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IN CONVERSATION WITH DAVID GANDY

WE TALK STYLE, SUPPLEMENTS AND NUTRITION WITH THE WELLMAN VITAMINS AMBASSADOR

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In Conversation with David Gandy

David Gandy, a man peerless when it comes to plunging himself into a body of water wearing only the skimpiest of Y-Fronts before emerging from the oceanic depths, boarding a vessel, chiseled, sun-kissed, mounting some equally skimpily-clad bikini model. He is chivalrous, as his many charities will denote. His style - unparalleled, although never a self-proclaimed fashionista, he has an antipathy for trends, which somehow embodies his timeless aesthetic.

Let's face it, he's a ruddy handsome guy and if anyone's face deserves a certain level of ubiquity, it's his. I wonder how many times I see his face every day on the London Underground. When I first saw it in the flesh it was at the Spectre premiere, and when Mr White (Bond villain) cried "He's everywhere! Everywhere! He's sitting at your desk, he's kissing your lover, he's having supper with your family." He could have just as well been talking about the Male Super Model in the third row. I managed to get some time with the ambassador for Wellman Vitamins:

How involved are you with the science side of Wellman? 

“I've always been nutritionally aware, I've always known what I need on a daily basis, nutrition wise. That's why I've taken Wellman since I was 21-22. I've always been interested about my needs, with their organic ingredients, it was exactly what I needed.”

How do we measure the benefits? 

“We should all get the vitamins from what we need, but our busy lives don't always allow us to do that. The proof is in the pudding and people always ask me how I do it from a 13-hour flight, straight onto a photo shoot, to a party with clients, to get up in the morning straight onto another flight - it's all about what people put in their bodies, for me it's always been about Wellman.”

Are people educated enough when it comes to supplements and nutrition? 

“We're not educated enough on nutrition. We're trying. Jamie Oliver is doing a great job. He comes up against a lot of barriers, I don't know why we are hitting barriers, especially with young people. I've had to educate myself, many years, trial and error, lots of sports. Only 6 months ago it came out that processed food is bad. We've known for ages that this is the case. There's cycles of red meats being bad, then not. Milk is bad, then not. Some people can eat a lot of carbs, saturated fats, and some people can't. It's a lot of trial and error. Processed food is pretty crap, there's a reason why it lasts 12 months. It’s not a diet, its lifestyle, I don't believe in diets. I've had the offers to put my face on chocolates and ice creams, fizzy drinks etc. But if I'm influencing a younger audience, I don't need to do that. I've always tried to promote a healthier well-being, that's why this collaboration with Wellman works with me.”

What about British Fashion Council, what is the most challenging part of LFWM? 

“The British Fashion Council and Dylan Jones, they do most of the work. Our jobs there is to support the brands, see as many shows as we can, and the fashion forward brands, the ones that need the platforms to get success. Influencers and bloggers are used a lot more than advertising and they want them, and its changed the way things are getting sold. People want items immediately as they see them, they used to have seasons, shows, and collections you'd see 3 months or even 6 months after that. That's changed. Whether we've seen a revolution - a lot of them will be mixed - sold as seen. Burberry, Tom Ford, and Tommy Hilfiger are moving towards that platform, there will be a transition in the next couple of years.”

Do you ever feel the pressure to stay on top of trends?  

“Trends are a funny thing - I don't believe them. People follow them all the time, the most style conscious are the people that set the trends and don't follow them. I'd never call myself trend driven or trendy. I spend ten minutes looking through the wardrobe. Everyone's an individual, there’s no wrong or rights with fashion. I may not agree with what someone is wearing but I appreciate people who have got the confidence to wear a certain outfit. What I appreciate less are people buying stuff because of a name or logo. With globalisation we can all wear the same thing. I used to go to New York to get stuff that we don't have in London, it was a lot easier to be individual. We can’t do that anymore. They have the same stores now in London that they do in New York and vica-versa.”

David Gandy is global ambassador for Vitabiotics Wellman, the UK’s number 1 supplement for men. Pick up a limited edition David Gandy pack of Wellman 30 tablets, celebrating 20 years of Wellman vitamins, at Holland & Barrett stores nationwide, or online at vitabiotics.com

Peter Brooker

Peter is a published author on men's style, a huge James Bond fanatic and the host of our very own Menswear Style Podcast. His new book 'From Tailors with Love: An Evolution of Menswear Through the Bond Films' is available now.

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