Isaiah Zacarias on Modeling, Family, and Finding Freedom

Isaiah Zacarias, the fresh-faced Filipino model who made waves, is embracing the spontaneity of fashion after a life of structure, finding freedom on the runway, behind the lens, and on the open road. 

Walking down the runway for Bottega Veneta for three consecutive seasons is a big deal for any budding mannequin. But, for model Isaiah Zacarias, it was a push into liberation. 

He is energetic, smiley, tanned, and not a day over 21 years old. Matthieu Blazy, now the creative director of Chanel, plucked the fresh face from a sea of eager models to walk in Bottega Veneta’s Fall 2024 show in January of last year. At that point, Zacarias had only been in the modeling game for only a year. 

“Let’s see. When I was up next in the queue of models to walk down the runway, I was like ‘What’s going to happen next?’ Then I was just strutting. Nothing was really in my head except that I had to do well. Maybe I was thinking of what I was going to eat later?” He says laughing from his London apartment with the skateboarding steeze (style ease) of someone raised in Northern California. “I remember seeing A$AP Rocky in the corner of my eye recording me. I saw Raf in the crowd, too. I thought ‘This is so cool, it’s so fun. You can’t pass up on this.” 

It was a huge stamp of validation for Zacarias who, up until that point, was unsure whether or not a modeling career was feasible. But, the stars were aligning and the signs were there. He wasn’t only slated to walk for Bottega that season; he was one the faces of the brand’s campaign, too. “My mom, my grandma, and my auntie even came to Milan the week of the show. They were walking around the city and they saw this video of me on a billboard for Bottega. That’s when it kind of clicked for them that I wasn’t just messing around and traveling the world for no reason.” 

Since then, Zacarias has walked for names like Emporio Armani and Rhude, and is now signed with modeling agencies in major cities from New York and Paris, to Milan and London. (His mother agency is Storm Management in Los Angeles.) He’s appeared in Gap campaigns, and worked a few jobs for Levi’s. “These were meaningful to me because I am from the Bay Area and Central Valley of California. My mother would dress me in these brands as a child,” he says. “A full circle of life moment.”

A career strutting in clothes in front of A-listers and having sharp facial features on view for the world to see is seductive for any early 20-something-year-old; a sign of status during a time when an average Joe can post a selfie on Instagram. Zacarias is definitely reveling in it. But, he has a bigger takeaway from his whirlwind start. 

He wasn’t born into a world as fast-paced or spontaneous as fashion. He describes his life before the runway as more A-type, driven by tight schedules and routines. “I am the oldest child of six,” he says. A few of them, he explains, have mental challenges that warranted him to take the title of  “oldest sibling and caretaker” seriously. It’s in part what motivated him to study Child Psychology while at San Francisco State.

His only exposure to any sort of fashion growing up was at his charter school, where students would add flair to their monotonous school uniforms by flexing their latest pair of Jordans. (His favorite pair are burgundy, which he thinks are either in storage or still being worn by his little brother).

“When I first started working, the industry was so different to me. I didn’t understand it all. My whole life always had structure. I was used to that sort of lifestyle,” he explains.

“I feel like my perspective on the industry has changed from black to white. I see it as a liberating experience. I’m a free bird—a bird that’s just being set out. And I can choose where to fly. I can choose where to nest. And I can choose to fly to the next place when I’m ready.”

He gives it another thought and realizes that he actually owes his young career to a bit of spontaneity. “I had this ex back home who would always tell me I should model. I didn’t care. Then, I applied randomly to Storm. My mother agent Facetimed, and told me to come to Los Angeles because he wanted to sign me. I came the next day. If I never jumped out at the opportunity, I wouldn’t be here today.” 

When we speak, Zacarias is fresh from a week in both Paris and Milan. A few commercial jobs were sprinkled here and there, but he was also able to indulge in his favorite pastime, photography. When he’s on trips away, the model often seeks places that feel like home, such as mom-and-pop shops or small cafes. Often he’s carrying one point-and-shoot camera and another plastic toy camera that shoots in medium format.

 

A cruise through his Instagram page is an insight into where his curiosity takes him: moody images of seascapes, buildings with characters, trash bags aligned on the street, and even a pair of swans. There’s even an image of his black Suzuki street bike, yet another way the model seeks thrill today. “I love riding that bike,” he says. “It’s a dose of freedom whenever I do.” 

Is photography on his list of possible career pursuits after modeling? “My other creative avenues are still developing. I’m still learning a lot at this moment,” he says. While modeling keeps him constantly on the move, Zacarias remains open to exploring other creative pursuits. Photography, in particular, has become a natural extension of his curiosity; something he stumbled into after picking up his first camera at a flea market. He embraces the uncertainty, viewing this phase of his life as a time for exploration rather than rigid plans. “I’m always curious and I want to try everything,” he adds. At just 20 years old, with only two years in the industry, he’s in no rush to define his next steps. 

By ISIAH MAGSINO. Photographs by ARMIN TEHRANI. Vogue Man Editor DANYL GENECIRAN. Makeup: Miki Matsunaga. Hair: Yui Hirohata. Producer: Anz Hizon. Photographer’s Assistants: Marek Micanek, Emma Thomée. Production Assistant: Ron Paningbatan