LOGAN’S LIFE
Rufskin's sexy underwear model is Our Straight Mate this month.
He’s been model and muse for iconic menswear label Rufskin, but Logan Swiecki-Taylor is more than just a pretty face. Photography by Hubert Pouches and Douglas Coats, courtesy of Rufskin.
DNA: You’ve developed a following through your modelling work for Rufskin. How do you feel about that success?
Logan Swiecki-Taylor: Happiness; that’s all I’m after.
You were discovered by Rufskin founders Hubert and Douglas, who described your first photo shoot as “a perfect symbiosis”. What are your memories of that first shoot? From start to finish it was a lot of fun. We fed off of each other’s creative energy and got some fantastic shots. We shot in a mid-century modern house, then went out on location, shot in and around the pool, in the landscape, on top of the house… The energy seemed to never stop so we just kept creating away until the very last moment. Who knew it was just the tip of the iceberg?
They’ve also said you are a “fountain of ideas”. Is that an accurate observation? Everyone involved with Rufskin is. Creativity is part of the Rufskin DNA, if you will.
They guess they have over a million photographs of you. Have they ever pushed you too far?
“Too far” would assume there is a limit. I’d like to believe that our creativity is inexhaustible. Their best praise is simply that your beauty is “the cherry on top of the cake”. How do you feel about your own beauty?
’Tis in the eyes of the beholder.
What is the best part of doing a photo shoot? Creating art, having fun, feeding of each other’s energy, creating something beautiful out of seemingly nothing or very little.
The Rufskin gear is designed to be sexy and show off the body – does that influence how you feel when you wear it?
Wearing Rufskin allows me to just “do my thing” and be myself… I suppose it could Rufskin-enhance one’s true nature.
As a straight man, you have no qualms about appearing in gay media or being photographed in the homoerotic Rufskin style. Do you know of other models who have turned down opportunities because of these issues?
I don’t understand what the “issue” would be. You are comfortable with who you are or you’re not.
You appeared in the documentary Gay Lives Of Straight Guys. Can you tell us about that?
It was a fun project; they basically just captured me being on the job with Rufskin.
Where have you witnessed homophobia?
In high school and college. And, sadly, on occasion when I go for runs – mindless idiots yelling out slurs as they pass by in their vehicles. I’ve moved a lot, so I’ve witnessed it all across the US.
Have you ever had a friend come out to you? Yes, one of my best friends in middle school came out to me just before high school. He moved away and I never heard from him again. He felt more uncomfortable than I did. I honestly couldn’t fully comprehend it at that time, other than it meant he liked boys. Jeff, I hope you’ve made a beautiful life out there!
Do guys assume you’re gay, and what happens when you get cruised or someone slides into your DMs?
All the time. I believe in the energy you put out and receive from others. I respectfully decline offers and proposals of mismatched energy. If respect is absent from the DM, comment or tweet, then I ignore it.
Who is your music diva?
I enjoy all sorts of music but prefer music with little to no lyrics. I like to feel the rhythm and beat of the music more than anything else. I love anything that invokes action and movement; anything that can get me up and moving, music with feeling, soul, a beat that hits just right!
How do you hope the
US election will turn out in November?
I hope the greater collective conscious believes in science, practices respect and honesty, and has a moral compass to guide us in the right direction.
Who has been your greatest inspiration?
I gather inspiration from everywhere; the amazing family at Rufskin, my blood family, artists, books, museums, film, random people on the street, a nicely preserved cactus skeleton in the middle of the desert. Life really. Everything is intertwined and connected so grab anything and everything you can to inspire and drive you.
Have you ever had a wardrobe malfunction while modelling?
Sometimes I put on pieces backwards or incorrectly just to mess with the team and get a good laugh. There’s no malfunction if you own it!
What is an instant turn-on for you? Intelligence
Do you have a favourite Rufskin shoot?
All of them. It’s as if it were one ongoing project that is continually going through metamorphosis.
Away from the Rufskin cameras, what are you wearing?
I’m most comfortable in my natural state. Nude.