There’s only a few certainties in life: death, taxes and teenage heartthrobs. What were once the Marlon Brandos of the world slowly transformed into the Leo DiCaprios, before Gen Z anointed it-boys such as Timothée Chalamet, Harry Styles and Evan Mock rose to precedence. The latter, Evan, was catapulted to fame from a fleeting video posted on Frank Ocean’s instagram in 2019, snowballing into fully-fledged stardom by way of modelling, acting and luxury brand deals. But how did he get here?
Born in Oahu, Hawai’i, Evan’s dad made surfboard fins and got him into surfing from a young age. Riding the waves of the North Shore, it’s easy to see the laid-back surfer vibe manifest in everything about him – from nonchalance in interviews, to his cool and calm demeanour, well, everywhere. At age 10, he took up skateboarding, becoming a pro at both endeavours. Fast forward to 2019, and artist Tom Sachs (who Mock met surfing) filmed a clip of Evan skateboarding and saying hi to his friend Frank. Turns out that Frank was Frank Ocean, who posted the video the next day onto his Instagram account, catalysing Mock’s ascension to stardom.
From a short clip which wouldn’t have been out of place on Vine, the fashion industry started to take note of Evan. Modelling jobs and brand deals with Lacoste, Paco Rabane and Calvin Klein came flooding in, and the creative started popping up at all the right events at fashion week. From modelling at Louis Vuitton and Alyx shows, to gracing the FROW at Dior, Prada and Off-White pre-pandemic, it seemed that Mock was the newest it-boy in the scene.
Evan became solidified in the fashion sphere, not only for modelling and attending, but also as a designer and creative. Alongside working campaigns, he founded his own streetwear label Sorry in Advance, and was even hired by Saint Laurent to cast, shoot and direct a campaign for their skate sneakers. Building up a serious portfolio, Mock has also been quoted as wanting to release a photography book – but perhaps learning from the pitfalls of Brooklyn Beckham’s much-memed What I See, has since said he wants to wait until he’s older and has learnt more for it to go to production.
And whilst the pandemic saw many careers stagnate, Mock’s skyrocketed. Being personally scouted by Gossip Girl showrunner Josh Safdan, it was Evan’s role as Aki in the new-age Gossip Girl reboot that truly cemented him as a Gen Z posterboy. Sporting his signature pink buzzcut and wearing a uniform for the first time in his life (Mock was homeschooled growing up), house-bound viewers fell in love with the characters charm, wit and demeanour – so naturally, they fell in love with Mock himself, and the rest is (recent) history.
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