David Gandy Talks Fatherhood, Scent And Style

The world-renowned male supermodel takes time out under the Capri sun to speak exclusively with Grazia

David Gandy looks entirely at ease when I sit down to interview him, and why wouldn't he? We're basking in the Mediterranean sun in the grounds of a mountainside villa in Capri, on a terrace that overlooks a vast expanse of sapphire blue sea. They're the same twinkling waters that starred as the backdrop to that Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue campaign, the iconic shot that saw one man and a boat splashed across magazine pages and billboards the world over. 'I walked my first ever fashion show for Dolce & Gabbana in 2002,' remembers David, 'no other designers wanted to use me in shows back then. I got my first major campaign with them in 2005, and the next year Light Blue came about. My career wouldn't have been what it was if it wasn't for Dolce & Gabbana.'

David has long since come to terms with the struggles he faced at the beginning of his career. 'There seemed to be a limit to how far male models could go when I started out,' he says, 'I'm talking in terms of pay, branding, engagement from fans.'

So he sought advice from the most successful women in the business, 'if I ever got the chance to work with them,' - the supermodels of the noughties - 'I'd make sure to ask how they succeeded in their careers - I really appreciated how tough it was and what went into it. They taught me that you had to run things like a business.'

Last year David celebrated 20 years in the industry, and he's witnessed a lot of change since he was first plucked from obscurity as part of a modelling competition for ITV's This Morning in 2001. 'I've seen the move from film photography to digital photography, the rise of social media, the impact of Instagram and TikTok,' he says all but shaking his head, 'think back to that first Light Blue campaign, it was advertising, it was billboards, it was Time Square, the spirit of that campaign and those very images endure today.' And now? 'Everything's disposable,' he says, 'campaigns seem to last six months to a year before there's a new face and a new campaign.'

New campaigns there may be, but Dolce & Gabbana's Light Blue scent proved its endurance long ago. 'It's a smell that epitomises a Mediterranean summer,' says David, 'for me it evokes memories of that very first Light Blue shoot, it transports me right back to that boat instantly.' This summer the iconic perfume house launched two brand new Light Blue iterations - Light Blue Italian Love Pour Homme Eau de Toilette, and Light Blue Italian Love Pour Femme Eau de Toilette. Both, like the Light Blue iterations that came before them, fly the flag for fruity florals, while offering something warmer, something enveloping and endlessly more-ish.

David is never without a couple of Dolce & Gabbana perfumes when he's travelling. 'Packing for trips like this involves separating out my liquids into a few 100ml bottles,' he reveals, clearly a man that thrives on order and routine, 'I never like to put anything into the hold when I travel, I like to be quick, there's always a couple of Dolce scents in there, a couple of bits of skincare, a razor and a beard trimmer.' And he's no less time efficient when it comes to grooming. 'People have this idea that I take ages to get ready,' he says, 'it's a misconception that comes with being a male model, when in actual fact I have young children now, so my getting-ready routine has been brought down to barely five minutes - a quick dash after nursery or pre-school' - David lives with his partner Stephanie, a barrister, and their two daughters, three-year-old Matilda and Tabitha, who was born in November - 'my other half is much better, but I literally get up and make breakfast for the kids in loungewear and a cap - anything to cover me up for the morning dash.'

He does make sure to work self-care into his new schedule though - 'training is massively important to me, going to the gym,' he says, 'I often head to the gym at nine o'clock in the evening, once the kids are asleep, and work out there for a good hour. It's as much for my mental wellbeing as it is for my physical wellbeing.' As for red carpet prep, that ranks far lower on his list of priorities. 'I know people who spend a week with their stylist and glam squad beforehand,' he says, 'I take 25 minutes to get ready for something like that, at the most. I wish I had more time to spend on it but I don't, and getting ready really doesn't take me that long.'

While it's clear that, aside from scent, the intricacies of skincare and grooming do little to light his fire at present, he comes alive when talk veers to fashion. 'I've never had a stylist in my life,' says David, 'which always seems to surprise people.' Today he's wearing a knitted, tan Dolce & Gabbana polo shirt and dark blue trousers, every item's immaculately tailored and evocative of bygone Hollywood glamour. 'Back in the day those stars - icons like Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, James Dean and Cary Grant - they understood the art of simple dressing,' he says, 'they dressed for themselves, they wore what they felt comfortable in, what made them feel confident.' David takes a similarly utilitarian approach to dressing, 'I've been very fortunate that people like what I do with style and what I put together.' It takes something special to level up to those timeless Hollywood heavyweights in the style department, to transcend trends and be put on a pedestal in fashion's coveted hall of fame, but something tells us that David Gandy is well on his way to doing just that.

Shop: The Brand New Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue Italian Love Releases