NYC BOY
Athlete, model, writer: Matt James is not your average over-achieving American hunk! Photography Jade Young.
DNA: Congratulation on the images you’ve shot with Jade Young. They’re stunning! How did the collaboration come about?
Matt James: I happened to find my way on to Jade’s Instagram page and loved the work, so I clicked follow and from there we direct messaged back and forth. That lead to the first shots we saw on the DNA website and then a second shoot, specially commissioned by DNA.
Yes! We have a great connection and vibe, which ultimately lead to this shoot.
Are you the “all-American boy”?
Yes and no. There are elements of the all-America boy that I embody: the confident jock… I grew up playing American football, hockey and lacrosse. That’s part of my DNA. However, I don’t identify with the idea of being that all-American boy who is typically ultra-conservative. I’m a big-city guy who is very open-minded and passionate. I love fashion, wellness, education and creative thinking. Essentially, I’m the modern, modified version of the all-American boy. You’re in great shape. How much work do you put in weekly to look this good?
Thank you! It varies. Sometimes from 5 to 7 days. That may seem like overkill but I like mixing up the training so that I don’t fully exhaust my body. Some days I may just do upper body, lower body, pull exercises, push exercises, or throw in some wild card yoga.
How comfortable do you feel in the more revealing, sexualised images?
I am proud of my body and not afraid to show it. I am open to idea of being “body positive”.
You also look great with clothes on! Are you interested in pursuing more fashion shoots?
Ha ha! Thank you! Definitely interested. I love clothes and styling them to make lifestyle shoots a bit more fun for me. I personally pick out pieces and assemble the look.
Tell us about your cross-training philosophy. We’re all familiar with the cross-training concept – but how can people make it work best for them?
Good question. The key to cross-training is being open-minded and willing to try new things whether it be exercises, set/rep training switches, different cardio machines, etc. I like pulling from all different types of trainings and fitness disciplines – cardio, weights, yoga, Pilates. A good analogy for this is going to a buffet: you pick things that you like to eat but you must be willing to try new foods that you haven’t had before. Be a little adventurous and think outside the box.
You describe yourself as an aspiring Performance Consultant and Future Creative Director… what are your ambitions?
I have a long list! For starters, I will continue to grow my current performance/wellness consultancy business and build up a one-to-one personal consultant business alongside it. At the same time, I’ll expand my The Pursuit Of… articles on Medium.com, where I write about fashion, wellness, performance, music and motivation.
What’s great about living in New York now?
One word: opportunity. I know it’s a cliché but I wouldn’t have had this opportunity, to be in DNA, if it wasn’t for moving to New York and diving head first into modelling.