Our Brief Talk today is with a very promising European model called Paolo Petru. We very recently came across his work on twitter and we wanted to find out more about him. His striking looks (and amazing blue eyes!) come together with a brilliant mind, open to grasp new experiences and learn new things.Β Paolo is in the very first steps of his modelling career but our experienced eyes say that he can go very far. His pure and almost poetic way of describing the world around him is like a breath of fresh air. Enjoy his interview below, the first ever on any media, to find out more about his life, his hobbies,Β his dreams and fears and what underwear meansΒ to him.
Name: Paolo PETRU
Born: Romania
Resides: Italy Roma
Website: www.paolopetru.com
Instagram: @paolo.petru
Twitter: @petrupaolo
Hello Paolo, could you tell our readers a few things about yourself?
First of all, I’m very sorry for your readers for my very bad english.Β I’m still learning english and french and IΒ have to make more effort.Β My mother tongueΒ is Romanian and IΒ speak well Italian and Spanish.
Well, I am very glad to give you this interview!Β You want a scoop? It’s the first interview IΒ give for a websiteΒ andΒ IΒ hope your audience likes it!Β I did’t know your site and this allowed me to discover it and find that itΒ is very well done. It makes me want to buy all the clothes youΒ feature…Β The problem is that it will cost me a lot! (he smiles)
So, my name is Paolo and I am a 20 year old guy.Β I was born in Eastern Romania and leftΒ quickly to Western Europe.
Currently, I live with my family in Italy, in Rome, but I travel a lot… I love to travel you know, I travel between Italy, Spain and Belgium and soon I hope to visit many other countries.Β I love sports. I spend at least twoΒ hours everyΒ day at the gym, at the swimming pool… Yes, here in Italy we have luckΒ to have always good weather (he smiles). Also, cycling and especially rugby because I love to practice this sport.
This may seem a bit surprising, I mean for a model to play rugby, but I don’t think so, especially when you see now calendars such as “The Gods of the Stadium” with very masculine looking guysΒ now also like to show their bodies.Β Well, my doctor says I have to watch my back because it is a hard and violent sport but I really like itΒ and when I like something it’s hard for me to stop… I’m a greedy boy! (he laughs)
How long have you been modelling? How did it all start?
Well as you know now, this is theΒ first interview I give, so you can imagine I am far from being a professional model even though I’ve already worked with professional photographers. I just do exchanges as TFCD at the moment, which is good for everyone:Β for the photographer or the brandΒ having the opportunity to work with a new model and for the model who can enrich hisΒ look book and portfolio with new professional photos. I think it’s a win-win for all. Of course we must credit each otherΒ and get paidΒ travel and accommodation costs so that no one is losing.Β I haven’t had yet big contracts butΒ I’m looking for an international model agency and professional photographers as well asΒ brands contracts.
It’s a friend who is a civil airline pilot (with a passion for photography) who convinced me to get into this work. He insisted so much that I agreed to pose for him and do some testing. In fact, I really did not think I was “taking good” the camera lens as he says. I thought, yes, I may be cute but nothing more, I am just a normal guy. After showing the first tests, a lot of people around me told me, “but yes, go ahead, you’re good at this!” and then my friend toldΒ me ” you know perfectly how to play in front of the camera but also you take very good the light!”Β He is not a professional photographer but photography isΒ his biggest passion… after airplanes.Β And then I started. But as I said, I only just started and I am just a young novice in this very difficult world.
What is your greatest accomplishment as a model so far?
Well, difficult to answer this question as you can imagine with what I’ve told you before but I can sayΒ that in the beginning it was difficult to me to look at my pictures.Β It may sound strange but sometimes I had difficulty looking atΒ myself.Β But now I can sayΒ that in three months, I’ve really changed!Β I can’tΒ stop looking at the details in the photos and the clothes I wear.
I think the most important thing for a model (as withΒ any other job) is to get outΒ of the bed in the morningΒ and say “I’m happy doing what I do” and do thisΒ every day.Β I am very motivated to succeed in this very difficult profession.Β I know, success will not be won in advance, the model agencies won’t serving me contracts on a silver platter, you have to fight, communicate, exchange, make a lot of photosΒ and still be glad and happy with whatever you do in your everyday life.Β My pilot friend, I mentioned before, helps me a lot with that.
Otherwise, the bestΒ achievement that I succeedΒ inΒ doing, was to change my underpants in 20 seconds whenΒ the photographer said: “Paolo, hurry up, the weather is changing”. (he laughs)Β You see? It’s not much and I still have much to learn from this business.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Ouhhh lala (I learnt that in french!) Difficult to project myself into the future, I don’t like that!Β I am a “Carpe Diem boy”, enjoying the present moment!Β It is clear that if I would ever be a famous model, in 5 years I will beΒ 25 years old, and IΒ must have myΒ feet on the ground when doing this job.Β It’s like sports and I know it with rugby, I will not be able to practiseΒ it all my life.Β It’s the same with the profession of a model, we must be prudent and realistic, aware even, even though I’m young and I have all the fire in me to go far and succeed… But to get back to your question, I willΒ say:Β to make magazine covers or photos regularly and pictures for major brands but already thinking about retraining for the future…Β
What is your dream job or campaign you would like to work on?
Well, I think that if I could join a campaign to promote young people to do more sport, to move, not to play only video games but to leave home, playing sports with friends, I would be happy.
I think we don’tΒ insightΒ much on doing sports with friends. Not only for the benefits that can bring to our health but alsoΒ as a social benefit. I love team sports, sports we play together, we win together, it’s strengtheningΒ the social cohesion and I think that our society is a little too closed on itself.Β You probably understand that I am also a fan of reading.Β I love reading everything, especially on the web, I love to try and understand the world around me.Β Therefore, a campaign that could promote sports andΒ people understanding each otherΒ would be awesome!Β
And now it’s time to talk underwear! How often do you buy underwear?
(He laughs)Β I like your questions!Β Well, IΒ think IΒ buy some every month, two or three pairs. I cannot getΒ more because theΒ ones IΒ likeΒ are a little “bijou” and IΒ cannot permit myself, at the moment, to buy more.Β But now with my new way of working IΒ hope IΒ can try and test a lot of brands.
Do you have any favourite style of underwear?
The advantage today, unlike our fathers and grandfathers, is that we, young men, now have several kinds of underwear we can wear.Β Briefs, trunks, boxers, leggings, slips, thongs… black, white…Β all colours!Β ForΒ me, it is simple, I wear everything!
I have a preference for trunks – boxers but I do dare to go with aΒ string or a jockstrap obviously and especially with sports. But I can also wear boxer shorts.Β The only thing importantΒ is to feel good with yourselfΒ and today we can say that we, guys, areΒ fortunate for having plenty of choice.Β You know, I have memories as a kid when I saw my grandfather out of his room in his underwear and walking in itΒ aroundΒ the house.Β I have always wondered why menΒ had to wear suchΒ simple and basic things andΒ women could wear sexy and colourful things.Β Today, this has changed and I am very happy about it. UsΒ men, can nowΒ have underwear not only sexy but also sophisticatedΒ andΒ colourful, to reflect our mood and our desires of eachΒ day.
It’s like I said,Β before, men dared not to showΒ their bodies, but now I am proud to liveΒ in times when male underwear hasΒ a place and when we also have the right peopleΒ to have sites like yours and our favourite brands trying to always satisfyΒ our needs better.
When I talked aboutΒ this with my grandfather, he lookedΒ at me smiling and saidΒ “You have chances now, you can go shopping with your girlfriend and she will now pay you new underwear.Β That’s the difference, IΒ never knew that!”Β He’s right, it’s a pleasure to go now and buy underwear and to talk about it with friends or with the person you love.Β That’s freedom and aΒ new way of livingΒ and IΒ appreciate that very much.
Do you have a favourite underwear brand?
Well you know I’m a model beginner, so IΒ don’t know yet all the underwear brands but I must say I tried quite a few. From brands I knowΒ I like Addicted, ES, Calvin Klein, Abercrombie, Emporio Armani. I like their style, they power men with more value.Β I also wear some practicalΒ DIM underwear.Β And I haveΒ just discover a Greek brand called Modus Vivendi which IΒ like their new style and originality.Β They have very original men’sΒ tops.Β We can say us, boys, now have also cute tops to put our bodyΒ andΒ our chest in more value.Β IΒ am beginning to test moreΒ famous brands and IΒ hope that with this interview IΒ can test more of them. (he smiles)
What do you think makes a great pair of underwear?
The fact that it makes youΒ feel really good and not justΒ from aΒ point of comfort of what youΒ put on. Feeling goodΒ about yourself can go through wearing the underwear you like. I’m convinced!Β I have my own special underwear for example whenΒ doing interviews or contests!Β For me, underwear is precious. When youΒ think about, it’s the last pieceΒ of clothing youΒ take offΒ before being completely naked. It’s the last thing you see before being fully naked.
For me, underwear is as, if not more, important asΒ a shirt.Β This couldΒ also be the last piece of clothing your partner will remove before you get down toΒ doing cracrac boumboum! (french expression).
So it is very important that this little piece of fabricΒ full value whatever body you have. And not onlyΒ athletic looking guysΒ would be the ones to wear sexy underwear.Β Underwear is universal and everyone has the right to care forΒ it.
It isΒ a sign that youΒ pay attention to yourself and yourΒ appearance even in intimate moments and this is really important.
Going back to my grandfather discussion, which I love…Β I love very much my family… and always about male underwear, he toldΒ me one day:Β “It is not the plate you eat, it’s what’s inside!”. Β So I told him about the success of Apple, the willingness of Apple to perfect the packaging of their products just to give us the desire to unpack it with grace.Β The care that Apple has brought to the packaging of their products is one reason for their success.Β Today, new brands of men’s underwear are likeΒ the packaging that Apple has created. They give youΒ the urge to look, to discover with yourΒ eyes, a first touch the product, and then unpack almost lovingly.Β This is now the men’s underwear of today and it’s wonderful!Β The development of what we have the most precious, us, the guys.Β To be proud now of our underwear!
Thank you for the interview and the great photosΒ Paolo. It has been a pleasure!
Credits
Model: Paolo Petru
Photographer: Didier Coppens
Underwear: Emporio Armani
Swimwear: ES collection, Addicted
Tank top: Modus Vivendi