Model work in the pipeline
Perth plumber Rob Etherington swapped his usual tradie gear for diamond jewellery when he entered the modelling world for the first time as the face of Solid Gold Diamonds’ latest campaign.
Running alongCottesloe Beach with fellow Vivien Model Management beautyDana Whitehead , the shyJames Franco look-a-like was snapped by high-profile photographerThom Kerr .
“I was definitely nervous leading up to it - I had no idea what to expect, but it’s good, I’m enjoying it,” Etherington explained toAAA .
It was a reluctant transition to modelling for Etherington, after being coaxed into Vivien’s by his mum and copping flack on-site from his plumber mates.
“My mum dragged me in, she was saying ‘Oh you could be a model’ and I just thought she was being biased,” the 21-year-old said.
“Then one day when we both had a day off, she brought me in and they signed me up on the day.”
Christine Fox , head of Vivien’s in Perth, said getting picked up by such a well-known brand was a great start for the aspiring fitness model’s career.
“Rob encompasses everything that the market’s dictating at the moment,” Fox said.
“He’s got the amazing body, those beautiful lips and features, he’s just really everything that we need.”
With limited work for male models in Perth, Fox said “ideally we’d love to get him out of Perth and interstate and overseas”.
Kerr, who’s photographed the likes ofTyra Banks ,Kimbra andSamantha Harris , said Etherington had a bright future.
“He’s doing really well for someone who’s in his first shoot,” he said.
“He’s just got a natural charisma and I can tell that he’s invested in making a great photo.”
Etherington said he expected a hard time from his friends when the billboards appeared around Perth.
“Most people know and they give me s..t,” he said.
“Especially at work because I had to book these days off work obviously and I haven’t heard the end of it so far.”
