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What Happens When You Win A Marc Jacobs #CastMeMarc Competition?

Self-proclaimed King Of The Gingers, Jake Hold, on mistaking Marc Jacobs for a cleaner…

By Portis Wasp

Images:Thomas Knights

From #CastMeMarc to #CaraWantsYou, 2014 saw a shift in the way designers were casting their campaigns, moving away from modeling agencies and on to Instagram to find the next big thing. Jake Hold is just one such ‘thing’, who won his place in Marc Jacobs’ Spring/Summer 2015 campaign, thanks to a chance Instagram hashtag.

Here, Jake shares his experience with MTV Style – including that time he mistook Marc Jacobs for a cleaner. Yeah.

MTV Style: Hey Jake! Would you like to introduce yourself properly?

Jake Hold: My name is Jake Hold, I'm 26 years old, well, young, and I’m a model from North Wales.

MTV Style: Talk us through an average day in the life of you?

Jake: My days aren’t really that average, so one minute I’m working in a bar in North Wales, and the next I might be in a different country shooting a global campaign.There is quite a difference from day to day.

MTV Style: How long have you been modeling for?

Jake: Five years in February.

MTV Style: Were you scouted on the street or have you always known that you're ridiculously good looking and approached some agencies yourself?

Jake: Haha, to be honest, I used think I was really ugly.I had really bad skin when I was younger and being a ginger I always got a bit of stick for it.But when I studied fashion in university I began to build my confidence doing shoots for friends and working for designers. I was then put in touch with Elite, was signed, and I have been working with them ever since.

MTV Style: You refer to yourself as 'King of the Gingers' - did you ask Tilda Swinton's permission before you started throwing that title around?!

Jake: (Laughs) I’ve never met her, but she can be my Queen, ’cause I’ve decided that I’m the King now. It’s just a little bit of fun.A lot of people who don’t know me must think it’s an arrogant ego thing, but it’s just a laugh.People who don’t know me who come up to me after seeing me on Instagram usually ask, ‘Are you the King of Gingers?’ Yeah, that’s me.

MTV Style: Earlier this year you, along with thousands of other hopefuls, posted a picture on Instagram along with the hashtag #castmemarc for a chance to be the face of Marc Jacobs' SS15 Campaign.What made you enter the competition?

Jake: One of my friends, who is also a model, asked if I’d entered the competition and I asked what it was.She told me to just tag one of my pictures and I thought I might as well.So I tagged my Red Hot picture by Thomas Knights and I think I may have taken a selfie as well at some point.

MTV Style: You must have been pretty chuffed when you heard that you’d been chosen?

Jake: Yeah, I was pretty ecstatic when I found out! I thought it was a joke at first. I only found out like the day before I had to fly out. I got sent a message on Instagram saying that I needed to send some more pictures, and measurements, and I thought at the time that it was maybe one of those things where they’ll then ask for my bank details! But it was legitimate. It was all down to the wire, last minute; they were trying to send me flights whilst I was trying to fill in a Mexican Visa at the same time. It all worked out though and they sent me to New York for three days.

MTV Style: How many other people were chosen by MJ to fly out to New York with you?

Jake: They actually flew people from different countries to New York, so some people from America, UK etc. They whittled it down I think from 110,000 applications to about 50-60 people. On the first day they did a test with everyone wearing Marc Jacobs clothes and then the next morning we all got called to go to back to the studio.They finished testing the last couple of people and then they announced who was going to be chosen for the campaign.In the end they picked 12 people to be in the campaign.

MTV Style: That’s amazing!We can’t discuss what the campaign will actually look like, because it won’t be released until January, but we can confirm that we’ll be seeing a much blonder version of you!Do bleached blonde gingers have more fun?

Jake: Nope. I was devastated when my hair was dyed. I mean, it did suit me because of my pale skin, but at the same time I’d spent so long keeping my hair in such good condition and they dyed it for 6.5 hours!They bleached my eyebrows as well, so I had like blisters on my head.

MTV Style: Blisters aren’t such a great look. What was it like shooting with photographer David Sims?

Jake: Yeah, it was wicked!He was really cool. It was good to work with someone really super professional who knows what they want from the shoot.

MTV Style: You also got to meet the man himself, Marc Jacobs, during your shoot... Only, you didn't quite realise it was him at the time?

Jake: Yeah, in between getting my hair done I went to the bathroom and he walked past me, only I thought it was a cleaner at first. So I was like, ‘Hey mate, how you doing?’ It was only after, when he sat on the sofa talking to David that I thought, ‘Ahhh...’

MTV Style: Now that you have shot for Marc Jacobs what is the next big fashion thing you want to tick off your bucket list?

Jake: I’ve always wanted to do Topman, just because I used to work there ,so I think it would be hilarious to have my picture there. I think my friends would just be p**sing themselves laughing.

MTV Style: What are your top tips for taking a competition-winning selfie?

Jake: Basically, don’t take it too seriously; don’t do a trout pout, no duck faces, and just be yourself. I think considering I did it at the last minute, I stood out, because I was just me not trying to look like someone else.Just be true to yourself to take a good selfie. And take it from above, the right angle. Maybe get a selfie stick, even?I looked at them today. I just saw it in a magazine and I thought, ‘Oh, I have to get one.’

Follow Jake on Instagram @houseofhold and on Twitter @JakeHofficial

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