As far as the fashion world is concerned, Antonio Cannon, the new face of Sean “Diddy” Comb’s multi-million dollar clothing company, Sean John, is a little weird.
His physique is impeccable. The 22 year old, along with Jeremy Miller, is hard to miss standing well over 6 feet, boasting a lean figure, chiseled face and confident demeanor commonly seen in bona fidé supermodels.
So what is it about Antonio that makes him a little off?
“Modeling is not everything. I know there are more things in life,” he said during a recent interview.
These are the words of a man, who this time last year, had never done modeling, and by pure happenstance – a friend told him during a casual study session he should enter Diddy’s “Face of the Future” campaign, which aimed to find the face of the renowned Sean John clothing label. Not only did he enter; he won the entire competition.
“When I found out I had got through a few rounds I was like ‘yea so?’… But when I made it to the top 10 I was like ‘wow, really!” Cannon said.
Cannon became one of two men selected to serve as the epitome of all that is Sean John and was selected by Diddy himself from a pool of more than 10,000 prospective male models from all over the world.
He has gone from being a regular college student at Southern Illinois University to booking fashion spreads with top magazines like Ebony, JET and GQ.
“I actually was told that I am the youngest minority to ever be featured as a model in GQ,” he said.
All signs point to the makings of another egotistical model in the even more vain world of fashion.
But not quite.
“Before winning Sean John, I actually knew who I was as a person. Even after becoming a professional model, my main focus is school,” Cannon said.
He knows that he could reach insurmountable heights as a model with one of the world’s foremost businessmen backing him, but he never for a second contemplates abandoning school.
“I’m an opportunist. I saw an opportunity and I seized it. But that doesn’t mean I’m just going to drop everything else.”
But don’t think he isn’t putting a lot of time into his modeling career either.
With plans to become a force in the realm of high fashion, a feat rarely achieved by blacks in the melanin-deficient world of couture, his passion for modeling cannot be mistaken.
Cannon will soon be seen in this year’s Howard University Rhythm Homecoming Fashion Show: “Ballad of the Bizarre” on Thursday as a featured model and celebrity guest.
“I’m really excited; I’ve heard a lot of great things about Howard’s Homecoming; I know they’ll boo you if you’re bad,” he said with a laugh.
You can be the judge yourself. Is his walk “fierce”?
Is his face good enough to compete with the likes of other black supermodels like Tyson Beckford, Dominique Hollington and Wendell Lissimore?
Does he really have that “it factor”? Assess how you’d like, just don’t think this is just another mindless model walking the runway.
This model has a plan for success that he believes will take him farther than any catwalk “It’s all about how you approach things. I never forget that,” Cannon said.
Yes, he is a lot different from other models. But who’s to say different isn’t a good thing?
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