After majoring in air traffic control, recent Gulliver Prep graduate Landon Biscombe ‘22 never expected to find himself walking the Coach runway at New York Fashion Week. But in February, that’s exactly what he did—marking a debut that many aspiring models only dream of.
“I wanted to do something creative,” Biscombe said. “Modeling was just a dream I had in high school, but I never thought it would actually happen.”
That changed in October when “Lando” came across on a TikTok livestream with a photographer who was looking at digitals. He submitted his own, and shorter after he was connected to a manager, then signed to DNA Model Management and Wilson Management. Most recently, he signed with Vision Models in Los Angeles and Next in Miami.
“About a month before New York Fashion Week, Coach reached out to my agency and that was really cool because that meant they were interested in working with me,” Biscombe said.
Despite the excitement, the casting process was difficult, where Lando waited for hours just to have a conversation with the show’s casting director for five minutes.
“At first, I didn’t think they liked me,” Biscombe said, “I wasn’t really sure what the modeling agencies saw in me,” Biscombe said.
However, the callback he received for a hair and makeup test proved otherwise. According to Biscombe, his signature dreads may be responsible for landing him the job with Coach. He practiced his runway walk on the treadmill the night he got the call.
The backstage experience, he said, was unforgettable.
“Everyone was so nice. I made so many friends,” Biscombe said. “People were trying to sneak backstage, so they gave us these wristbands. It was crazy.”
His day started early with breakfast, makeup, hair and nails, taking about 20 minutes before rehearsals. He even spotted well well-known influencer and model, Alex Consani, during his fitting.
Living in Miami, Biscombe is continuing his studies in air traffic control through online classes at Miami Dade College while fully immersed in the modeling world.
Biscombe hopes to walk for Balenciaga one day, but for now, he’s soaking in the moment. With major agencies supporting him and big-name shows already under his belt, Biscombe’s modeling career is just getting started.
