Sage Suede, 28.
Are you on Social Media? How many followers do you have?
Yes, I am active on social media. I think it's ~111k with most on Instagram.
Do you work Full-time or Part-time as a Fashion Model?
Lately, it has been part-time for jewelry and local underwear brands.
What made you decide to become a Fashion Model?
My friend was organizing a runway show and she needed male models. She said that everyone knew me and they wanted me to be in the show, so that's when I did my first runway show.
How many hours do you spend modeling?
20 hours a week. Most of the time is in the studio.
Is fashion important to you? Why?
Yes, fashion is important for my happiness. As an artist, the aesthetics are pleasing to me and I like to present looks that are more fresh and original. Sometimes I do a little bit of gender-bending or non-conventional dress, based on what frames my figure.
Recently, I found that I can pull off an XL petite as a crop top if it fits my shape. For most of my photoshoots, I have cut & styled my own hair. Often, I also hire the photographers or establish a relationship with the brand before modeling for them, like when I modeled for One Gig Co and I introduced the owner to my photographer NaturallyJess before we did a skatewear shoot.
Picture provided by Sage Suede
What are your successes and how did you achieve them?
I've had a lot of international publicity for fashion modeling. This Christmas, I was in The Daily Star UK with some tasteful implied nudes. I have worked with many photographers, but one of them is closest to me (on Instagram ATXBlade) and he rents studio space for us to do high-contrast LED in duotone, as well as three-point and two-point light photos.
He gives me the opportunity to select the colors which lead to my album Savage Summer having a pink/orange color scheme. I've also found other color schemes that look striking. Blue has been a bigger theme in my new album Renegade, so I also have some blue-lit photography. We also did a red/green color scheme for Christmas with a friend.
I've been in DNA Magazine in Australia at least 7 times now which is the largest gay magazine in Asia; they've included my work both as a male model and musician next to other prominent artists like Tyler, The Creator.
What’s something you might want to do in the future?
I want to do more modeling with women. My brand is more popular with queer communities, but I know my angles very well and can make anyone look good. I am experimenting more with different genders of clothing, but my goal is not to drag, so much as to find new styles that flatter the male figure in a way that looks unique and kind of avant-garde.
I do psychedelics, so I don't shy away from wild patterns and colors, but they need to be paired well. I have a lot of video concepts and recorded one recently that looks very smokey and surreal with lasers. I'm still editing it but it's for songs on my new album Renegade.
Is the name of the Brand important to you when you model clothing?
Yes, I haven't modeled for any brands that have a bad reputation. I don't mind modeling for small businesses and that has actually been a big focus in my career. I model for the local gay underwear store, Package Menswear, and am friends with the owner who is also a photographer.
I also modeled on the runway for Ministry of Supply in Boston; they are materials engineers, so they actually designed everything to be water-resistant. I modeled a jacket for them that was made from NASA space suit material and is fully rain-repellant in a downpour. I like to support local brands through my work when I can, so I have done so when I lived in Boston and also in Austin.
Describe your personal style of clothing?
I'm eccentric and modern. I usually thrift, so I can get higher-end clothes, without breaking the bank. Depending on my mood, I might wear something that is different enough to look like someone else.
I recently tried spraying my hair with hair color over the weekend so it was hot pink and the pink is still fading from my hair. I might keep doing it but there is still pink in my hairline, so not this weekend.
My clothing can be feminine at times, but only when it fits my shape in the right way. I will try on anything that looks cool but need to analyze it to see if it fits my shape.
I am more masculine and comfortable with modeling soft beauty, but lately, I am breaking the mold more than ever to find new styles for photoshoots and explore new artistic horizons. As a result, I have been looking for things that I wouldn't normally wear, like pink for diverse chromatic palettes.
How did you find your personal style?
I'm my own stylist and hairdresser now, so they are my ideas. I like to create album art that is dynamic and thematic. Since I thrift or go to consignment, it is more random than department stores.
As a kid all I could afford was Goodwill and sales bins, so I got very good at shopping and sifting through styles. Now I am in a better position to shop online too, but I still go to consignment.
Do you have a signature look?
My style changes all the time. I would say right now my style is "bem bandido" or like a good baddy. It's a Brazilian expression, kind of like a Robin Hood-type thing.
In the southwest, you could say renegade cowboy, depending on the movie so I went with Renegade for my last album title. I don't stick to just southwestern clothing, although I have leather chaps that I'm also wearing in an upcoming video.
My first album, it was simple and I just did a white background with my image on a skateboard. That album was more about 3D music videos that were featured in a local art gallery.
The second album, Foolin Around, was all high-contrast black and white photography with underwear modeling for Package Menswear, which I also made into a coffee table book.
Nothing is set in stone, I never want to look stale but I like that the music has thematic visuals and colors, so there's an entire experience with each album that is often multidimensional.
I guess people usually see me in a snapback and gold hoop earrings lately so maybe that is my current signature look.
Picture provided by Sage Suede
Do you have an influence on other people’s clothing style?
Yes, I have noticed a lot of local guys have started wearing gold hoop earrings, since my recent influencer relationships with Gemsaza.net and Lorianze.com. I wear gold hoops all the time and think that it is a good look for most men because it brings attention to eye level. I focus more on chunky jewelry in metallic tones, as this is better for men's fashion and hip-hop.
What are in your eyes the best trends at the moment?
I think that it's interesting how elaborate makeup artists are getting with brows. I keep mine more natural but it's good for high fashion when they do them bleached or with pearls. For every day, I do not think I would bleach or shave mine but I would like to try the pearl brows or a pearl stud. The Marilyn stud could also work as a pearl.
I'm pleased to find more color and variety this year, as the American corporate scene can be very bland and derivative of high-end fashion. I'm inspired by Colombian fashion and culture a lot, so I love that bright colors are making a comeback in summer.
Unfortunately, there is too much pandering in Texas, as if they think our demographic only wants bland flannels and plaids, so I have been ignoring most of that clothing for bright colors lately. I have a lot of neutrals already so I didn't feel the need to buy them, lately. I usually find better variety and styles at thrift stores than at the local mall.
What are in your eyes the worst trends at the moment?
Cargo pants are making a comeback and I read about how they can look hot in higher-end materials, but they are usually just saggy and cotton so that has been a disappointment. I want them in silk though.
What kind of fashion advice would you give us?
I think going back to my earlier comment, I may be Texan but my taste is influenced by global fashion and not defined based on regional stereotypes.
You get a bunch of executives in a board room and often they are making assumptions, rather than sending me the coolest products that they forward to New York or LA, we get everything hokey. When I went to Zara in Boston and NYC, the quality and styles were much better than the Zara in Austin.
I would love to see that change, Austin is a well-developed city, so most people still want to look cool and have more developed palettes like mine since they grew up with the internet. I'm thinking of leaving for somewhere more cosmopolitan but everyone here has access to the internet like I do.
My recommendation would be to develop brands that are fashionable and tasteful. I know I am outrageous but just make them look good and stop imitating basics all the time.
The great designs fly off the shelves when they are not too outrageous so I would like to see more of the designs and less of the derivative fodder at the mall.
A good example that has become a bit basic is I used to have a snapback with tropical florals on it. I've seen it repeated so many times on hats that it isn't as cool as when I got it back then but it sold well because it is colorful and interesting.
I spend a lot of time online so I see many brands that are cool and colorful that have inspired designs, so corporations need to compete with them to stay in business, instead of doing dull knockoffs of each other all the time. You can tell I have been disappointed with the mall lately lol but if they don't read this then they may fall behind.
Who is your style icon and why?
I think my biggest style icon at the moment is Karol G. Like her video for Bichota has a lot of cool looks. Obviously, I don't copy anyone directly, but you know like I might wear a cute crop top too and I find inspiration in colors and ideas. She also does a lot of cool hair colors and has been one of my favorite musicians for the past few years.
Bad Bunny has been a big influence on fashion this year and I like him, but bucket hats aren't a preference for my face shape. I noticed more corporate inspiration based on his fashion this year, but honestly, they did it in a duller way, instead of showing the full vibrance that makes his looks cool and exciting. I also think about J Balvin's style on Colores.
I'm definitely influenced by Madonna too, when I made the coffee table book for Foolin Around, it was inspired by her book during Erotica. My version was only underwear though, so it wasn't so dirty.
I have many other influences too and am hoping to learn more about South American fashion because I enjoy it a lot. I went to Brazil about 5 years ago and found some cool outfits. One shirt I had for a while was the Virgin Mary, but they made her face look exactly like Britney Spears and all in duotone blue/yellow. I think we need more color in my state.
Is there something else you would like to share with us?
I also direct and edit my videos on Youtube.com/c/sagesuede so the design and fashion go into them too. I like to pair things in a way that is dramatic without many preconceptions.
On Instagram, I share all of my recent modelings so it can be a good place to stay in touch with my style: instagram.com/sage_suede 
