Model Off Duty: an Interview with Suede Brooks

[UNPUBLISHED:] Tell us about yourself.

[SUEDE:] My name is Suede Brooks, I have been making beauty and fashion videos on youtube since I was 12 years old. I also just recently started my company SUEDEBYSUEDE which is my clothing brand that is in the beginning phases. I have had a passion for fashion and makeup ever since I was about 7 years old and used to play dress-up nonstop as a kid and nothing has changed. 

[UNPUBLISHED:] When and why did you start your Youtube channel? 

[SUEDE:] I started making videos when I was 12 years old. I was severely bullied throughout middle school and making videos was an outlet for me – I had such a blast filming, editing, etc. I started doing it just for fun to get my mind off of what I was actually going through and then it slowly turned into my job, which I am so thankful for.

[UNPUBLISHED:] Since you started your channel at only 12 years old, how did your friends and family react? 

[SUEDE:] Since I started my channel at such a young age my family was so happy that I had found something that I was having fun with, they, of course, were very confused because they weren’t familiar with youtube and how it worked. My friends were also very confused because youtube wasn’t as popular as it is now. I still didn’t let any of the negativity phase me because I had a passion for it.

[UNPUBLISHED:] How has putting yourself out there on the internet at a young age affected your life while you were growing up? 

[SUEDE:] Putting myself out on the internet at such a young age has affected my life in so many ways. To start, there were several problems as a teen that I went through and I wanted to be an example for other girls going through similar problems as me, so being open and vulnerable was very hard in the beginning because I was scared of what people were going to think of me. Slowly but surely I became more and more comfortable because I knew that I was helping at least one little girl going through the same issues as me.

[UNPUBLISHED:] How have your friends and family reacted to your Youtube success? 

[SUEDE:] Being young and coming into this success at a very young age came with good and bad. Most of my family members always had so many questions and were very confused about how I built this following but they were also proud of me. A lot of my friends in middle school became extremely jealous and that is something that I still struggle with to this day.

[UNPUBLISHED:] Do you have any advice for anyone wanting to start a Youtube channel at a young age? 

[SUEDE:] The biggest advice I would give to somebody starting a youtube channel at a young age is to be authentically yourself. This is the main key because people want to know who you actually are and not just a person putting a front on for the camera.

[UNPUBLISHED:] When did you first get into modeling? 

[SUEDE:] I started modeling at age 11, I started at a very young age because I always knew it was one of my dreams to see myself on a billboard.

[UNPUBLISHED:] Why did you want to model?

[SUEDE:] I wanted to model for so many reasons but the main reason was that I had so much fun in front of and behind the camera and I had always dreamed of walking into a store and seeing my face!

[UNPUBLISHED:] How has being independent at a young age affected growing up and your teenage years? 

[SUEDE:] Being very independent at such a young age has affected me in more ways than you can imagine. I moved out at 15 years old which was a huge stepping stone in my career because most 15-year-olds don’t do that. Doing this has made me boss up and become so much more motivated because I knew if I wasn’t going to college I needed to prove to my parents and myself that I could actually win at this.

[UNPUBLISHED:] Was it hard balancing school, modeling, Youtube, and a social life? 

[SUEDE:] In the beginning, this was very hard for me because I felt like I was living a double life until I started online school in 8th grade, and really pursued my career to the highest extent. Once I moved to Los Angeles, it was very hard for me to make friends because I always felt like the people that were placed in my life were there for ulterior motives and they really didn't like me for me but for my online persona.

[UNPUBLISHED:] If you weren't pursuing a career in modeling, what do you think you would be doing? 

[SUEDE:] I actually think about this all the time and it’s very hard for me to think about what I would be doing if I wasn’t doing what I love, ever since I was a kid I would always tell my mom how I wanted to be a CEO of a clothing brand designed by me, and this is still a dream of mine to this day and its crazy to say that is actually coming true.

[UNPUBLISHED:] Who is your favorite brand that you’ve worked for?

[SUEDE:] My favorite brand that I have ever worked for is Adidas for so many reasons. The team there have always treated me like family and I still keep in contact with them to this day. I also love the message that they project and how giving they are as a brand.

[UNPUBLISHED:] Has the modeling industry changed your perspective on beauty? 

[SUEDE:] The modeling industry has completely changed my perspective on beauty. I  always thought when I was younger that these models had 0 problems because they were perfect, but once I stepped my toes in the industry I realized that all of that is completely false and a lot of these girls go through the same problems as everybody else in the world!

[UNPUBLISHED:] What is the hardest thing about being a model in this generation? 

[SUEDE:] The hardest part about being a model in this generation is the facade that a lot of girls have to put on the second they hit the set. This is something I personally struggle with because not every day is amazing and we all go through mental issues, etc. 

[UNPUBLISHED:] From the outside, there seems to be a lot of negativity within the modeling industry, what are your opinions on this? 

[SUEDE:] I think there is negativity in every industry. I also think this is the most brutal industry because you're constantly getting judged on your outer looks rather than what you can offer to the world.

[UNPUBLISHED:] What are some misconceptions about the modeling industry? 

[SUEDE:] There are several misconceptions about the modeling industry but I think the main one that I like to tell my generation/fan base is that it's not as fun as it looks, to be honest. Don’t get me wrong there are so many positive things that this industry brings, but the main misconception that people tend to think is that it’s very easy, when in reality there are so many factors that make it difficult like taking 16-hour flights across the country by yourself, going straight to set for another 12 hours, no sleep, etc.

[UNPUBLISHED:] How has COVID-19 affected your job as a model? 

[SUEDE:] I am very blessed to have the platform that I have to be able to still work from home, but the modeling world has significantly died down because of this virus which is completely understandable. 

[UNPUBLISHED:] What does a day in your life look like as a model?

[SUEDE:] Every day is very different, there are some days where I am up at 6 am and don’t come home until 8 pm, and then there are some days where my schedule is completely empty, it definitely fluctuates. I like to keep a schedule every day because it helps with my mental health a lot. Whether it’s reading, working out, filming, editing, etc.

[UNPUBLISHED:] Do you have any advice for aspiring models? 

[SUEDE:] The biggest advice I have for aspiring models is to put yourself out there. Now there are so many ways to do it with these social platforms like Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and Youtube. These platforms turned my life upside down and I am thankful for them every day.

[UNPUBLISHED:] Who are some of your biggest styling inspirations? 

[SUEDE:] I get this question all the time and I honestly can’t pinpoint anyone specifically, I love following stylists on Instagram because they give me so much inspiration to dress the way I do.

[UNPUBLISHED:] What are some brands you hope to model for one day? 

[SUEDE:] Some of the brands that I hope to model for one day would definitely be Burberry, Chanel,  and Rick Owens because these are my current favorite brands.

[UNPUBLISHED:] What has been the proudest moment of your career so far? 

[SUEDE:] The proudest moment in my career has probably been walking into the Pacsun that I used to locally shop at when I was a kid and seeing my face on the front of the store, this is something I have always dreamed of!

[UNPUBLISHED:] What do you want to do next in your career? 

[SUEDE:] There are so many goals that I have in my career but right now I would really love to take SUEDEBYSUEDE to the farthest extent and make clothes for all of the people that have been following me for years. This has always been a big dream of mine!

[UNPUBLISHED:] If you could give yourself one piece of advice, what would it be?

[SUEDE:] If I could give myself one piece of advice it would definitely be to not be so hard on myself. I tend to always think that it's never enough when in reality, I am in a very happy place right now and I tend to forget that.

You can follow Suede Brooks on Instagram here