Whether Alfred Marine is posing in beautiful clothes for a campaign or taking the Instagram classic bathroom selfie in front of a tiled wall, he can’t seem to take a bad photo. The incredibly photogenic model of Dominican descent started his career at about age 16, a time when he – like many other young people trying to succeed in this business – felt the pressure to look a certain way. Now at 20, Alfred refuses to conform to what people expect of him, and as he pushes his masculine and feminine energy to the center stage, he’s carving out the kind of career he could only have dreamed of.
We reached out to Alfred to learn more about his prominent brows, striking out on his own, and more.
Here’s what he had to say.
1
On why he went independent
“I first got into the modeling industry when I was around 16-17. I was always interested in modeling and went too many open calls, but when I finally got signed I was really disillusioned with the reality of the industry. My agency would constantly tell me to lose weight and I would but soon I was 100 pounds at 6 feet, and they were still pushing for me to lose weight, so I left them and became independent. I’ve been modeling Independent for two years now and I enjoy it so much more!”
2
On embracing femininity and masculinity
“It’s definitely about having a good balance of masculine and feminine influence. I think that being in tune with both your femininity and masculine energy’s gives you a huge advantage in life in general, but when it comes to my work I’d say it also gives me an edge. I think a lot of industry people today want to play with the idea of what it means to be a man or a woman and I think having someone that authentically lives their life in both really enhances the work, and I feel like photographers can sense that.”
3
On his eyebrows
“My biggest asset would definitely be my eyebrows even when I’m not feeling myself, and I’d go to castings my eyebrows would always save the day. I would always be self conscious about them when I was younger, and now I try to make them as big as possible by brushing soap into them.”
4
On his biggest accomplishment so far
“I’d say working in the fashion Industry without an agency would be my biggest accomplishment. For a while, I didn’t think it was possible and almost gave up but social media has made it a million times easier for brands, designers, etc to connect and reach out. To be very honest, I did not know it was possible to make a living off social media, but brands and designers have really made it a reality for me and I’m still kind of in shock that this is my reality.”
5
On the kind of brands he gravitates toward
“My favorite shoot is one I did for a brand called Bond Hardware; they’re a queer women-owned business selling sustainable jewelry. They put me in their diamond collection and it was the most comfortable and safe I’ve ever felt shooting for someone. I really love when I can embody what a brand stands for become a chameleon and take in the essence of the brand.”