21 Questions: "Going From Broke" with Obi Nwankwo
Images from Obi Nwankwo’s Instagram account
Questions and by Jhenene Louis
24-year-old Boston native Obi Nwankwo is the face of New Balance Athletics and emerging talent on the high fashion scene. When he’s not auditioning for roles or walking the runway shows at New York’s fashion week you can find him in Ashton Kutcher’s docu-series “Going from Broke” on the Crackle television network. We caught up with Obi to discuss his journey on becoming a model and what the future holds. Let’s just say he has no plans of slowing down anytime soon…
1. Tell me a little bit about your background. Where are you from?
“I grew up in Boston Massachusetts suburbs. My family is from Nigeria but most of my childhood was spent in Boston, but I spent a couple of years in Africa as well. "
2. Is there a meaning behind your name?
“Yeah, Obi is a nickname. My full first name is Obinna, which means ‘Daddy’s Heart’. It means very compassionate and loving.“
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3. How did you get into modeling?
“When I graduated from Boston College I studied finance management and ran track all 4 years, then after I finished my collegiate career I was trying to decide if I should go professional and continue that or move to California. Before moving I started building my portfolio in Boston and a friend of mine was like you should submit your photos to some castings in Boston, so I did and I ended up getting picked for an ESPN Core Power commercial, and that was my first time doing anything on-screen.
I leveraged that opportunity and got signed to a small boutique modeling agency within the first couple of weeks I was in LA. From there I just kept going to casting calls and doing more photoshoots and I got more attention from larger agencies. fast forward to now I leveraged a lot of my relationships in LA to expand to the New York market.”
4. Was the road to becoming a model difficult, and do you have a greater appreciation for the journey?
“The road to becoming a model was a lot. I had to change my whole look. I wasn’t getting the results I wanted, which was a shock when I moved to LA. LA fashion was very different from Boston fashion. My style was street style and upscale business look, but the upscale look isn’t necessarily LA, so my portfolio just wasn’t getting me what I wanted. I was a little bigger then. I weighed 195 pounds and at the time I had a Mohawk style haircut and I just kept getting the same response like Oh, you would be great to be in the sports division or style division, but no one was considering me for high fashion and that's really what I wanted.
So, my first year I was like okay, let me slim down and change up my look. I lost about 20-25 pounds, I cut off my hair and completely rebranded myself. I became vegan I started taking my health more seriously and doing Yoga. I just made a full transformation. Everything changed. I just started booking legitimate jobs. Then I started thinking I could be a model full time. Before this, I wasn’t generating the income where it could be sustainable to continue my passion without working another side job. After I cut my hair and loss weight I was able to continue modeling full time."
5. Who introduced you to style?
“My sisters, they were the ones who told me to always look presentable, to always have a pair of nice shoes. I was always fashionable for Boston standards, but when I moved to LA I befriended a couple of people in the model industry and they showed me the drip. They were like to take these shoes and take this shirt.
I don’t like them anymore, but I think they would look great on you. Then I started taking note of designer pieces or vintage pieces and people would approach me asking if I was a model and I was like Yes, I am!
I think it’s because people's first impressions of me are that I’m very hardworking and driven, so I was able to inspire my friends in other areas of life. Don’t tell me about your dreams and expect me not to put you closer to them.”
6. What’s a staple every man should have in their closet?
“You gotta have a nice pair of black pants and men should also have a pair of Dr. Martens. They are a staple for me. They make your legs look amazing because of the way the boot is cut for certain pants. If you have black pants and a nice pair of Dr. Martens you can honestly wear whatever shirt you want. This look goes with everything.
I like colors that pop. I like to wear bright colors on the top and dark colors on the bottom. Have a nice pair of blue and black wash denim jeans that are fitted. I also think Chelsea boots are amazing.”
7. Was the transition to modeling/acting effortlessly for you?
“ I always tell people, in the beginning, I probably auditioned for over 100 projects and was told no for every single one of them. I didn’t make a dime. I was like damn this industry is tough, but it was summer in LA and I was happy, but then I had a friend who asked me how everything was going and I was like ‘Everything is going great this summer I’m getting out there I’m going to a lot of auditions.’ and my friend was like ‘Yeah bruh I see you going to a lot of auditions but are you booking, though?’
That was a wake-up call. That stayed with me for so long. I still thank him to this day, because the way I pursued my career was different. My mindset was different. “
8. You are based in New York and LA, but which place is home?
“ I’m in the process of getting signed in Boston, but yeah I’m pretty much based in Boston, New York, and LA. After a year the plan is to venture off to London, Paris, and Milan to pursue high fashion.”
9. Your schedule is packed what do you do to unwind - what are days off like?
"When I was in LA I started to burn myself out because I wanted it so bad. At one point, I did a workout challenge where I worked out for 100 days straight. That burned me out mentally and physically, so transitioning from that I found a happy medium.
Now my workout routine is more relaxed. I don’t need to work out to get in shape I just need to maintain at this point. I get cast, a lot as a basketball player or a runner so it’s pivotal that I maintain my athleticism. I also do yoga a lot and that has changed my life mentally. I read one or two books a month as well, and I cook a lot at home.”
10. Tell me what your relaxed look consists of. Sweats or jeans?
“My outfits change so much. I shock my friends sometimes when I wear things. Sometimes I’ll wear a nice pair of jeans and other times I would wear a big T-shirt and sweats with Nike or New Balance shoes. I like to be out there.
I’ll wear green, orange, and blues. Those colors are very inviting. I think a lot of men aren’t confident in wearing those colors, so it exuberates a different type of confidence. I’ll throw on a neon orange turtle neck. It’s very California but it sticks out even more in New York.”
11. How has modeling influenced your style?
"Modeling has influenced my style because I’m around a lot more models and people in the entertainment industry. I definitely picked up on new trends, and its helped me be more in tune with fashion because a large part of my network when I go on IG are models dressed in different ways, and I see that and I think that’s pretty cool let me try and add that to my style, but also make it my own.”
12. Who are some of your style icons?
"I love Virgil Abloh I follow him religiously, and what he’s done with Louis Vuitton has escalated the brand.
A model that is inspiring to me is Alton Mason he has incredible style. Some of my friends who aren't in the industry have really good fashion sense as well and they inspire me."
13. You’ve just signed a Huge deal with New Balance you must be on cloud 9 right now! What stands out about this brand?
"New Balance is a very established brand they have been around since the early 1900s. What I like about New balance is they are starting to emerge into the Lifestyle and fashion industry, and it inspired me to want to be apart of that brand. New Balanced believed in me. They liked my brand and believe in what I’m doing.
As they are taking this upward trend and I’m taking this upward trend in my career it just seemed like the perfect fit. A few years ago Puma wasn’t known for lifestyle and fashion, but then they started to sign people like Rihanna, The Jenners and Rae Sremmurd and all these artists like G-Eazy. Now Puma is considered more fashion, and New Balance is on that same wave because they are revamping, so to be at the forefront of that new wave for such a big brand was a no brainer for me."
14. What’s your favorite pair of sneakers right now?
“My Dr. Martens are my favorite pair of sneakers, but I like new balances as well. “
15. What trends do you want to see come to an end?
“I just feel like fashion is incredible right now. There is no real trend that I want to see stop because honestly, people in LA and New York are so unique with their fashion that if you just rock it with confidence, you can make anything look good. “
16. What was your experience like in New York fashion week, is it glamorous as it seems or were you busy to take it all in?
“It was eye-opening. You always hear about New York fashion on TV or Instagram. Originally, I was only booked for one show. I walked in the SMOCK ME STYLE X RUNWAY SHOW and I was a little nervous because this was my first show ever.
After I walked the show all these designers just started coming up to me and I started booking more shows. I think I brought a different type of energy because I wanted it. I started to network and meet the right people at the right time, and I ended up walking for 5 or 6 designers after my first day of fashion week.
I met up with a friend during fashion week and she asked me to come along with her to a show she was walking in. She introduced me to the head of the booking, and they ended up liking my walk and asked me to walk in their show. Some of the brands I got to walk for is Dust of God, Charles & Ron, and Kenneth Barlis this is all because of my friend was looking out for me. I was just so thankful."
17. When it comes to acting what projects have you worked on?
“I was working on a show Family Time it's directed by Beverly Kyle Evans he created Martin and The Jamie Foxx Show. I played an athlete and it was an amazing experience I got to work alongside Omar Gooding and he was one of my favorite actors. It was so surreal. They liked me on the show and they want me back. I’m sure they are going to get greenlighted for season 9.”
18. What advice do you have for other aspiring models/actors ?
“Know your vision. I had to figure out what I wanted. I wanted to be a model that could do everything across the board. In terms of acting, I would say work on the craft. Take time to focus on your auditions.
My running motto is you are one yes away. I truly believe that you are one yes away from your life-changing on a worldwide scale. I could walk down the street tomorrow and meet Steven Spielberg and he could ask me to recite a monologue, and I can do it because I’m prepared for the moment. That is what opportunity is.
When preparation meets opportunity that equal success. You have to be consistent and stay ready. You also need to keep good energy. Keep people around you who inspire you and you should also inspire them. Your friends can be your biggest downfall, but they can also lift you up, so you have to be selective about the people you are around because that’s perception."
19. What's the biggest obstacle you have overcome so far in your career?
“Maintaining my weight. When I ran track in college I could whatever I wanted, but then I would train, and when you do that 6 or 7 days a week you can eat whatever you want because your body is just going to burn it off. Then transitioning into LA I still ate whatever I wanted, but it didn’t give me that lean physique I wanted, so I battled to maintain a healthier diet. I grew up in a Nigerian family where every dish consists of meat. To go from that to becoming vegan was very tough for me, but I did it because I needed to work more. It was like to make it or break it.“
20. What motivates you each day?
“My family, I do everything for my family. My mom gave up so much as a single parent to raise 4 kids. I’ve always told my mom that she was going to retire on my watch. Like Kevin Durant’s Mom, I want to give a speech to my mom, like, 'mom you are the real MVP.' My mom inspires me.
She was the first person who told me I was great. She told me I could do anything I wanted and that reconfirmation as a child inspired me, so I seriously believe I was the greatest. In this industry, people try to bring you down. I’ve been told I was great since I was 2 years old, and no one can tell me otherwise. It’s just ingrained in me at this point.”
21. What’s your take on designers who incorporate African prints in their pieces?
“I think it’s amazing. I love that people are embracing their cultures more in fashion. I’m a big supporter of my people. I appreciated my culture so much. When I see Nigerian designers add that little flair to their pieces it makes them stand out. If you look at the trend in music now Afro-beat is huge now. People are just embracing being African and their culture.
People don’t know how powerful the year 2020 is. It marks 400 years since Africans and the black nation have broken away from slavery, and god wrote during biblical times that this would be the year we would become prosperous and you can start seeing the trend now in entertainment that there is a big inclusion to get minorities involved with everything. Anything we want we can manifest in life.”
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