He teeters on the brink of our exploration. At 20 years old, Joel Mignott at AMCK Models is a prime representative of the liberal and engaging boys of today. Bleached hair and fringed lounge pants - it’s an aesthetic we’re totally here for. The exchange is overflowing with cute giggles and magnetic smiles, even following the statement, ‘I’m a cold bitch’, and we find it hard to believe.
With a childhood spent in the rural countryside of Leeds, he is still a being wholly made up of exciting cultures and experiences, some even unbeknown. We dabble in discussions about his at this time. Popular culture does little to impact Joel’s inklings of the world, a creative driven mostly by the inspiration of close and passionate friends.
Romantic relationships are a far away prospect, not to be considered now, there are more freeing things to be dealt with first. Joel welcomes you into his mind, seeps wisdom into your conscience and reminds you, a thought is just a thought. He is aware. Switched on. "The lows prepare you for the highs, and if you’re just shotting at the highs, you can only go back down real low."
Compelling fortunes are beckoning him away from London. He plans to be a gypsy traveller. Perhaps. Spend a while by the ocean. Embracing the balmy sun, soaking up its generosity for as long as it will allow. A canal boat will help with that, right? Humble curiosities for someone who's already made his impact with high end designers like Vivienne Westwood.
What was it like growing up in Leeds?
I think it was interesting. I speak to all my friends from high school and they talk about how much they miss it, but I didn’t really enjoy it. It wasn’t really for me. My mum lives in the countryside and every time I go back, it’s great for a week, but then I can’t deal with it any more. I feel I need to get back to civilisation.
What do you think are the differences growing up in London and in Leeds?
I feel like a lot of Londoners are naive and blind to the rest of the country. I took some of my friends who have lived in London all their lives to Leeds and they were gobsmacked - they had never seen the countryside. They came to my house for New Years and it was literally like they’d gone on holiday, packed their suitcases and gone to Butlins or something, surrounded by sheep, cows and fresh air. My friend has lived here all of his life, but he has only just been to see Big Ben. So many people live in this beautiful place and just take it for granted. I feel like I have a wholesome understanding of the country and they don’t.
We are talking about Generation Z. How would you describe it?
A mess. I feel like there are so many different splinter cells of our generation, but as a whole, I think we’re a bit lost. We seem to say a lot about nothing.
What do you think are the good things?
I like the communication aspect. With the internet we’re all very linked in to one another. You meet people in the craziest places and have mutual friends on social media, I feel you always have some point of reference with whoever you meet.
What about the challenges for this generation?
Everything has become so easily and readily available, and within our generation we’ve lost the intimacy of meeting somebody and the cute, quirky things of interacting with and meeting new people. That’s something we need to learn and overcome. I don’t know how, but we need to go backwards or make things more personal. Nowadays you have to brand and sell yourself on the internet, and you can either buy into it or not, and if you don’t you’re kind of screwed. You have to play the game.
Who is Joel?
A work in progress. I wake up every day and I feel like an imperfect beauty. I accept all my flaws and every day I’m just accepting them more and more.
What sort of words would you use to describe yourself?
Crazy. Too much. Extra. It’s bad because I know I’m extra, but I don’t see it in myself. It’s only when my friends call me out and then I’m like; 'oh, again'.
What sort of things are you passionate about?
It changes from time to time. I’m quite a passionate person, but it takes a lot for me to get revved up in to something. One of my downfalls is if I don’t like something I won’t give it an ounce of effort. I’ve always been a creative person, love designing and art - I have some projects coming out soon.
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