By Drew Butler
dbutler@cherryroad.com
Being a model was never what Ethan Rohrman wanted, but based on his success, you would never know it.
At age 21, the Plainview graduate is modelled after Hermes, Canari, Balenciaga and many other top designers. Currently living in Paris, he is busy moving forward with his career and has recently walked the runway during Paris Fashion Week.
“When I talk to one of the other male models, most of them talk about the same thing,” he said. “Many of us didn't want that, but the modeling type fell on our knees and one day it was signed.”
He shared the story of how it happened to him.
“My mother posted a photo of her family on Facebook in 2018 or 2019, and the agency Kim Dawson in Dallas contacted her,” he said. “She had just come to my room one day and said, 'I got the car to go to Dallas to interview a modeling agent.'
“I was signed that same day, but it's actually still my agency in Dallas. It just grew out of there.”
In 2024, Rohrman moved to New York to pursue better opportunities. Earlier this year, he decided to try his luck in Paris.
“Part of the reason I went there is because of my girlfriend,” he said. “She's a fashion business major and her school has a campus in Paris, so I checked for a month last June.
“I decided to try to sign in Paris, and I did. I ended up walking my first runway with a big brand and decided that was where I wanted to be.”
One of his favourite clients is Hermes, who regularly booked him and chose him to walk the runway during Paris Fashion Week. He was also chosen by Balenciaga.
“I had to walk for Balenciaga, then I took a photo. GQ After that, it was really cool,” he said.
Rohrman said he enjoys the runway for all the energy and excitement. But he emphasized that it is a lot of work.
“There's a lot of work that leads to that,” he said. “There's rehearsals and you'll be there all day on the show day. Even if you're going to take a behind-the-scenes photo with your hair and makeup at 9am, not until 8pm.”
He particularly enjoys editing photography.
“Editor filming is definitely the most enjoyable,” he said. “There's no need to pos in a specific way. You can also adjust your clothes a little. There's more creativity and the models can speak out in the way they film.”
But the most consistent money comes from filming the brand's online store.
“You can do that for a week or two, and you can wear 60 or 70 outfits a day,” says Lollman. “These are the places where a lot of the most consistent money comes out in the industry. If you can do well with your brand and become an in-house model, you can basically work 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
Unfortunately, he cannot keep clothes.
“I hope I have to keep things up,” he said. “I'm lucky to make it out of socks. I asked if I could store the really cool Hermes bag I was walking with, and the stylist said it was $25,000. Needless to say, that didn't happen.”
Rohrman said he plans to continue his life in Paris and build a career.
