“Facts first please, Jaron.
Hi Fucking Young! My name is Jaron Baker and I’m 22 years old. Model and aspiring actor from the small town of St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada. My ethnic background is 50% Dutch (from mum’s side), and 50% Scottish-English-Italian (from Dad’s side). I grew up my whole life with divorced parents from four years of age onward. Growing up I enjoyed doing all types of sports and activities. I played baseball, soccer, basketball, and volleyball. I also did ballet, tap dance, gymnastics, and theatre camp. I loved playing all types of video games and watching cartoons and old movies with my loved ones. I wasn’t a popular kid in high school. I mainly hung out with very academic kids. Doing well and being a high achiever in school was always one of my greatest values. I felt like an outcast for a majority of schooling. Not many people included me or made me feel like I was accepted. I never really had a best friend either.
Taking it back to the very beginning, how did you start out?
I was attending nursing school at the York/Seneca BsCN program in Toronto, where I was scouted roughly about four years ago. On the weekends, I used to go into the city with friends from the program, where we would go window shopping and hang around Queen Street. One day we went into a High Fashion store. Here, while shopping, I was approached by Bobby Bowen, a fashion stylist from Toronto and Employee of the store at that time. Bobby asked me if I had ever modeled before and I had no clue what modeling even entailed. After a while talking in the store, Bobby and I exchanged phone numbers and thereafter stayed in contact. Bobby then invited me to come back downtown to attend some e-commerce and look-book photo shoots. I had no clue what I was doing but after a while, I would get a hang of it with guidance. I started making regular trips into the city and it seemed that I was connected with more and more creatives in Toronto. This was the beginning; I started loving it more and more each and every shoot, meeting more and more people and expanding my experience and enjoyment in understanding something that felt somewhat natural. The nursing school had been extremely stressful and had caused me a lot of anxiety, as I was just barely passing and not getting much sleep whatsoever and not really taking care of my body or mental health. The semester was coming to an end and I didn’t know whether I was going to make it by or have to redo certain courses during that semester. After breaking down and talking to my parents about how I wasn’t enjoying my life in school I decided to drop out, even after just barely passing my courses that year. I told my parents that I wanted to model and go to Toronto more often in hopes of getting more work, all while booking my own work on my own; freelance. That summer, I got more and more connections and was introduced to more and more people and I eventually got noticed. After working and traveling a lot, I met with more agencies around the world and signed with Plutino in Toronto, IMG in New York and Milan, Elite Paris, and Wizard in Tokyo. The list continues to grow as I evolve and develop even more throughout my ongoing career. Modeling has taken me all over the world and allowed me to meet so many amazing people. I’ve lived and worked in Hong Kong, China, Japan, Los Angeles, New York, Toronto, Milan, Paris.
LA was the first place I moved to by myself fully alone, out of all the places I’ve moved to it feels most like home. Most of my best friends live there and it feels the most organic for socializing. Japan has definitely been one of my most favorite places to have lived in and visited.
As a model, what’s the least favorite thing to be asked?
There are quite a few *laughs. Perhaps, “my secret”, when there really isn’t a secret you just do it. Or if there is a secret universal code on how to become successful. Also, hate getting asked to do work for free in exchange for free merchandise.
What about yourself do you think resonates positively with your industry admirers?
I believe I’m really good at making people feel comfortable and getting to a person’s character. Also, I’m easy to get along with. Nobody is a stranger to me by the end of a shoot or a meeting. I like to get to know people and how they work from a psychological point of view, as I care about people and put myself into their shoes; treat others the way you want to be treated. Also, I feel that the fact that I’m down to do something that stretches the norm in modeling is a pro to my kind of being. Go out of my comfort zone and push myself to become better? I think people look up to that.
What’s been the greatest experience so far?
So far, I’d probably have to say last January in Europe walking my first shows (Dolce & Gabbana). Japan was a major deal for me, too: all that I have learned for the past three years I have been modeling (life experiences and life lessons) has been important, as I’ve been working with a lot of the people who I used to look up to in the industry, and even befriending them.
It’s fascinating how you approach your social media ever so apologetically. What’s the cause the made you a “clickable” e-phenomenon?
I am just being myself and doing what I love to do. I enjoy having an aesthetic that is natural and pleasing to my own eye.
What are you most optimistic about the future of fashion? And what role do you have in contributing to that?
Honestly, I hope more people start to upcycle clothing instead of buying newly made garments. Fast fashion is really bad for the environment, and if there’s any change that needs to happen it would have to fall into that. I truly hope we find ways that support the earth for the positives and to eliminate more wastefulness and pollution. Reciprocal acceptance in the fashion industry is also fundamental. It’s good to be honest, as honesty is a value every human being should own and fully embody.
PHOTOS: Gabe Araujo @gabearaujo
STYLING: Momodou Njie @mo.njie
GROOMING: Mark Alan @mark.alan.hair
TALENT: Jaron Baker @jaronbaker.” – Fuckingyoung.es
