mark bryan

Describe yourself in three words.

Confident, humble, passionate.

How do you feel when you put on a skirt and high heels?

I don’t feel any different whether I put on pants or a skirt. What I wear doesn’t change who I am.

Do you feel empowered and more confident?

would say to some extent, yes. I have always thought that businesslike women who wore high heels and a tight pencil skirt exuded power. It also gives me more confidence to know that I’m well dressed and that others think the same. I’ve always been a confident person, but wearing skirts and heels gives me even more confidence, and that impacts other aspects of my life too.

When was the first time you wore heels, and how did this love of high-heeled shoes begin?

he first time I wore high heels was in college about 40 years ago. I was with my girlfriend at the time. We were the same height and wore the same size shoes and she loved to wear high heels. She asked me to try on a pair of her heels so that we would be the same height. A parallel could be drawn between you and an electrical charge, which is half “feminine” and half “masculine”, do you consider yourself as a hybrid of some sort? That’s exactly what I call my style – “hybrid”. Like hybrid cars with a combination of electrical energy and fuel, my style is a combination of masculine and feminine.

A parallel could be drawn between you and an electrical charge, which is half “feminine” and half “masculine”, do you consider yourself as a hybrid of some sort?

That’s exactly what I call my style — “hybrid”. Like hybrid cars with a combination of electrical energy and fuel, my style is a combination of masculine and feminine. After a few years wearing skirts and heels, how do you deal with what people think? I understand that everyone is entitled to their opinion. If they don’t like the way I dress, I’m ok with that. I’m not going to argue with them to try to change their minds. But I generally ignore most negative comments. I don’t let the opinions of strangers I meet in public get to me. I don’t care what they think. If they like me that’s great, if they don’t, then fine too. Why bother about what strangers think? I focus only on what my family and close friends think.

After a few years wearing skirts and heels, how do you deal with what people think?

I understand that everyone is entitled to their opinion. If they don’t like the way I dress, I’m ok with that. I’m not going to argue with them to try to change their minds. But I generally ignore most negative comments. I don’t let the opinions of strangers I meet in public get to me. I don’t care what they think. If they like me that’s great, if they don’t, then fine too. Why bother about what strangers think? I focus only on what my family and close friends think.

“Clothes should not define your gender.” Can you tell us a bit more about that?

Some people think that because I wear a skirt and heels that I want to be feminine or be a woman. But a man can wear feminine clothes and still be very masculine. The same goes for women who wear masculine clothing, they can still be very feminine.

Do you consider yourself as provocative?

What I choose to wear was not originally intended to provoke anything. Not even to challenge the norms. I just felt it was something I wanted to do. But now, I just want men and women to feel that they can be comfortable in whatever they choose to wear.

Do you enjoy your “new” life as a fashion icon?

Yes, I’m having a lot of fun. The fashion world is so alien to me as its completely a different realm from robotic engineering. I am meeting a totally different group of people with completely different outlooks on life. It is definitely a new 105 chapter in my life, and I’m enjoying it.

How do you reconcile it with your personal life?

My engineering job takes up eight to nine hours, five to six days a week. I have been spending about two or three hours a day on Instagram to answer messages and comments. Some days I’ll spend two to three hours during the week taking photos to be posted on my Instagram account the following week. Most of my photoshoots for magazines happen on weekends, and it usually requires either Friday or Monday for traveling. Plus, the many hours researching or talking with brands so I can start earning some income. So I have virtually no free time. I have since hired a management team which has given me a little breathing space and reduced the stress a bit.

If there was anything you could say to fashion enthusiasts, what would it be?

To fashion enthusiasts? Get dressed up more! Dress casual only two or three days a week, or dress smart-casual to enhance your fashion looks!

If there was anything you could change in this world, what would it be?

That everybody would accept those who are different from them. A perfect example is men and women, you can’t get much more different than that. And yet, humanity needs both of them to get along with each other in order to survive. If a man can accept a woman, then why can’t that man accept another man that has a different skin color or a different religion? Maybe accepting people who dress differently is a good starting point.

What’s your favorite song?

Shallow by Lady Gaga and Bradley Copper. Love the whole soundtrack!

Do you have a motto?

What a person wears doesn’t dictate his/her sexual orientation.

fashion CYRIL VINCHON

photographs BEN FOURMI

set design DÉBORAH SADOUN

grooming VICHIKA YORN

talent MARK BRYAN

fashion assistants TANIA MICHALIK & MATHIAS QUINTON

photography assistants SIDONIE RONFARD & ÉLISA JUGE-HOLTERMANN

studios À CIEL OUVERT STUDIOS

production FABRICA