Axel Arigato Celebrates NYC Expansion with a Rooftop Party

Do you have any rituals?

The only ritual I have is praying. I usually pray in the morning and night, and I just think about what I'm grateful for, what [positive] energy I want to bring to myself and others.

What's your favorite place in New York? 

My favorite place in New York is the beach in the summer — whether it's Fire Island or Jacob Riis. Like, even if it's kind of trashy, it's still fun.

I love being downtown. My favorite bar is Clockwork. I'm always there having a beer. And I love the West Village, it just still has an iconic super-gay feel. Going to Julius’ or Pier 45 is always super fun. 

What is your go-to deli order? 

My go-to deli order is an everything bagel with scallion cream cheese, tomato, onion and bacon, and hot sauce, and then some sort of caffeine, like an iced coffee or a Celsius.

I drink coffee in the morning, coffee in the afternoon. If I go out after work, then I drink a Celsius. The marshmallow flavor is everything.

LEFT: BLAIR wears MA-1 HERITAGE BOMBER JACKET by ALPHA INDUSTRIES, DRESS by GALLIANO, HEELS by DION LEE, JEWELRY by MARTINE ALI

RIGHT: BLAIR wears MA-1 HERITAGE BOMBER JACKET by ALPHA INDUSTRIES, TOP by SH4ME, SKIRT by DION LEE, RINGS by CHRIS HABANA, NECKLACE by CLAIRE WISEMAN STUDIO, BOOTS are TALENT’S OWN

If you weren't doing what you're doing now, what would your career be? 

I would either be a firefighter or a pornstar. 

Who is your go to person when you need a pep talk? 

When I need a pep talk for anything life-related, if I’m struggling, I only will talk to my mom about it. I hate projecting and talking about that kind of thing with friends. I just think… get a therapist. So only my mom. 

But if I need a pep talk for something work-related, I've been really blessed with great mentors like Rachel Chandler, Greg Krelenstein, and Kembra Pfahler, who always know exactly what to say.

How do you know when you see someone with potential?

I know I see someone with potential when I’ve actually gotten that chance to connect with them, understand them, and learn more about them.

In our industry nowadays, a star is a lot more than just their appearance. We're starting to really value people as more than a model, more than a face. We're getting into their background, their story, what else they have to offer, so I think it takes more than just looking at them. 

It's rare to have that girl who is just at the top for being a model. It still happens — we have Anok and Vittoria, who've really made it that way. But I like when I really get to dive into someone, ask them about themselves, figure out what’s special about them. Connecting with other humans is important in our industry, and some people forget to do that. 

How did you start casting? What was the path that led you there? 

I started when I was 19, by interning for Ricky Michaels. I think I had gotten scouted by him, and then he had said, ‘I need an intern.’ 

I was like, cool, I'm gonna try this, and it just went from there. I started working with casting directors in New York and Paris, wherever I could get a gig, and make money, and I slowly started building my own clients.

What about the process do you find fulfilling? 

I'm just a people-person, so getting to click with other people is fulfilling. I always hate when I see people in the industry treat people [as if they’re] super disposable, or forget about the human aspect, because, I'm like, why are you in this industry if you don't care about the human aspect?

When you get to do those really special projects, where it really is about storytelling and less just about filling a quota or a role or something like that, that's when it excites me, and it's worth it to me. Or when you get to put someone on, and have them share their voice, who normally wouldn't [have that platform], that's always still really super exciting to me.

You mentioned getting scouted. Do you model yourself? 

I like to model if it's for Hedi Slimane or Lotta Volkova. Or if the check is really cute, then we can talk.

How does it compare to casting? 

Well, the funny thing for me with modeling is that when I was 18 to 21, the ages where I would have been prime, that's when no one wanted me to model. Like, I was not cute back then.

I never could have been a traditional model. I was not female sample size, and couldn't have been with an agency. It wasn't really until I developed myself as a human and once I created a band, and started getting my career going, that I think people started booking me as Blair and not really as a model. 

I think that made me value putting work into who I am instead of my appearance. I've never really cared about affirmation for my appearance, but way more about what I can bring out there.

When did you start making music? 

I had just made music for fun after I graduated college. My best friend was always in bands while we were in school, and I was like, oh, we won't be in school together every day, so let's do a project so we can keep hanging out. And so that's how I started my band with her.

What brought you to New York originally? 

College brought me to New York. I grew up in Missouri, and no one from my high school went to college in New York. But I’m grateful to have had a teacher who was like, “you need to not go to school in Kansas City. You need to branch out and try somewhere else.” 

I didn't even know what Parsons was, but I applied to every art and design school, and they gave me the best scholarship. And it got me here. It just seemed like a way better quality of life for myself, so I stuck it out here.

How would you like to be remembered?

I would like to be remembered for making positive impacts on other people's lives. I think I don't really care as much about success or getting to a certain point in my career, because I have seen a lot of the people who are at the top, especially in fashion, usually have to sacrifice certain things and morals that I'm not willing to. So as long as I make a positive impact on people interpersonally in my life, that's enough for me. I'm happy with that. 

What does New York mean to you? 

New York is really energetically exciting. You can always walk down the street and see life. I've been here seven years, and people are like, “it's not like it used to be!” But no matter what, I still find new and exciting people and stories and connections with other humans, that is unlike anywhere else I've been in the world. It's always going to be special to me.