Matthew Bell
 gave me her card and I didn’t think much about it until my mum found it in the back pocket of my jeans and told me it was actually a big deal and that Elite are huge. So it just went on from there really!E: What made you make that call to Elite London?Matthew: I was in school at the time and it was coming towards the end so it was the perfect timing for me. I planned to take a gap year anyway and focus on playing sax and guitar, maybe do some travelling and get some experience along the way. London is naturally one of the first places I would go to and I thought by maybe trying out as a model it would open a whole new world of opportunities.E: Have you ever been scouted before or told by anyone that you should go into modelling?Matthew: My friends have mentioned before, but you know when someone tells you that, you just think – yeah, you’re just saying that!E: How did you find the whole EML experience?Matthew: It was a really good introduction into modelling – from walking the shows to doing photoshoots. I found it incredibly helpful just being in London and learning about these things before starting out as a full-time model.E: So would you say it helps going through this ‘learning’ process as opposed to being launched straight into the industry?Matthew: Yeah definitely! What really helped me was getting to know everyone from the agency first and speaking to other models, just as well as being taught everything that I needed to know.E: What do you think you would be doing now if not modelling?Matthew: I’d probably be a musician; I am in a band playing guitar back at home, so I would most probably be pursuing that. It is something I always wanted to do back in my early teens.E: How much has happened since winning the EML?Matthew: Since the competition I’ve been to Milan, Paris and Tokyo… completely the other end of the scale compared to Liverpool where I come from! Even if you know nothing about fashion – you will know that these cities are the fashion capitals. I will also be going to New York very soon. It’s crazy to think I’ve been to all these incredible places in such short amount of time… I find it absolutely absurd when I think that if I had never done the EML I would still be in Liverpool now!E: What is the general reaction from your friends and family about you being a model?Matthew: My family are very supportive - they know that I have never been interested in school so they are happy for me that I have been given such an amazing opportunity and that I am doing something I very much enjoy.E: What was the strangest modelling experience you’ve had so far?Matthew: That would have to be having my hair bleached for six days for a photoshoot! I really enjoyed the whole experience, however saying that, every morning I’d wake up and completely forget I had it done and get a massive shock every time I looked in the mirror!E: Seeing that you worked in Topman in Liverpool before you started out modelling, how would it feel if you got to do their campaign and be on display in the stores?Matthew: That would be the weirdest, most surreal feeling ever because a lot of my friends still work there! I’ve done work for Topman before but it was only on display in their London store and it never reached as far as Liverpool! But yes, that would definitely be the strangest thing ever!){kind=link}
We catch up with our very first male EML 2011 winner Matthew Bell for an exclusive interview following his return from Japan earlier this month.
Elite: How did you come about entering Elite Model Look UK and then winning it?
Matthew: I never had an interest in being a model before I got scouted last year whilst working in Topman in Liverpool. Amelia (Elite London agent) gave me her card and I didn’t think much about it until my mum found it in the back pocket of my jeans and told me it was actually a big deal and that Elite are huge. So it just went on from there really!
E: What made you make that call to Elite London?
Matthew: I was in school at the time and it was coming towards the end so it was the perfect timing for me. I planned to take a gap year anyway and focus on playing sax and guitar, maybe do some travelling and get some experience along the way. London is naturally one of the first places I would go to and I thought by maybe trying out as a model it would open a whole new world of opportunities.
E: Have you ever been scouted before or told by anyone that you should go into modelling?
Matthew: My friends have mentioned before, but you know when someone tells you that, you just think – yeah, you’re just saying that!
E: How did you find the whole EML experience?
Matthew: It was a really good introduction into modelling – from walking the shows to doing photoshoots. I found it incredibly helpful just being in London and learning about these things before starting out as a full-time model.
E: So would you say it helps going through this ‘learning’ process as opposed to being launched straight into the industry?
Matthew: Yeah definitely! What really helped me was getting to know everyone from the agency first and speaking to other models, just as well as being taught everything that I needed to know.
E: What do you think you would be doing now if not modelling?
Matthew: I’d probably be a musician; I am in a band playing guitar back at home, so I would most probably be pursuing that. It is something I always wanted to do back in my early teens.
E: How much has happened since winning the EML?
Matthew: Since the competition I’ve been to Milan, Paris and Tokyo… completely the other end of the scale compared to Liverpool where I come from! Even if you know nothing about fashion – you will know that these cities are the fashion capitals. I will also be going to New York very soon. It’s crazy to think I’ve been to all these incredible places in such short amount of time… I find it absolutely absurd when I think that if I had never done the EML I would still be in Liverpool now!
E: What is the general reaction from your friends and family about you being a model?
Matthew: My family are very supportive - they know that I have never been interested in school so they are happy for me that I have been given such an amazing opportunity and that I am doing something I very much enjoy.
E: What was the strangest modelling experience you’ve had so far?
Matthew: That would have to be having my hair bleached for six days for a photoshoot! I really enjoyed the whole experience, however saying that, every morning I’d wake up and completely forget I had it done and get a massive shock every time I looked in the mirror!
E: Seeing that you worked in Topman in Liverpool before you started out modelling, how would it feel if you got to do their campaign and be on display in the stores?
Matthew: That would be the weirdest, most surreal feeling ever because a lot of my friends still work there! I’ve done work for Topman before but it was only on display in their London store and it never reached as far as Liverpool! But yes, that would definitely be the strangest thing ever!
Elite: How did you come about entering Elite Model Look UK and then winning it?
Matthew: I never had an interest in being a model before I got scouted last year whilst working in Topman in Liverpool. Amelia (Elite London agent) gave me her card and I didn’t think much about it until my mum found it in the back pocket of my jeans and told me it was actually a big deal and that Elite are huge. So it just went on from there really!
E: What made you make that call to Elite London?
Matthew: I was in school at the time and it was coming towards the end so it was the perfect timing for me. I planned to take a gap year anyway and focus on playing sax and guitar, maybe do some travelling and get some experience along the way. London is naturally one of the first places I would go to and I thought by maybe trying out as a model it would open a whole new world of opportunities.
E: Have you ever been scouted before or told by anyone that you should go into modelling?
Matthew: My friends have mentioned before, but you know when someone tells you that, you just think – yeah, you’re just saying that!
E: How did you find the whole EML experience?
Matthew: It was a really good introduction into modelling – from walking the shows to doing photoshoots. I found it incredibly helpful just being in London and learning about these things before starting out as a full-time model.
E: So would you say it helps going through this ‘learning’ process as opposed to being launched straight into the industry?
Matthew: Yeah definitely! What really helped me was getting to know everyone from the agency first and speaking to other models, just as well as being taught everything that I needed to know.
E: What do you think you would be doing now if not modelling?
Matthew: I’d probably be a musician; I am in a band playing guitar back at home, so I would most probably be pursuing that. It is something I always wanted to do back in my early teens.
E: How much has happened since winning the EML?
Matthew: Since the competition I’ve been to Milan, Paris and Tokyo… completely the other end of the scale compared to Liverpool where I come from! Even if you know nothing about fashion – you will know that these cities are the fashion capitals. I will also be going to New York very soon. It’s crazy to think I’ve been to all these incredible places in such short amount of time… I find it absolutely absurd when I think that if I had never done the EML I would still be in Liverpool now!
E: What is the general reaction from your friends and family about you being a model?
Matthew: My family are very supportive - they know that I have never been interested in school so they are happy for me that I have been given such an amazing opportunity and that I am doing something I very much enjoy.
E: What was the strangest modelling experience you’ve had so far?
Matthew: That would have to be having my hair bleached for six days for a photoshoot! I really enjoyed the whole experience, however saying that, every morning I’d wake up and completely forget I had it done and get a massive shock every time I looked in the mirror!
E: Seeing that you worked in Topman in Liverpool before you started out modelling, how would it feel if you got to do their campaign and be on display in the stores?
Matthew: That would be the weirdest, most surreal feeling ever because a lot of my friends still work there! I’ve done work for Topman before but it was only on display in their London store and it never reached as far as Liverpool! But yes, that would definitely be the strangest thing ever!