Prior to Sunday evening, 19-year-old Henry Samuel had only ever walked in one other fashion show. He already has his pregame soundtrack down, however: Before hitting the runway, he gets pumped up by listening to Rihanna and Future.
But since Samuel is also a guitarist like his father, the musician Seal, it’s possible something a little jazzier could pop up on shuffle. “When I’m playing guitar it’s usually rock or blues, but when I’m listening to music, it’s usually rap or Steely Dan,” Samuel told me by phone on Sunday afternoon. “I listen to a lot of Steely Dan.”
Naturally, Samuel’s mom, the supermodel Heidi Klum, also offered him her own catwalk wisdom. “She has different ways of getting in the zone and I have my different ways of getting in the zone,” Samuel said. “But her advice is just staying calm, being present, and being very motivated.”
Samuel and I chatted a few hours before the fledgling model made his stateside runway debut for the New York City fashion label Kith. That evening, the label staged its first show in six years on the city block outside of its recently renovated Manhattan flagship store on the corner of Lafayette and Bleecker Streets. As nature would have it, a mid-August downpour drenched the streets of NoHo not 30 minutes before the outdoor show was set to begin. After much ado (including clear Kith-branded umbrellas being thoughtfully placed at every seat), the models—including Harlem rapper Jim Jones and New York Knicks guard Jordan Clarkson—hit the turf runway during a merciful break in the clouds.
When Samuel turned onto Lafayette Street in a light-wash denim set layered over a zippered track sweater, his mom and younger brother, 18-year-old Johan, cheered him on from the front row. After the show, Klum told me she thought he’d walked “like a pro.” It helps that Samuel, who signed with Next Management in July, had already walked his first runway earlier this year: He was the only male model featured in Lena Erziak’s spring haute couture show during Paris Fashion Week in January.
As a legendary catwalk veteran herself, Klum—whose 21-year-old daughter, Leni, is also a model—admits the whole experience has all been a bit surreal. “Henry here on the catwalk today, my youngest son moving into his college dorm. Things are changing,” she said. “It’s only his second show and he did so amazingly. It’s so fun to see your child having joy in what he’s doing.” (Later, on Instagram, Klum wrote: “So many beautiful Models on the @kith catwalk in New York tonight, but I only have eyes for you @henrygunthersamuel.”)
