“I don’t like to be turnt when I’m shooting,” he says, laughing and stepping back in front of the camera. His musical direction gives a new challenge. I queue up, “I Like the Way (The Kissing Game)” by Hi-Five. He shouts out, “Who put this on? Look at you matching the vibes.” Between outfit changes, Smith makes one more request: “I’mma play some of my mom’s old sh*t.” Suddenly, “Crush” by Solange fills the room and you can tell it makes him feel right at home.
Smith’s love for his mother is omnipresent. In the few hours we spend with him, he brings her up often of his own volition. When we arrive on the 64th floor of the World Trade Center for our interview, he stares out toward the Statue of Liberty through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows. I ask if he’s scared of heights. He laughs in response. “Hell nah. I’ve been over there. Me and my mom jet-skied.”
That same love for his mother is felt in every anecdote he shares about his family. To him, they’re just people — his people. “The environment I was raised in, I just go through life how I see it,” Smith says about his relaxed demeanor. “My mom is chill. Everybody in my family just vibes. So, outside of work, we be chilling. It’s real family time. We go to lunch, go to dinners, and watch movies. It’s a regular life.”
And while to him it may feel ordinary, he also recognizes that his family is extraordinary. His love for them could never allow him to deny their stature in our culture, but in many ways he doesn’t see their renown as an extension of himself. That fame belongs to them. His journey belongs to him.
Below, we talked with Smith about his rising modeling career, his goals for the future, and how his Southern roots shaped his independence and integrity.
I want to start with Paris Fashion Week. How was that?
I got there and at first, I’ll be honest, I only had one show that was confirmed. So I was flying there just really to do that show. I knew there were a couple of other brands that were interested, but it wasn’t locked in. And then I got there and my agent’s phone started booming and then a day went by and I got four shows confirmed. Then it was worth it.
I think my highlight [was] that 424 show because it was more a performance show than just straight walking. We had to bump into the wall and act sad and do all that, so it was different for me and it was new. So I enjoyed that aspect of it.
It’s been so exciting to watch your modeling career grow. I was just talking with my coworker who works at GQ. You’re walking in the GQ x Bode show?
I got a call from my agent and he was just like, “Oh, it’s a show in New Orleans.” And he didn’t even say what brand, I just heard New Orleans and I was like, “All right, cool, we’re there. We’re going to do it.” And then I heard it was Bode. I like Bode. My mom put me on to Bode when I was a kid. I was probably 14, going to the stores. I remember all their pieces were hella expensive, but I love the brand and I’m excited to walk for them, and I’m excited to be back home.
Have you ever been to the Super Bowl?
I think when I was younger, I want to say I went when I was a kid, but not since I’ve been conscious. But I actually won’t be there. I leave the day of the Super Bowl, so I’m not going to the game, but it’s okay. I’m a basketball man. Not really [football]. That was my dad. My dad played football.
This time last year, you were making your debut with Luar. That was such a huge moment. I feel like your face was everywhere.
Yeah, for a cool week my phone didn’t stop really dinging. It was a pretty hectic five days, and then I had to turn around and do Versace a week after that, so I had to lock back in.
Was it just people hitting you up, being like, “This is so dope”?
It was mostly just people surprised. They didn’t think I was going to hit the model scene.
Really?
Yeah, I mean I grew up playing basketball, so a lot of my folks, I was really trying to go to the NBA, that was my main goal and then I’ve always been into fashion and I was working with Luar, like I was doing intern stuff with them, and then Raul one day was just like, “You want to walk in the show?” And I was like, “Hell, yeah, why not?” And then that was it, it was history.
Wait, you were interning at Luar?
Yeah, I was interning with them. Raul’s been a family friend since I was a kid. That’s one of my mom’s closest friends, and so my mom was just like, “You should step your feet into the fashion world.” And I think Raul was the perfect introduction.
Was it on the style side?
Everything. I was going to get coffees for people. I was opening boxes, packing up boxes, like real intern work.
