Fashion Industry Broadcast and Style Planet TV is proud to announce our latest 11-part, hour long feature docuseries. Over the next six weeks we will be unveiling a tease on each episode. In this Netflix Original Series, presented by male supermodel David Gandy, we explore the emergence of a new kind of God, with the rise of the male Supermodel.
What’s the recipe for a male Supermodel? A dash of charm, five per cent body fat and shredded muscles, a boatload of raw sex appeal, and a decent sprinkle of really good luck.
The ensemble cast of Blue Steel have that something special that has allowed them to stand toe to toe in an industry dominated by the Glamazons of the opposite sex. They are trailblazers and trendsetters. They have both set and broken records for their sex in the business. Most of whom fell into the industry by accident, they’ve left some deep imprints along the way, altering the perception of male beauty standards.
The men depicted within this series have more than their faces on billboards, and
names sewn into the fabric of brands. They have built legends and left legacies, and it’s precisely why they deserve to be called “Supermodels” just like their famous female counterparts.
The amazing stories and trails blazed by:
- David Gandy
- John Pearson
- Mark Vanderloo
- Markus Schenkenberg
- Tyson Beckford
- Tony Ward
- Travis Fimmel
- Nacho Figueras
- Werner Schreyer
- Alex Lundqvist
- Andreja Pejic
Andreja Pejic
After making her start as a high-fashion androgynous model, Australian Andreja Pejic has become one of the most talked about transgender models of today and continues to smash gender barriers, paving the way for more diversity in the future. In an era that doesn’t seem to be shaped by traditional constraints, diversification is flooding the industry and Pejic is certainly a face at the forefront.
Andreja Pejic was born in Bosnia-Herzegovina on the 28th of August 1991 and was originally known to her Bosnian parents as Andre. Her grandmother, divorced mother, and older brother fled their home country and migrated to Melbourne after deciding that their living situation during the Bosnian War was unsafe.
She was discovered flipping burgers at McDonalds at 16, Pejic soon became a star. Always being one to test gender boundaries, Pejic started off modelling for Jean- Paul Gaultier in both women’s and men’s shows and shortly after was appearing in men’s shows for Marc by Marc Jacobs. Pejic’s name and success skyrocketed months after appearing on the runways and was soon seen on magazine covers all over the world. But like many of her transgender counterparts, her career was not without some struggles.
Her name was synonymous with controversy in 2011 for her cover for New York magazine, Dossier Journal, because the cover featured a luscious-haired blonde Pejic removing her top. Because she was considered as ‘transitioning’ at the time, the cover was deemed too risqué for certain bookstores in the States. The following year was easier for the young trans-supermodel as her sex-change was openly discussed and applauded more than criticised. OUT Magazine named her as one of their 100 Most Compelling People of 2011, and this became one of many awards she was recognised for. After overcoming many obstacles that normally wouldn’t have been a problem for the traditional model, Pejic’s beauty and talent proved itself. She began receiving opportunities to model for the likes of Jean-Paul Gaultier, Jeremy Scott and even DKNY.
Pejic has dabbled with work in popular advertisement campaigns, cementing herself as a Jack (or Jane) of all trades with her flexibility, adaptability and chameleon-like tendencies. In 2014 Pejic finally underwent sex reassignment surgery, although she knew she had been ready years before actually undergoing the procedure. She is well-loved for being open and relatable, and the fact that she went through with transitioning under the scrutiny of the public eye reveals her true bravery.
She has overcome any negatives, proof shown when Pejic featured in the May 2015 American Vogue – the publication’s first ever profile of a transgender model. She famously thanked her photographer and some of the people at Vogue: “But even more importantly for representing a whole social minority and an often-forgotten community of women in such an important publication and for opening doors for the rest of the fashion industry to do so.”
With the modelling world becoming more diversified, Andreja Pejic is someone who is changing an industry. Without brave individuals pushing conventional boundaries, we would be stuck with the same type of models. Pejic has stayed true to herself, regardless of how it might affect her career, and in doing so she’s changing the game. In fact, Pejic has branched out into the world of beauty with her first major beauty campaign. ‘Face’, Make Up For Ever, in July 2015, making history as the first major cosmetics campaign fronted by a transgender woman. There are now many other transgender models breaking into the fashion and beauty industry making it clear that she has been a world-wide inspiration. Andreja Pejic will forever be one of our favourite ‘It Girls’ for reshaping industry standards and kicking gender stereotypes in the… well, you get the point.