My dream is to work as a model or executive designer for a company like Converse. I went thru their Instagram and found a guy Henri who was tagged in a few posts. He is a dancer, model, and more. I reached out to him and this is how it turned out…
Who is Henri and what he does?
Hello, my name is Henri, I’m the little guy from Instagram who likes to dance, be stylish, stand in front of the lens, listen to some cool song and finally end it with a funny conclusion as a speaker. (in a nutshell)
To be honest, I do much more since it all goes kind of hand in hand. Recently, I was for example able to attend another year of the charity fashion show Fashion & Stars organized by Petra Vyoralova, where I can walk as a “model” and dance with models like Veronika Kašáková, Nikola Buranská, or even man of the year 2022 Dominik Chabr.
It’s great that you don’t ever get bored in the art business, even if you are a versatile person who likes to learn and is able to offer more. So I enjoy moderating, speaking, dancing, photography, and taking advantage of what I love.
What was your biggest “wow” moment? (measured by the intensity of experience, not by conventional success)
Great question. Thank you. My ego might react in a way that having the opportunity to perform with people like Rytmus, Ego, Sharlota, and others, or to appear on TV, in music videos and commercials is kind of an “imaginary peak”. Honestly, when I think about it more, I realize that my peak is to be part of charity events where I have the opportunity to do what I love. I’ve dedicated years to this and now I am able to help others thanks to that. What is more, than being able to help others?
It may sound strange, but I started to think of it that way from a certain point. After all, a guy who was laughed at, disbelieved, went through hundreds of fuckups but still was able to get to a level where he has the opportunity to perform with the best.
Anyway, if I had to answer exactly, the “wow” moments have always been those moments when you first perform in places like arenas, festivals, etc. When you stand in those stages and see how big they are you’re like “Woow okay, so here we are Henri, I like it here.” It’s like when you wish for something, you do your best to get it and then you actually stand there it’s a breathtaking moment.
Henri is a dancer for a famous Czech rapper Sharlota (What is it like?)
Since I am a pro-dancer and the “artistic world” here in the Czech Republic is not that big, I have known Šája (Sharlota) for 8 years. Thanks to our former artistic project, where I performed with her at a show. It pretty much started there. After that, we went to some events together from time to time, where we had collaborations like the one with Converse. Currently, for 2 years, I had a chance to collaborate with her as a dancer and also with others. (Icy, Ester, Standa)
I’ll admit, that I’m happy to know these people and work alongside them because of the way they approach things, the way they convey their energy to people, the way we can work together, the way they can focus and take their work as they should is really great. I wanna say a big thank you to them because these are exactly the individuals you want to work with. Together we can go to gigs, clubs, and festivals, and this year we finished the #kamkolidutour, which we enjoyed a lot as a group.
Networking is the key to success, how do you get in touch with important people?
Absolutely, if I didn’t know the right people and wasn’t the right person for them I wouldn’t ever even be at some events. Most of the time it’s really about the kind of person you are, what you’re able to give to the other person, and most importantly who you know. Since my life changed, I follow the rule, who you surround yourself with is who you become. The people you have next to you are really important in your life.
I take the right contacts as a necessary part of life, which today more or less everyone can have. (If they will have something to offer.) The thing is that some people are mad because they don’t have such great contacts, but they don’t think about why that is.
It could for example be because their appearance is not quite presentable, or their way of expression, communication, and overall output is not quite appropriate. They don’t know how to behave in society, they don’t improve their abilities and skills.
As humans, we have to understand that most successful, rich, and overall people who are worth something and have some kind of value choose very carefully who they let in their circle. You feel me. So, if we don’t have anything to offer them, it’s obvious why we don’t have those people around.
3 underrated fashion brands Henri recommends
There are not as many brands, but my favorites are definitely FEAR OF GOD and German brands EESTEM and LFDY. Each of these brands still maintains a kind of minimalism, which I have always relied on. Overall, I prefer brands that are not so famous, I like to wear pieces that you don’t see often. When I buy something it also doesn’t have to cost thousands of dollars.
Who was the most interesting person you’ve met so far?
There are dozens of these people and I am truly grateful for it! A person I would like to mention is Daniel Nekonečný, who is unfortunately not alive anymore. In my life I have seen only a few people who had energy like him, he radiated something not everyone has.
Working with Converse
It all started with a photo shoot I was approached to do at the time. It was a limited edition for the Prague market. I shot it together with Dome Skywalker, Rebecca, and Ex Dominica Karolína. The way it works is when I am more active I get pieces that fit my concept. I’m very happy to be working with Converse thanks to the agency Friendly Friends!
What’s my tip to get an opportunity like this yourself? I’ll admit that I mostly wanted it, so if you know the concept of the “law of attraction” it really happened to me like that. But I believe that working together with photographers helped me to have the feed I have on my IG. Having a great IG feed helped me. The basis of my success always was being interesting, essentially just being myself. Not being afraid to be different. Being able to find the style that suits me best.
To not be afraid to ask to work with a brand from time to time. If people don’t know about you how do you want them to even think about working with you? For example, with one collaboration where I’ve been an ambassador for 4 years now, it happened because I contacted them myself. The most important thing is at the end of the day to have something to offer. That will get you any collaboration.
The biggest “NOs” in fashion
I give a big “NO” to utter bad taste, a lot of people combine colors and pieces that don’t make sense. Recently I met a lady who had a red jacket and a purple shoulder bag. That’s a bigger flop for me than socks in sandals because even that can be combined well. People just don’t know how to wear it. I met plenty of foreigners who looked good in them. So focus more on the combination of certain pieces and colors.
For example, if you want to wear red then you should complement it with colors like black, yellow, white, blue, or grey. The thing is that most people don’t even think about it. I’m not saying that I’m a person who understands it the best, but feels that I have some kind of feeling for it, so it’s mostly a natural thing for me.
That’s why I sometimes feel like giving people advice out of politeness, even though I understand that I’m not entitled to it. It seems fair to me though, because I have friends (and I’m honestly glad for that) who ask me to help them with their outfit choices.
What can’t be missing in any outfit?
I would say that definitely accessories like bracelets, watches, etc. always add a nice touch to an outfit and overall I think that any little thing adds the right touch.
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