kult MAG 13

2016 ISSUE SPORTS EDITION KULT MODEL AGENCY

PHOTOS BY

Christoph Musiol · Petra van Raaij Sandro Baebler · Oscar Falk

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Imprint Responsible according to German press law: Marco Cordes, Kult Model Agency e. K. Hopfensack 19, 20457 Hamburg, Germany www.kult.ma Photography: Christoph Musiol, Petra van Raaij, Sandro Baebler, Oscar Falk Production management: Kult Model Agency e. K. Concept and design: ErlerSkibbeTรถnsmann, www.est-agentur.de Editing: York Pijahn Interviews: Silvia Tyburski, Gabriele Herpell Copy-editing and translation: Sprachzentrum Hamburg, www.sprachzentrum-hamburg.de Pre-press: Alphabeta Printing and processing: SR-Druck Scharnhorst & Reincke

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Contents

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Page 11

Page 91

The Pool

The Goalkeeper

Photography:

Interview

Christoph Musiol

with Filip Wolfe

Page 35

Page 95

The Road Cyclist

Work out

Interview

Photography:

with Felix Reimers

Oscar Falk

Page 39

Page 119

At the Stadium

The Footballer

Photography:

Interview

Petra van Raaij

with Louren Groenewald

Page 63

The Sprinter Interview with Dawid Schaffranke

Page 67

The Race Photography: Sandro Baebler

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Editorial Dear readers

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When the last few rays of summer are shining down over Italy, Tuscany becomes home to one of the most beautiful bike races in the world. At the so-called L’Eroica, cyclists from across Europe take to the hills of the Chianti region on vintage road bikes, like something from a high-​ contrast 1960s’ film. Over bright white streets, under a surreal blue sky.

This same setting provided the backdrop for the first photos in this issue of KultMag, which is entirely dedicated to one topic: sport.

From the minute we started planning this issue, we knew that we didn’t just want to present our models in sensational locations. Although, admittedly, we went and did that anyway: in an outdoor gym near an old Swedish castle; in an athletics stadium in Berlin; at the arguably most beautiful open-air pool on the planet, which is so close to the breakers of the Atlantic that you can hear the roar of the waves crashing down, and on the L’Eroica road bike route. We also wanted to tell the stories that connect our models to the world of sport. This has resulted in an issue featuring a spectacular sprinter who became a rugby player in South America. A fearless goalkeeper, the glamour of complete exhaustion and getting back on your feet following defeat. And a white South African who set up a football club back when he was still a teenager to enable black and white footballers to play together in one team.

Kult turns 15 this summer and the tiny core team of 2001 has since flourished into a big company, with 22 people working from our Hamburg office. What I’m about to say might sound a tad cliché, but it’s true all the same: without this team, Kult would not be the success it is today.

I would like to thank our customers and colleagues from the bottom of my heart – for their energy, their ambition and their dedication. And the Kult team is still growing. We have just opened a branch in Sydney with two Australian colleagues, where we have around a hundred additional male models. We have also taken over the agency “Wiener Models” – you can see and get to know some of the models from this agency in our Sweden series from page 95 onwards. What started out as a small company has since grown to become a huge network.

Have fun browsing, reading and discovering.

Marco Cordes

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Photography: Christoph Musiol www.christophmusiol.com

The Pool

Styling: Michael Beaumont Cooper www.oneleague.co.za Grooming: Theo SchnĂźrer www.blossommanagement.de

Benito Goggles & Trunks: Speedo

Models: Benito Van Leeuwen Dennis Klaffert Felix Reimers Levi Lomey Pierre Rossouw Zandre du Plessis Location: Sea Point Swimming Pool Cape Town

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Pierre, Dennis & Felix Goggles, Cap & Shorts: Speedo

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Dennis Sunglasses: Ray Ban Green Top: Daniele Alessandrini Zandre Trunks: Speedo

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Pierre White Vest: Diesel Shorts, Racing Suit& Goggles: Speedo Felix Jacket & Tracksuit Trousers: Country Road Trunks: Speedo Bottle: Puma Sandals: Woolworths

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Zandre, Felix & Dennis Caps, Goggle & Trunks: Speedo

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Zandre Trunks: Speedo

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Pierre Track Suit Trousers: H&M Backpack: COS Dennis Top: Daniele Alessandrini

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Dennis & Zandre Cap, Goggles & Trunks: Speedo

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Levi Goggles: Speedo Red Top: Daniele Alessandrini Benito Sunglasses: Ray Ban Tracksuit Trousers: Our Legacy Benito & Felix Caps, Goggles & Trunks: Speedo

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Felix Cap, Goggles & Trunks: Speedo

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Felix Reimers The Road Cyclist The wonderful feeling of exhaustion after 150 kilometres of mountain road. The euphoria of speeding over passes at 90 km/h. And the great peace that engulfs you on longer stretches under an expansive sky with a belt of road rolling beneath you. Felix Reimers was 13 years old when he sat on his first racing bike. An interview about life on two wheels.

Interview : Gabriele Herpell

You spent many years racing at a very high level. What is it you like about it? Riding in a team. The fact that you give your all for the sake of the group. The sense of togetherness is key. And when the weather is like today – sunshine, blue skies, a gentle breeze – and you can just roll along, it’s an amazing feeling. You also feel physically fantastic afterwards: worn out but with an adrenaline kick, like after jogging. Your body is on point. When I was at my best I was never ill, never tired; the heart is trained in such a way that you feel extremely balanced.

Was there a defining moment in your life when you knew you wanted to be a cyclist? Yes, there was. When I was younger, my parents would always take us to a finca in Ibiza in the summer holidays. That’s when I first saw the Tour de France on TV. Everyone wanted to go outside in the sun; I stayed inside and watched the race.

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This issue of KultMag features photos of you in swimwear and also swimming. But in reality you have been a road cyclist ever since your holiday in Ibiza? That’s true. I bought my first road bike when I was 13 years old.

Does that mean you come from an area where it’s easy to get out on the bike? I come from Bergedorf, a district of Hamburg. I grew up there and my parents still live there.

Bergedorf – that sounds like a sheltered childhood … It was. My father is a gardener, my mother often helped him and was otherwise a housewife. I have one sister, and my grandparents also lived with us in the same house. I first played football and then went on to ride a road bike.

There was never any stress. I think I had the perfect childhood. With my first bike, I would ride further and further away from home, always upping the distance. I run and go to the gym to stay fit as a model, but my real passion is road biking. When I’m older, I’ll just cycle, nothing else.

How serious and ambitious are you when you ride? When I was 14 I took part in my first race and then I carried on riding until I was 18 or 19 years old. Then I took a break for a year because I also wanted to be able to party. The two don’t sit well together: partying and cycling. But it wasn’t long before I was back on the road bike – it’s a sport you can’t just walk away from. Now I’ve wound it back down, it’s too much together with modelling and my studies. You can only cycle at a high level if you put in the training. That means a minimum of twenty hours on the bike every week, the equivalent of 500 to 700 kilometres. It’s like a part-time job.

Extremely intensive. Drinking is off limits and you have to watch what you eat to make sure you stay top fit.

What kind of races did you take part in? I rode in licensed races. Anyone can take part; a mix of amateurs and professional teams from abroad line up at the start. You don’t earn any money doing it, but everything is provided: the clothes, the bike, sometimes even petrol money. I was racing every weekend. The training schedule was really strict, with a training camp in Majorca one month a year.

The landscapes seen on the Tour de France are generally what spring to mind when I think of road biking … The single-day races in north-

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ern Germany are nothing like that. They often take the form of a one-kilometre route that you keep riding for 60 or 80 laps. And they’re often held in industrial areas as there’s nobody around at the weekend. It is easy to cordon off the area.

You just do laps? There are also round trips which are then 200 kilometres long. The River Oder round trip, for example, near the Polish border. In Poland and Holland there are many more round trips that you can take part in as an amateur than here in Germany. I’ve just spent half a year in Italy, where I did some modelling. Cycling means so much to the Italians; it is truly celebrated and there’s a wonderful atmosphere, des­ pite the doping scandals. They really know their heroes: Fausto Coppi, Gino Bartali, Marco Pantani. And there are so many cyclists out on the country roads on a Sunday morning. I had my bike with me in Milan and took part in a lot of races there.

Are there certain elements of the sport that you sometimes long for?

Yes, the pre-season training. We always spent one month training in Majorca – 150 kilometres through the mountains, every day. That creates a sense of solidarity within the team that can’t quite be put into words. The training camp is like a sanctuary for care-free, simple living.

Felix Reimers is 24 and studies business administration in Hamburg, his home town, where he also lives

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It nurtures both body and soul. We would head out on the racing bike every day for a month, with nothing to do other than live our passion, a passion shared by the entire group. Sport provides time out from our full-on, high-speed lives, it is something that stays with and shapes a person. When I train, I soon forget about time and space; it soothes the psyche. When you have used up every last ounce of your reserves, you find yourself in a tunnel full of emotions and you become much more receptive; you see nature differently, like a filter has fallen away. It’s incredibly therapeutic.

High-performance sport has a lot to do with will. How do you motivate yourself? If you train to schedule, you expect to see constant improvement. But every body is unique. When you put your whole body and soul into training and there are no immediate results, you slide into a kind of depression. You just want to give up. But the body remembers everything; a month later you could suddenly find yourself in ridiculously good form, everything feels easy again. This is a huge incentive to carry on when things aren’t going quite so well.

Steep downhills, practically stroking the back wheel of your opponent, you also have to be able to handle fear … Falls are, unfortunately, part of the programme – as is the fear of them. When I was 14 years old I fell five times in the space of a fortnight. On the final sprint of a race in Holland I was pushed out to the edge of a muddy road. I was going perhaps 55 km/h. At first you don’t quite realise what has happened. There’s so much adrenaline that you don’t feel any pain. It wasn’t until I was on the bus back to Hamburg that I realised how bad it was.

Are you now afraid of such situations? If you’re not on your best form and it’s raining, the road’s slippery and you’re racing 90 km/h down a mountain, it’s not that easy. You feel a great deal of respect. But I’m not really scared. If you’re afraid before a race, you may as well not join in as you’ve already lost.

Do you still watch the Tour de France? I watch a lot of professional cycling. My friends find it boring, but I find it tremendously relaxing. You can never predict how a competition will end.

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Photography: Petra van Raaij www.wildfoxrunning.com

At the Stadium

Assistance: Dominik von Winterfeld Styling: Tanja Rose www.nude-agency.com Grooming: Norbert Cheminel www.kathrin-hohberg.de Melanie Schoene www.blossommanagement.de for Aveda & Mac Cosmetics Models: Dawid Schaffranke Jens Langenfurth Marcel Van Der Merwe Thor Henriksen Trey Baxter Vadim Ivanov

Marcel Trousers: Vladimir Karaleen Coat: Martin Niklas Wieser Shoes: Frisur

Location: Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark Berlin Post-Production: Tamzen Appunn www.tamzena.com

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Marcel Jacket: Mauritius Trey Pullover: Edwin Dawid Jacket: Sissy Goetze

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Trey Sweat Shirt: Blank Etiquette Trousers: “ Thor Boxing gloves: Everlast

by Supercouncious Berlin Marcel Trousers: Vladimir Karaleen Coat: Martin Niklas Wieser Shoes: Frisur

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Dawid Blouson: Sissy Goetze Jens Trousers: Brachmann Shoes: Velt

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Dawid Trousers & Jacket: Sissy Goetze

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Thor Boxing Gloves: Everlast by Supercouncious Berlin

Marcel Shirt: Sissy Goetze, Shoes: Frisør Suit: BLK DNM

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Jens Trousers: Brachmann Shoes: Velt

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Vadim Pullover: Case Studies Letchen, Shorts: Vladimir Karaleen Socks: Lacoste by Supercouncious Berlin, Shoes: Samsøe & Samsøe

Marcel Coat: Martin Niklas Wieser 53

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Trey Jacket: Pur Mauritius Trousers: Blank Etiquette Gloves: Adidas Shoes: Frisur Marcel Coat: Martin Niklas Wieser Marcel Shirt: Sissy Goetze Jacket: BLK DNM

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Vadim Pullover: Case Studies Letchen Trey Jacket: Pur Mauritius Trousers: Blank Etiquette Gloves: Adidas

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Thor Jacket: Pur Mauritius Pullover: Frisur Jens & Marcel Trousers: Lacoste & Adidas

by Supercouncious Jens Pullover Pullover: Adidas by Supercouncious

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Dawid Headphones: Marshall Sweatbands: Under Amour Trousers: Sissy Gรถtze

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Dawid Schaffranke The Sprinter Dawid Schaffranke was 16 when his dream of a professional handball career came to an end. But rather than despairing, he refocused. It wasn’t long before the papers were writing about the exceptional track athlete who could run 100 metres in just 10.79 seconds. He took up rugby, where he also ran – far away from his opponents. What has sport taught him? To see defeats as starting blocks. And that if you want to achieve something, training begins at 5.30 a.m.

Interview : Silvia Tyburski

On the photos from the KultMag shoot you appear in all kinds of sport poses. What’s your favourite sport? Definitely handball. As a teenager, all I wanted to do was become a handball pro. My whole family is sportsmad and I went to a high school that specialises in sport. However, I moved my focus to athletics after a cruciate ligament rupture when I was 16 years old, as then I could still showcase one of my strengths: I was always really quick.

How quick? When I was 16, I could run a 100-metre sprint in just 11.3 seconds. I ran my personal best in London in 2012: 10.79 seconds.

I’ve not managed that speed again since.

Was it difficult to give up your dream of becoming a professional handball player? Of course. It already felt like the end of my career. When you’re 16 years old, failure really hits home. And when I then took up

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sprinting and long jump, everyone in my new group was, of course, way ahead of me to begin with. But this also taught me to get back on my feet and carry on regardless. It was tough, but as a sportsman you tend to take a difficult situation and turn it into a challenge.

Do handball and football players differ from athletes in terms of their characters? Yes, and it was really interesting to discover this contrast.

You can always depend on your team when you play a team sport, but in athletics it’s you and you alone that matters. Handballers are open and sociable, they depend on the support and the security of their team.

Athletes tend to be more competitive – they are completely focused on pulling out their best performance on day X. And what type are you? A mixture of both. I like having a team behind me, but I also enjoy finishing a competition and thinking: this victory was completely down to me.

Germany is the European Champion in handball. What makes the sport so special? The games are much quicker than anything you’ll find in football and there are, of course, many more goals. Handball matches are really back and forth: boom – another goal – more cheering. But you can’t celebrate for long, else the other team will come straight back at you with an equaliser. It’s completely non-stop.

It must be a great feeling to have everyone cheering you on. Definitely.

My family came and watched many of my games. My parents, grandparents and my three brothers – that always meant a lot to me. My dad used to cycle and my mum is a track athlete. One brother is two years younger and plays American football, the middle brother football and the youngest, who’s nine, boxes.

Do you coach your younger siblings? A little. My youngest brother and I sometimes step into the ring together; if he really goes for it, I’ll give him a good nudge back – so he gets the message: this isn’t a real fight, it’s just for fun. I think sport teaches us to assume responsibility for others, that’s what I’ve always liked about it. And you learn to have a plan B. After my cruciate rupture back when I was 16, I realised that you should never put all your energy into one single life goal.

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Dawid Schaffranke, 24, was born in Magdeburg and now lives in Berlin, where he is currently studying for a bachelor’s degree in finance and management

As a sportsman, one bad injury could mean game over – and then?

That’s why it was important for me to take my school-leaving exam­in­ ations.

What else has sport taught you? Discipline – we would get up as early as 5.30 a.m. when we were at high school so we could fit in training before lessons started. That also helped me during my studies, when I was a bit stuck at the beginning. Everything has been going great for a year and a half now. I was even given a scholarship to spend a semester abroad in Colombia.

Where I imagine you immediately signed up to the university sports team? Of course, I was in the rugby team.

Was it difficult to learn a new sport in a foreign language? I could speak Spanish but the Colombians have their own dialect. Plus rugby players wear gumshields, which meant I often didn’t understand a thing. Also the rules are different to football. I was once given a yellow card, which in rugby – unlike in football – means: get off the pitch. Everyone was gesturing like mad and I was like: what do they want from me? We often used gestures to understand one another.

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But otherwise I can imagine you were pretty good. Rugby combines the exact skills I had trained in the past: scoring goals and sprinting. My nickname was the “Usain Bolt of rugby” because I was so fast. Sport still plays an important role in my life, but I no longer have tunnel vision; today I’m much more balanced. I’m a student, model, and I’m also working on a start-up dealing with strategic branding which has emerged from a uni project. There are other things in life which are worth striving for.

And that are worth living for. True. I’ve noticed that I have a lot more time for friends, my relationship and my family. And I think it’s great that I now know more people that are far removed from the sporting world. I’m getting to know myself in a slightly different light. I also have modelling to thank for this.

What advice would you give to your disappointed 16-year-old self, whose dream of becoming a handball pro has just been shattered?

I would say to him: “Although this might seem like a big challenge right now, you will grow with it and later come to recognise its positives. You will come up against many obstacles in your life, but every problem presents new opportunities.”

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Photography: Sandro Baebler www.sonja-heintschel.com

The Race

Production & Assistance: Anja Mueller Styling: Juliane Büther www.kultartists.com Grooming: Sophie Kaspar www.kultartists.com Models: Filip Wolfe Fino Grüwell Konstantin Quandt Max Bender Oli Lacey

Fino Shirt & Scarf: De Marche Gloves: Röckl Shorts: Levi´s Glasses: Lozza

Special Thanks to: Tuscany Bicycle www.tuscanybicycle.com Location: L’Eroica Road Bike Route Gaiole in Chianti

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Konstantin Shirt: Julian Zigerli Max Shirt: Zara Oli Shirt: H&M Filip Shirt: De Marchi Fino Shirt & Scarf: De Marchi

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Oli Shirt: H&M Shorts: Hendrik Vibskov

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Max Outfit: Santini Glasses: Moscot Konstantin Shirt: De Marchi Glasses: Moscot

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Fino Outfit: De Marchi Shoes: M. Moustache by Sarenza Watch: Behring

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Oli Shirt: Maloja Max Outfit: De Marchi Shoes: H&M Filip Outfit: De Marchi Shoes: Marvin & Co

by Sarenza

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Fino Polo & Cap: De Marchi

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Konstantin

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Fino Outfit: De Marchi Shoes: M. Moustache

by Sarenza Watch: Behring Konstantin Outfit: Bianchi Shoes: Melba

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Filip Shirt: De Marchi Shorts: Bianchi

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Fino Outfit: De Marchi Konstantin Outfit: Bianchi Filip Shirt: De Marchi Shorts: Bianchi Oli Shirt: De Marchi Shorts: Maloja Gloves: Rรถckl Max Outfit: De Marchi

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Max Cap: Bianchi Polo: Zara

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Oli Shirt: De Marchi Shorts: Maloja Shoes: H&M Filip Shirt: De Marchi Shorts: Bianchi Shoes: Onitsuka Tiger Fino Outfit: De Marchi Shoes: M. Moustache

by Sarenza Max Outfit: Santini Shoes: H&M Konstantin Shirt: De Marchi Shorts: Bianchi Shoes: Meyba

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Filip

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Konstantin Shirt: De Marchi Glasses: Moscot Fino Shirt & Scarf: De Marchi Shorts: Levi´s Glasses: Lozza Filip Shirt: De Marchi Max Jacket: Maloja

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Filip Glasses: Lozza Shirt: De Marchi Shorts: Bianchi Konstantin Shirt: De Marchi Shorts: Bianchi Fino Outfit: De Marchi Oli Shirt: De Marchi Shorts: Maloja Shoes: H&M Max Outfit: Santini

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Filip Wolfe The Goalkeeper “As a goalie,” says Filip Wolfe, “you can make or break a game. When a single opponent is running towards you on the counter-attack and the seconds feel like minutes, a team sport turns into a duel.” Wolfe lets us in on what he learned from training in a Swedish winter and what 80,000 Milan fans sound like when singing in unison.

Interview : Gabriele Herpell

You did a lot of cycling for our racing bike shoot in Tuscany. But your passion is actually football … That’s right. When I was a child I dreamed of becoming a professional football player. And my dream actually came true. I was a professional goalkeeper with Vasalunds IF and I made it into the third-highest league in Sweden: Division 1. I put an awful lot of pressure on myself back then; I trained like crazy and also worked on the side. But I was simply not good enough to reach the very top. I have to admit: the decision to give up the sport was the most difficult I’ve ever had to make. I ended my professional career when I was 19 years old.

What got you into professional football? When I was five years old I knew that I always wanted to win. I’m just a terrible loser. And seeing as football was my favourite sport, I wanted to be the best at it. I was placed in goal back then because I wasn’t afraid of anything or anyone. My reflexes were good, my sporting ambition enormous – I threw myself into each and every game.

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What characteristics are especially important for a goalkeeper? The goalkeeper has an enormous responsibility. One small mistake and the team loses. And you’re the team’s last chance to turn a forlorn game around. You have to withstand this tension, this exposure, while remaining calm and fully concentrated, even if nothing happens for a good half hour. I like that pressure. For me, the most exciting situation is when just one person is running at you on the counter-attack. There are a few things you can do to unnerve your opponent. I’ll often leave one half of the goal a lot more open than the other. Most players will then shoot that way, but of course that’s what I’m prepared for.

Do you not sometimes feel the urge to also run down the pitch? Totally!

The goalie is no longer the tallest or the widest in the team. That used to be the case. Today he also needs to have well-trained legs and join in the game.

How intensive is the training to be a professional goalkeeper? If you train at such a high level, it’s absolutely brutal. Training eats into all your free time; some players in my team lost interest because all they ever did was go to school and then train. Training outside six times a week in a snowy Swedish winter, with the mercury falling way below zero, isn’t always the definition of fun. But I wanted to win.

Similar to road cyclists, who have to venture down steep descents, goalkeepers cannot afford to be afraid. How do you keep a brave face? When I was 17 years old, I once collided with a striker from the other team. His knee landed in my stomach and I tore my kidney. Even though I didn’t need surgery, the doctors advised me to rest up for six months – but after eight weeks I was back in goal. Physically I was fine, it was the mental recuperation that was difficult. The shock struck deep. As a goalkeeper, you are constantly faced with these types of situation. If you hesitate for just a second too long, it might cost everyone the game. The pain I experienced back then was the worst I’ve had in my life. I’m really proud of the fact that I managed to get back in goal in the same shape as before.

How important is it for a good footballer to have a feel for the ball, and how important are all the other things: discipline, will, ambition?

A good feel for the ball is of course important – the Swedes call this “bollkänsla”: it’s that extra little bit of talent that can turn you into a

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Filip Wolfe, 25, was born in Stockholm and recently moved to Lower East Side, New York City

genius. But I think what you really need is strength of character.

Can you explain what makes football so special? The different skills that the various positions require. One player is superfast, another is great at headers, the next is fearless at tackling. I also like everything that comes with football, everything the game creates off the pitch. It’s almost like a movement, a culture. I especially love English football and watch a lot of the Premier League games, and of course the Champions League. I’m a Chelsea fan myself.

Have you ever experienced a particularly memorable moment as a football fan? Yes. It was May 2007: AC Milan were up against Manchester United in the Champions League semi-final. Milan won 3:0.

80,000 supporters were crying to Milan’s anthem. Phenomenal. You can’t sum up this feeling in words.

What did you do after you hung up your kit? I first went travelling for

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three months, to South Africa. Then I worked as a doorman at a bar in Stockholm so I could save to go travelling again. That’s when I was approached by a model agency. At first I wasn’t sure what to think of it, I really wanted to go travelling again. But when my first job took me to northern Sweden and I found myself gliding over the snow on a husky sledge, I discovered a better way of doing it.

Do you have a sporting goal? My days are pretty packed as I very recently moved to New York City, to the Lower East Side. I like to cycle here; if I go fast enough, I also get a little adrenaline kick like in football. Who knows? I also have a triathlon on my to-do list.

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Photography: Oscar Falk www.kathrin-hohberg.de

Work out Assistance: Lisa Gehlin Styling: Lars-Fredrik Svedberg www.kultartists.com Grooming: Pari Damani www.hallundgren.com Models: Louren Groenewald Oliver Stummvoll Ryan Tift Taylor Ashmore Thorben Gärtner Production: Sofie Grunnlid @ Hall&Lundgren www.hallundgren.com Ryan Knitted Hat: Adidas Top: Adidas Gloves: Puma Shorts: Adidas

Location: Venngarn Castle, Sigtuna www.wenngarn.se Wenngarn Sportcenter Obstacle Training

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Oliver Leggings: Adidas Shorts: Puma

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Taylor Top & Leggings: Nike Ryan Top, Leggings & Shorts: Adidas Louren Backpack, Sweater & Trousers: Nike Watch: G-Shock Thorben Top & Shorts: Nike Oliver T-Shirt & Trousers: Nike Watch: G-Shock

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Louren Backpack & Sweater: Nike Torben Tanktop: Adidas

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Oliver Sweater & Shorts: Adidas

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Taylor Leggings: Nike Ryan Leggings & Shorts: Puma Oliver Gloves: Puma Cap, Leggings & Shorts Nike

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Oliver Sweater: Puma Taylor Knitted Hat, Sweater & Trousers: Adidas

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Thorben T-Shirt: Nike Shorts: Puma Watch: G-Shock Louren T-Shirt: Olivier Rousteing X Nike Stylelab Shorts: Nike

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Thorben Tanktop: Adidas

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Louren Top & Shorts: Puma Ryan Shorts: Adidas

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Thorben T-Shirt: DRKN Shorts: Olivier Rousteng X Nike Stylelab Taylor Cap: Nike Top: Bjรถrn Borg Shorts: Nike Ryan T-Shirt & Trousers: Adidas Watch: G-Shock

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Louren Knitted Cap: Adidas Top: The North Face

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Thorben T-Shirt: Olivier Rousteing X Nike Stylelab

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Oliver Leggings & Shorts: Adidas Gloves & Cap: Nike Ryan Knitted Cap: Adidas Leggings & Shorts: Puma Watch: G-Shock Taylor Leggings: Nike

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Louren T-Shirt: Olivier Rousteing X Nike Stylelab

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Louren Groenewald The FootballAs a teenager, Louren Groenewald lived on a farm in South Africa. He only wanted to do one thing: play football. But when he went to join a club, he realised that it just wasn’t possible. In South Africa, football was seen as a purely black sport. So Groenewald set up his own team: the Raiders Football Club – for players of all skin colours. An interview about team spirit, family and a model life in balance.

Interview : Silvia Tyburski

You come from South Africa – is there a national sport there? It depends who you ask. White people play the traditional sports of the former colonial power England: rugby and cricket. Black people play football. In South Africa, white and black people, sadly, still live separ­ ately in a lot of areas. Many people still accept this situation today. I myself have played rugby and cricket, but also a lot of football: with the local children on our farm. It was always a lot of fun. But when I wanted to join a football club aged 15, I was turned away with the response: sorry, but this is a club for blacks.

And there was no “white” club? No. I was disappointed and found myself at a loss. That’s why I started my own club – for the love of the sport and

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as a social project: the Raiders Football Club. It was probably the first in the area where black and white players could come together in one team.

Look, here’s a photo of our team. (Shows a photo on his phone.)

You’re even wearing the same football shirts. Yes, I took care of that. I was the manager and collected the club membership fee of three euros per month besides the money for our shirts.

How did people react to the project? Everyone thought it was great. The black clubs didn’t take us too seriously, but we did win a couple of times.

I can recall a match in 2011: the score was 2:2 just before the whistle. And then my pal Mondray Rabie – his dad was our coach – scored a fantastic goal. We fell into each other’s arms and were beside ourselves with excitement. Crazy that that was so long ago now. Man, I miss the guys.

Does the club still exist? Yes, my younger brother took over, but we’re struggling to recruit new players. Those of us who set up the Raiders

Louren Groenewald, 21, grew up with his four siblings on a big farm in South Africa. He has been working as a model for two years but is still enrolled as a psychology student in his home town of Bloemfontein, South Africa.

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Football Club sooner or later got our qualifications and are now either at uni or working – and there aren’t any younger players. I started studying psychology, oh well. Since I started working as a model I’ve had no time at all for football, I’m simply on the road too much.

Do you sometimes put your psychology studies to use at work? I think I do benefit from it; I feel I can put myself in other peoples’ shoes more easily because of it. It also helps me cope with the fact that this can be a lonely job.

Are you not constantly being invited to glamorous parties and finding yourself surrounded by attractive women? It’s no good if you’re already flying off to a new city a day later for the next photo shoot. The constant travel hides the risk of becoming uprooted. I do now have a kind of base camp in Milan, but I’m only there for a couple of months a year. The rest of my time is spent on the road going from one modelling job to the next. And the parties … I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but after a while they kind of lose their appeal. I recently spent a couple of months working in LA. You see a lot of people at the parties there who are undoubtedly attractive and rich – but deep down they’re quite lonely. LA is all about show. It’s as if the people there are trapped in their extremely upscale lifestyles. They look good and earn a lot of money, but they drink too much, take drugs, and don’t have any family to keep them grounded.

Since being there I now know my top priority in life – to find a woman who loves me and to have children.

Have you taken anything from your psychology studies that sometimes helps you along your way? Yes: that it’s important to live for the moment, in the here and now. My parents would love for me to move back home soon and finish my studies, and I think I will do that at some point.

But for the time being I’m really enjoying modelling and getting to see so much of the world. If I’d have finished my psychology degree, I think I’d have regretted it at some point; I’d have had a nagging feeling that I’d missed out on something.

Sport is sometimes also used as a type of therapy. What effect does it have on you? I really do believe that sport helps people maintain an emotional balance. It keeps me grounded in a life that otherwise has little structure due to modelling. Sport is like a medicine for me.

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It sounds like you have a lot of interesting options – either you’ll become the most attractive psychologist in South Africa or the most empathic model of all time. (Laughs.) Yeah, we’ll see. But my top aim in life really is to start a family and be able to support them through my work. I grew up with four siblings and definitely want to have children.

That would also solve the recruitment problem at Raiders Football Club. Exactly! Then I can be the coach of the most successful football club in South Africa.

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