Lucky Blue Smith’s senior prom was not a typical affair. The 18-year-old came back from working in Los Angeles to his hometown in Spanish Fork, Utah for the occasion. He wore a Tom Ford tux, a gift from Tom Ford himself. There was another thing that was different. ‘It was so weird going back after everything that’s happened,’ says Lucky. ‘No one would look away. They were all so interested that I was there. So shocked.’
Why did jaws drop? Because three years ago Lucky Blue Smith left school, went to L.A., and between the power of social media and a bottle of bleach turned into the biggest male model of the moment. He’s since starred in campaigns for Tom Ford, been shot by Annie Leibovitz and walked in shows for Balmain, Fendi and Versace.
But his real power lies outside the traditional markers of what makes a clothes horse a winner. Lucky, 18, is an Instamodel, a Next management signing that created his own power base by amassing 2.6m Instagram followers, leading him to be dubbed ‘the male Cara’ by Vanity Fair.
His big break came when he reached for the bottle of dye on the advice of his agent, who thought his Cali pretty boy look was cute, but looking like Edward Cullen’s 6 ft. 3 brother – all Brad Pitt pout and swimming pool blue eyes - was better. Lucky was also social media savvy, turning his online followers into a frenzy by announcing spontaneous meet and greets wherever he went. Teen mayhem, inevitably, ensued. He now employs security to deal with crowd control.
The Lucky who stretches out on a studio sofa after his Grazia shoot, looks quite different from the Instagram selfie star. His trademark hair is a natural, dirty blonde and his look suburban skate park rather than Paris catwalk. But then, this is Lucky in real life: born and raised Mormon by dad Dallon, a business man and mum, Sheridan, a former model herself, with his three older sisters Pyper America, Daisy Clementine and Queen Starlie.
It was Daisy Clementine that got Lucky noticed. She was scouted when Lucky was still a kid but the agent made a mental note and signed him at 12. Lucky’s first editorial was shot by Hedi Slimane for Vogue Hommes Japan and he’s since been catapulted into fashion’s inner circle. He counts Anwar Hadid, brother of Gigi and Bella, as a friend. He’s modelled with Kylie Jenner and they’ve hung out since. He goes to fashion after parties and doesn’t drink, on account of his faith. But he denies any clash between his work and his religion. ‘For me, it’s about sticking to what you believe in and what you feel comfortable with,’ he says of his Mormonism. ‘I think if I’d cared if people think it’s weird, then it would have been a problem. But I just always thought of it as normal.’
Fashion is not, however, Lucky Blue’s end goal. Growing up, he played drums in a surf rock band, the Atomics, with his sisters, who are now all signed to Next management too. Three years ago, Lucky was getting so much work in L.A. and the enthusiasm around the band so strong (a reality TV show was mooted at one stage) that the family went for broke and moved to Hollywood. All five of them shared a two bed apartment, the walls of which they decorated with inspirational slogans and a series of index cards listing band goals like getting their single to No.1 on iTunes.
Now, the Atomics are on the verge of achieving those goals. There is a debut album due this year and ‘something really big in 2017’ that Lucky can’t talk about just yet. To help them, he says, the band have enlisted Simon Fuller as manager. *The *Simon Fuller, the mogul behind Spice Girls, American Idol and the Beckham empire? ‘Yeah,’ says Lucky. ‘It was crazy. It’s so weird to be signed with him. I can’t really comprehend it really.’
Those are not the only signs that Lucky’s star is in ascendancy. There is his first book out this month, Stay Golden, which charts Lucky’s rise in his words. He has already shot his first film, a romance called Love Afterlasting and has signed to Hollywood’s top acting agency. ‘Once I get really big with music, I’m going to make a game plan, hit that [acting] really hard. My long term goal is acting, music and still doing fashion. That’s what I want to do.’ Lucky pauses, corrects himself. ‘Well, that’s what I’m going to do.’
Stay Golden is published 1st November by Random House
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