24-year-old Shubham Vaidkar was hustling at his corporate job but is now walking the runways of some biggest fashion shows. The former civil engineer gave up his ₹3.6 LPA salary job to pursue his modelling dreams and is now a model for Giorgio Armani.
Engineer turned fashion mode, Shubham Vaidkar was born and raised in India's Mumbai and pursued his graduation in civil engineering in the same city. In a recent interview with a media outlet, he said that he had taken up modelling during his second year of graduation, simply as a hobby.
No formal training or background. Shubham simply did some research online after random reels on modelling made him "curious". The model admitted that he was "around 83–84 kg" when he first started out and after some research, he sent pictures to some modelling agencies and eventually received a call.
“They were very blunt and told me I needed to lose weight. They gave me a month, and I worked hard on it. When we met again, they signed me", the 24-year-old said.
Currently represented by Anima Creatives, Shubham took his job seriously and immediately lost weight through controlled diet and exercise. His effort eventually bore fruit when he was recruited to do an Armani show in the fashion capital of the world, Milan, in January, 2024.
Although he travelled to Paris and Milan for modelling work, the feeling of uncertainty gnawed at him and he returned to India to take up a conventionally stable job. As a civil engineer, Shubham was paid ₹30,000 per month (₹3.6 lakh per annum). However, six months later, he resigned to become a full-time model.
Talking about the surge in his pay-cheque, the young model said that he earns upto ₹5 lakhs a day for modelling work including ramps and campaigns. He added, "Internationally, modelling pays well...Compared to an entry-level engineering salary, it’s a huge difference".
Shubham Vaidkar also opened up about the not-so-glamorous part of modelling, which is the intense hard work. The job also comes with certain uncertainties which can be depressing. However, despite it all, Shubham is not afraid to put in the work every day if it means fulfilling bigger dreams.
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