Interview : Yvan Rodic - The facehunter

He is the man that will facehunt you in the London streets, but he is also an explorer who likes to travel all over the world in search for beauty and creativity. That led him to Romania, where he was one of the hosts of The Absolutely fabulous vintage fair edition 4. We had the chance to meet him there and discover that the well known facehunter is a really charming and nice guy who always keeps his eyes wide open to see if there is a new person lucky enough to be in his spotlight.

BS: For what kind of outfit do you look for when you’re walking down the streets?
YR: I don’t look for something specific, I look for the whole package between style and attitude, the hair, the clothes, it’s not like I see one accessory only, I just feel that there is something special about the person and how does that person express it.
BS: It’s the beauty of one person more important that an outfit?
YR: No, it’s not like that. It’s about not trying to look like someone else, but to create a style that tells who you are. What makes you beautiful is to wear something that fits you; a specific item can look good on someone but not on you, not on your friends, so you have, not turn yourself, but to dress for yourself in something that suits you especially.



BS: When you look for people in the street there is one specific outfit that pops into your eyes? For example we are obsessed with bows or bow ties.
YR: Not necessarily. I like things in general like girls wearing colors sometimes, I like wedges. I like to be surprised. It’s not necessarily one thing, it’s more an association of elements or colors that I haven’t seen before, that will surprise me and that will seduce me, more than one thing.


BS: Why did you come to Romania?
YR: Because I was invited to this event, I’ve been in this country only once. This is my second time and I was curious to see it, because it is an unknown place. I like to explore places I don’t know very well.
BS:Did you have the time/chance to visit it this time?
YR: Yes, yesterday I was walking down the streets and yeah it was a very good time, nice weather, just beautiful.
BS: Do you think the country is better than the perception people have about Romania outside?
YR: It is true that Romania doesn’t have such a good image abroad, people have different stereotypes and yeah now that I see it the city I realize that it’s well developed and clean and it seems like being in Europe basically.
BS: But what do you think about the fashion here in Romania?
YR: The fashion, hmm I guess it’s not the most individualistic place I’ve been to , many people just want to disappear in the mass, but I guess thanks to the internet and blogging culture it’s developing. For the young people the personal style it’s quite new to Romania, but the internet helped that a lot.



BS: Do you read any other fashion blog? What website do you like?
YR: I check Refinery29 and Purple magazine.
BS: Which are your favorite designers or brands?
YR: I like Jonathan Saunders, Prada, Dries Van Noted and Lanvin.
BS: I know that now you launched a book and Scott Schuman did too. Do people compare you to the famous Sartorialist?
YR: Yes, people do compare us and I understand why, but in the same time I think that our work it’s quite different. The more you look at it, the more you realize the difference between them. Like in different aspects, he has more interest in more like old, grown-up, wealthy, big fashion insiders, fashion editors, in the top fashion weeks: Milan, Paris, New York, maybe London and I’m more interested in younger, creative, people who are younger and don’t necessarily have a position in fashion for example. Also I think my spectrum is wider, because I’m not interested only in going to fashion events, I spent lot of time visiting other countries. I’ve been going to random countries; I’ve been to Russia, Istanbul, Brazil, Argentina, Jakarta so I like going to unexpected places and as well with my blog to show, not only the fashion, but the beauty, so I think I’m interested to document the world, but not in a Sartorialist high class society somehow, so I think we are different.
BS: You visited many countries, which one is your favorite so far?
YR: One is difficult but of my favorite places is Iceland, because it’s a surreal place that looks like being on the moon and it just has a special energy, a creative energy and everyone is working something creative, like so many bands, and artists and the fashion is lovely, people don’t feel the pressure to looking like others, they do their own thing and all this is exciting and inspiring.





Yvan Rodic has recently released a book that you will soon find in Antony frost bookshop.