Strut the stuff
Heiko’s new kid on the block
Logistics manager by day, catwalk superstar by night – Heiko does it all.
Global supermodel of yesteryear Veronica Web said that one of the things that fascinated her about modelling was that one had the freedom to look any way you wanted; modern day (and local) ‘Adonis’ Heiko Prior says his talent doesn’t define him.
Many people discover their talents at a very tender age but Prior has a different story to tell about how he discovered his talent. Having only had two runway gigs ever that have put him on the international modelling map, Heiko is curious to know how far his talent will take him and his country.
The 27-year-old Prior was born in South Africa and moved to Namibia where he has been living ever since. He attended both his primary and secondary school at Delta and went to Stellenbosch to study accounting. Today he is a financial manager at Imperial Logistics. “I was a normal kid in high school. I consider myself a very friendly and outgoing person. I just never thought that I’d be a model in a million years. I play volleyball and I regard myself as someone who likes adrenaline rush-type activities like skydiving and I enjoy high-intensity training with a couple of friends in the garage,” said Prior.
He says his modelling career started out of the ordinary and is a story to remember. “I had volunteered to do the books for the Trustco Star Performer talent search programme in 2013 as nobody wanted to do because it was an after-hour job. The organisers and I then had a pre-briefing meeting to understand the scoring procedure and through that I met the organisers and my mentor, renowned model Andries Potgieter,” he said. Prior says his mentor and now close friend Potgieter has had an impact on his career as he was the one who told him to give it a try. The organiser of the Trustco Talent Search had gotten him his first billboard gig with Otto Muhr. “Andries helps with me my diet and workout plans as it is very important for me to be fit. The Otto Muhr gig was easy because all I did was pose and they used my pictures. I really enjoyed it,” he said.
Prior then took a break until last year when he walked on the first Windhoek Fashion Week runaway and he says it was quite the experience. “My mentor told me to try it out and he prepared me. It wasn’t so organised and I’m German so that doesn’t make it easy. I hope they learned from it because there was a lot to learn from,” he said. He then met a producer who hooked him up with a gig at the Lexus South African Menswear Week 2017 which is a platform dedicated to the development and promotion of menswear within the African continent. “I’m looking at pursuing a career in modelling and having the SA Menswear Week on my CV will be nice and that’s why I wanted to do it. It was intimidating because out of the 200 models that were cast 70 were chosen. I don’t really look at guys but there were some very good looking ones out there,” said Prior. He said it was very well organised and he was selected by five designers and he will definitely do it again.
As a model Prior says he had to change a few things in his life including his diet. “My diet is split into two parts; I have a normal model eating plan like most models which consists of eggs in the morning, chicken at 11:00, steak and rice for lunch, chicken at 15:00 and fish and salad as supper every day. Around 90 days prior to a gig I change it. I do have cheat days where I get a burger but that’s about it,” he said. He further added that one needs to be committed for best results because as a runway model one is not supposed to be big.
The model says his family supports his career and he enjoys it to regardless of the misconceptions and taboos that exist about models. “The thing is when you are a model you are selling your body as a product and it is what it is. If they want you to take off your shirt then you do so because it’s what you signed up for. You have to so what they want you to do if you want the job. You will get weird outfits but that’s just it,” he laughed.
Prior said he is thinking of becoming a model if an opportunity presents itself. He also is aware of the fact that there is no money in modelling. “I’m looking for an agency but not one from Namibia because there isn’t much happening here,” he said. He advises upcoming models not to base their lives solely on modelling and that they should have back-up plans. “One has to be very patient because you can’t force it. You must take it day by day,” he concluded.
Interesting facts about Heiko Prior:
The last book he read is Poor Dad Rich Dad.
His favourite local artists are Lize Ehlers and Sunny Boy.
His favourite movie is Wolves of Wall Street.
He is scared of heights and he enjoys being by himself.
June Shimuoshili
Global supermodel of yesteryear Veronica Web said that one of the things that fascinated her about modelling was that one had the freedom to look any way you wanted; modern day (and local) ‘Adonis’ Heiko Prior says his talent doesn’t define him.
Many people discover their talents at a very tender age but Prior has a different story to tell about how he discovered his talent. Having only had two runway gigs ever that have put him on the international modelling map, Heiko is curious to know how far his talent will take him and his country.
The 27-year-old Prior was born in South Africa and moved to Namibia where he has been living ever since. He attended both his primary and secondary school at Delta and went to Stellenbosch to study accounting. Today he is a financial manager at Imperial Logistics. “I was a normal kid in high school. I consider myself a very friendly and outgoing person. I just never thought that I’d be a model in a million years. I play volleyball and I regard myself as someone who likes adrenaline rush-type activities like skydiving and I enjoy high-intensity training with a couple of friends in the garage,” said Prior.
He says his modelling career started out of the ordinary and is a story to remember. “I had volunteered to do the books for the Trustco Star Performer talent search programme in 2013 as nobody wanted to do because it was an after-hour job. The organisers and I then had a pre-briefing meeting to understand the scoring procedure and through that I met the organisers and my mentor, renowned model Andries Potgieter,” he said. Prior says his mentor and now close friend Potgieter has had an impact on his career as he was the one who told him to give it a try. The organiser of the Trustco Talent Search had gotten him his first billboard gig with Otto Muhr. “Andries helps with me my diet and workout plans as it is very important for me to be fit. The Otto Muhr gig was easy because all I did was pose and they used my pictures. I really enjoyed it,” he said.
Prior then took a break until last year when he walked on the first Windhoek Fashion Week runaway and he says it was quite the experience. “My mentor told me to try it out and he prepared me. It wasn’t so organised and I’m German so that doesn’t make it easy. I hope they learned from it because there was a lot to learn from,” he said. He then met a producer who hooked him up with a gig at the Lexus South African Menswear Week 2017 which is a platform dedicated to the development and promotion of menswear within the African continent. “I’m looking at pursuing a career in modelling and having the SA Menswear Week on my CV will be nice and that’s why I wanted to do it. It was intimidating because out of the 200 models that were cast 70 were chosen. I don’t really look at guys but there were some very good looking ones out there,” said Prior. He said it was very well organised and he was selected by five designers and he will definitely do it again.
As a model Prior says he had to change a few things in his life including his diet. “My diet is split into two parts; I have a normal model eating plan like most models which consists of eggs in the morning, chicken at 11:00, steak and rice for lunch, chicken at 15:00 and fish and salad as supper every day. Around 90 days prior to a gig I change it. I do have cheat days where I get a burger but that’s about it,” he said. He further added that one needs to be committed for best results because as a runway model one is not supposed to be big.
The model says his family supports his career and he enjoys it to regardless of the misconceptions and taboos that exist about models. “The thing is when you are a model you are selling your body as a product and it is what it is. If they want you to take off your shirt then you do so because it’s what you signed up for. You have to so what they want you to do if you want the job. You will get weird outfits but that’s just it,” he laughed.
Prior said he is thinking of becoming a model if an opportunity presents itself. He also is aware of the fact that there is no money in modelling. “I’m looking for an agency but not one from Namibia because there isn’t much happening here,” he said. He advises upcoming models not to base their lives solely on modelling and that they should have back-up plans. “One has to be very patient because you can’t force it. You must take it day by day,” he concluded.
Interesting facts about Heiko Prior:
The last book he read is Poor Dad Rich Dad.
His favourite local artists are Lize Ehlers and Sunny Boy.
His favourite movie is Wolves of Wall Street.
He is scared of heights and he enjoys being by himself.
June Shimuoshili
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