NICOLE BONIFACIO TALKS PUMA X FOOT LOCKER CAMPAIGN
"Everyone on this set was a joy to work with"
Daniel John
What does it mean for you to be the face of a PUMA x Foot Locker campaign such as this. Or NIKE before it. Brands that not only is at the forefront in terms of diversity, but also does really big campaigns which are displayed worldwide?
It's a super huge thing to me, especially being of Filipino descent, growing up in a small town in the East Bay Area of California. I shopped at Foot Locker as a kid, whether it be at the Hilltop Mall in Richmond or Sunvalley Mall in Concord, my family and I loved getting our shoes at Foot Locker. This campaign meant a whole lot to me because I didn't even think it would be possible. Coming from small town Hercules to now my face being seen in stores around the world. It's absolutely insane.
What was it like working on this campaign?
The team not only had amazing energy, but the talent did as well. Foot Locker celebrates diversity, so even the people behind the camera, the crew, the production. Everyone on this set was diverse, and such a joy to work with. We're all creators in New York City, and bringing people together for one campaign to showcase our talents, creativity and bringing that diversity, it's literally the perfect package.
You did theatre in high school, perhaps even before that, I’m guessing you were still at least some years away from modeling at the time?
It actually was not what I first set out to do! I took a drama class in high school and believe it or not, I was a super shy kid, so I don't even know how I ended up in drama class! (laughs) I'm proud of myself for sticking it out for the year because I got to learn so much about myself and in the arts. It was definitely a helpful tool to bring out the confidence in me.
So how did you go into modeling?
I think they actually go hand in hand. I was always told as a kid that I should try out modeling, but funny enough, I always refused for some odd reason. After graduating high school, I decided to try it and enrolled myself in a modeling course in college. Yes, they offered a modeling course at my college at City College of San Francisco. Turns out, I actually liked learning about modeling, the business behind it and learning how to do a runway walk. There is a lot that goes into it than what people think modeling is.
Is acting a thing for you at all now or is it all modeling?
More so modeling.
I feel like New York is one of those cities, where you don’t really know modeling before you have tried your luck there. What's it like coming there to get into the fashion scene?
New York City is the epicenter of fashion, no matter where you walk, there's always someone who's just casually grabbing coffee on the go wearing the dopest attire. It's otherworldly. New York City is your playground. Your freedom of expression through style. In this city, it's about who you know, connecting, networking because you'll never know who you're going to run into.
I had models on before who thought things like, “Why me? Why are they casting me for this and not one of these other models”. When was the first time you felt, “Oh, wait, did I get it”?
Definitely when I booked a Hollister campaign in 2017. I was on vacation in Barcelona at the time and my agent sent me a casting for Hollister literally the first day I arrived in Barcelona, asking me to send pictures and a video. I shot that video in the middle of Park Guell with tourists walking behind me and everything, expressing my personality on this video, even trying to speak a little Spanish! (laughs) When I got back to the States, my agent called and told me I booked the campaign and I was literally screaming! They flew me to Los Angeles to shoot and months later, I was featured in all stores worldwide, their website and social media. I also got to shoot with them multiple times after that, even for their e-commerce shots where they flew me to Ohio to shoot those. I loved working with their team and everyone involved.
Is it ever surreal seeing yourself in campaigns?
It's always surreal because every single time, I still can't believe it. What it took to get here, making that decision to finally try modeling, in 2011. It got me to move across the country to follow my dreams. Times were hard in the beginning, it still is hard, but I wouldn't trade it because it made me stronger and got me here.
That’s a long time. And also a lot of different hair styles?
Yes! The industry is always changing, so with that, I'm always changing my look up or just simply trying new things to see if my look is bookable. I've probably changed my hair at least ten times within the last seven-eight years.
Do you think that the many aesthetics of Nicole Bonifacio we have seen over the years been a way to never be put in a box?
Absolutely. I don't want to limit myself to one thing, one category and stay in that lane. There's many sides to everyone. I always tell aspiring models to have a variety of different looks in their portfolio because agencies like to see a range, from commercial to fashion to quirky to business, and so on. Agents don't know what they want until you show them you're what they need. Highlight yourself in a different light.
Are you featured in any other store–displays this summer, besides this PUMA x Foot Locker campaign?
You'll see me in Wells Fargo banks across the nation, a lot of skincare brands I've been shooting for such as Aveeno, Elemis, Belif, Dr. Brandt and Silver Mirror Facial Bar, and I also have a lot of hand modeling shoots, most notably for Sol de Janiero and Guess Watches. Also my new eBook. It's called 'How to Start Your Modeling Career' in case aspiring models wanted to learn how to get into modeling.
