, Mathilda.
Before the pandemic, Gandy spent two decades rising to the top of the male modelling ladder, relentlessly travelling the world with up to 70 flights per year. The forced stop had some challenges: although Wellwear was conceived during lockdown, he experienced the same petrification as every other self-employed person, but it was not without its positives.
“I’ve gotten to see my daughter grow up,” he smiles. “During lockdown, I was working on the land, taking the dogs for a walk with my daughter. To look on the bright side, it was a really, really nice time.”
Gandy is forthright and intelligent enough to acknowledge how fortunate he was during that period. There were no major illnesses in his family. When restrictions began to ease, so too did his day job as a working model. Wellwear took off, receiving a positive response from the outset.
In Wellwear design meetings, he began to reflect on fatherhood. He wanted to account for the utilitarian appeal clothing needs to have when a father is juggling everything from small children, tissues, keys, or stuffed toy unicorns. It meant sweatshirts with pockets, which drew positive reactions from friends and customers, and a personal decision to shy away from his preferred shade of off-white.
“Whether you’re playing with children, on the floor, in the woods, in a park, that is always in your mind. You start to dress with children in mind and you’re certainly not going to put on your best stuff,” he said.
From that point of view, Wellwear is a practical answer to a familiar dilemma.
In 2022, he will be the face of numerous campaigns, details still tightly under wraps but due for imminent release.
As early as last January, he was already labouring over Wellwear’s autumn/winter 2022 collection and in a few months’ time, he will start looking towards 2023.
“We’re an essentials brand. We want to keep pushing further into the everyday and moving into what people can wear to an office and outside of the home.” This explains the recent launch of varsity-inspired sweatsuits riffing on collegiate style.
Between fatherhood, modelling, and business ventures, Gandy is a proven multitasker with a successful track record, and continues to expand his ambitions.
“People have this stereotypical view of modelling,” he said. “I always saw the possibility to push those boundaries of where male models can be within the fashion world.”
