Greedysouth discovered Tatenda Hatugari on Hypebeast in an article titled A Vancouver Tour with Andrew Lau, a photographer who Godwin followed on instagram for a while.
 |
| Shot by Shayne Zwickel |
Besides the photos, the story and the clothes is what really caught our attention and the name of the model of course, Tatenda.
Coming from Zim where creatives are sidelined because of economy and lack of opportunities, it was refreshing to see a Zimbabwean on an international platform.
Having focused his studies in sciences in high school Tatenda took a gap year to do some soul searching. “I came to realise I didn’t want to pursue anything I had studied,” he said. The result was the decision to move to Vancouver, Canada in 2014 to study creative writing with the intention of going to film school.
Six months into life on the West Coast of Canada, he boldly walked into a modelling agency with no portfolio or modelling experience. Although he left without a contract that day a representative gave him some sound advice that launched his career.
He went to a much smaller agency and worked with them for about six months. He then represented himself for a year and a half, in that time he met enough photographers and got a local buzz going. “A whole lot of people wanted to shoot me after that,” he said. This exposure has also led to some acting opportunities, his photographs were seen by local acting agency and he booked a role.
A highlight of his budding career was featuring in High Snobeity working with popular Canadian brand, Arc'Teryx. “It was the craziest photoshoot I’ve ever had,” he said. “This opportunity came about through a photographer I met two years ago, he thought I was the best fit and called me up.”
Tatenda's advice to any creatives out there that may feel like they don’t have what it takes to switch careers. “There are a lot of powerful tools to be creative now,” he says “We have not always had access to social media.”
Tatenda looks forward to graduating this year. He plans to remain open-minded about his future. He looks forward to more editorial work coming out, going to auditions for acting and starting classes to increase expertise to successfully move into TV and film. One things for sure we will be keeping an eye on Tasty T!
 |
| Shot by Shayne Zwickel (@shayneshoots) |