Brad Allen is one of the main men in the Jamaican battalion diversifying the global modelling scene. Scouted by the Caribbean’s leading modelling agency, Saint International, Brad’s childhood dream was to join his country’s armed forces. Little did he know that years later, the army he would join would not be Jamaica’s military but that of its modelling militia.
Allen is the face of Polo Ralph Lauren’s S/S 2018 campaign, Tom Ford’s SS’18 Look Book, as well as Zara’s 2018 Catalogue. As for the runway, the 24-year-old island boy has stomped for industry heavyweights such as Balmain, Calvin Klein, Dolce & Gabbana, Emporio Armani, Givenchy, Hermès, Moncler Gamme Bleu and Philip Plein, to name a few.
Since his career pulled off in 2014, Brad has been seen by many but has not yet been interviewed. We recently caught up with the young Jamaican, who never thought he could be a model but can’t imagine himself doing anything else now.
Q&A
How did you get discovered?
BA: I was on my way home from school one Friday afternoon when I was approached by my mother agency’s former assistant, who brought the idea of modelling to me. At that time I wasn’t interested but my friend whom I was travelling with said to me, “Give it a shot, you’ll never know what good you’ll get from it”, and so I passed on my mother’s number. On that very evening, my mom told me I got a call from Saint saying that they would like to meet with us the very next day. My mom was so excited that she woke me up bright and early the Saturday morning so that we would be there very early.
What does being an international male model from Jamaica mean to you?
BA: It means a lot to me. I just want to show the kids – especially young men – back home that if you believe in yourself and goals and work towards them, then anything is possible.
What’s the best piece of advice you have gotten?
BA: I should always remain calm, level-headed and focused on what’s important and everything else after.
If you can chill with anyone, dead or alive, who would that be and why?
BA: If I got that I would love to spend some time with my grandmother. I remember playing with her and sleeping next to her when I was just a baby before she died.
What most inspires you?
BA: That would be my siblings, I have 1 brother and 3 sisters and I’m the oldest.
If you would be a song which would you be?
BA: I would say “Crawl” by Chris Brown.
What’s the most important thing in your life?
BA: That would easily be my family and my love.
Teach us two Jamaican patios phrases every human should know?
BA: “Wah gwaan?” (How’s everything?) and “Which pawt yah guh?” (Where are you going?)
Where would you like to live? And why?
BA: I have been asking myself that same question for some time now and after being to so many places, the only place I keep thinking of is New York.
Where would you want to travel?
BA: It has always been my dream to go to Dubai. I am a car person so I really want to see as many supercars as possible.
What’s your greatest struggle?
BA: My greatest struggle is seeing food and finding the strength to take it.
What’s your greatest strength?
BA: My greatest strength is the confidence the people closest to me have in me.
What do you offer that no one else does?
BA: I would say love and encouragement.
What’s your greatest wish for yourself?
BA: To keep proving to myself that I can do better than I did the day before.
What’s the thing you tell yourself every day?
BA: I tell myself that I don’t want to go back to nothing… so get up and start doing something.
