'The most beautiful Azerbaijani' spoke about life and career in the USA

The only Azerbaijani male model who managed to reach the world podium was Rustam Dzhabrailov, who was nicknamed “The Most Beautiful Azerbaijani.” A young man who had dreamed of becoming a school geography teacher since childhood unexpectedly won the international competition “The Best Model of the World”, moved to the USA and made a successful modeling career in a new country.

Photo: ru.sputnik.az

Rustam Dzhabrailov was born 8 June 1986 year in Lugansk, Ukraine, in an Azerbaijani family. Later, his family moved to Baku, where he graduated from school and university, becoming a teacher of geography. In 2005, when Rustam studied at a university, two people approached him on the street and said that they were looking for models for advertising.

Just a week later, the young man was offered to work in a modeling agency - he started with videos advertising the largest local mobile operator. The video was a huge success, after which in 2006 Rustam was offered to qualify for the national competition “The Best Model of Azerbaijan”. Unexpectedly for everyone - and for himself - Dzhabrailov became the winner among 14 participants. Then he promised himself to always remain first, and, as Rustam says, he kept his word.

In the same year, the young man was supposed to go to the world competition “The Best Model Of the World 2006”, but for a number of reasons this was not possible. Rustam decided to repeat his success a year later - he again won a local beauty contest, after which he finally went to the 2007 world competition, which was held in Istanbul. And here Dzhabrailov became the first - among 90 participants it was he who won the title “The Best Model of the World 2007”.

Photo: news.day.az

After the global economic crisis, which occurred in 2007-2008, a whole series of interesting projects in which Rustam was supposed to take part were closed. Therefore, the young man had to return to Baku and continue his modeling career, starring in commercials, this time also foreign ones - for example, Nissan and Samsung.

In 2012, Rustam continued his career in New York, where he enrolled in acting school, and a year later he studied at Kingsborough College at New York University. Often moved between Baku, Istanbul and the States, writes news.day.azparticipating in fashion shows. In the same year, Dzhabrailov took part in the "Mercedez Benz Fashion" fashion week, where world-class fashion designers drew attention to him. Rustam began to demonstrate the collections of "Brioni", "Gucci", "Yves Saint Laurent", "D&G", appeared on billboards for the "Century 21" clothing line in department stores throughout the United States.

In the same year 2012, he opened the show of the famous American designer Michael Bastian at the fashion week in New York. For the first time in history, a photo of an Azeri in the person of Rustam was adorned with famous fashion publications - all the reports from the show opened with his pictures, he wrote 1news.az. Dzhabrailov lived in the United States for four years, after which he married and returned to Baku.

Speaking of America, Rustam calls the years lived there the most beautiful and difficult, because abroad it is very difficult to become famous in any profession because of the great competition, writes Sputnik Azerbaijan.

Photo: news.day.az

— Wasn’t it difficult to get along with the Americans?

- Honestly, I find it difficult to answer this question. You know, America is one of the countries in which nobody cares where you're from. People of different nationalities live there. They are all equal there, so I never felt like a stranger there. I mostly lived in New York. Sometimes I met my compatriots there, and I was very happy about this because I could speak with them in the Azerbaijani language. We often spent time together, I visited their weddings. From the models I can say that I was the only Azerbaijani there.

— Rustam, you are a geography teacher by training, but you have always worked in the fashion industry. Why?

- To be honest, my appearance has always attracted attention. One day, when I was leaving the subway and going to classes, two strangers stopped me and offered me a model job. I thought a lot, because in Azerbaijan at that time this profession was not so well perceived, but then, on the advice of friends, I decided to try. And so it went, went. After that, they began to invite me to act as a model in many advertising projects.

— Now we have many male models, but only you managed to realize the dream of many - to get on the world podium. How did you do it?

- America is a country that everyone wants to visit, stay there to live, work. When I got such a chance, I decided to go there. Honestly, there are models like me, a lot, so I didn’t even plan to work in the modeling business. It was very difficult for me there. While in Baku, I often watched American films that showed people who had to work in several places at once to live in America. I had the same thing. Initially, he worked in an ordinary restaurant. There I caught the attention of the wife of a restaurant employee who organized show programs. She worked in some American model agency. It was she who invited me to this business.

Photo: news.day.az

After that, he began to take part in shows, starred in advertisements of famous brands. It was nice when I saw posters with my photos in the center of New York. Unfortunately, the models do not always have a job, so I had to earn money. In addition, I had to go glazier, medical assistant. In America, you have to pay a huge amount of taxes, so you just have to have several jobs.

“When was the last time you broke the law?”

“Recently, in New York, I was drinking beer on a bench - I was fined 25 dollars for drinking alcohol in a public place.

- When were you the happiest of all?

- When I was in school and at university. It is still so nice to remember moments of school life. First friends, first love, first teachers. At least for a day to return to that school life. And then we wanted to quickly grow up. When I entered the university, I thought that there would be nothing better than school years in my life. Now, having received a diploma, I understand that I was mistaken - the university gave me a lot of joy, which I recall with pleasure.

“If they weren't for the model, they would

- I would work in my specialty - I would become a geography teacher, I was very fond of this subject at school and knew it well. It seems to me that the profession of a teacher is one of the most respected: this person educates and teaches children, prepares a new generation. This is a very noble and responsible mission ...

From childhood I helped my parents, I worked from the sixth grade - I made paper bags from paper and sold: I was beautiful - that's why everyone bought bags from me. For three years he worked as a photographer in a restaurant, shot weddings. I will never forget: three days after winning the “Best model of Azerbaijan” competition I went to work as a painter at the construction site. It was our construction team that demolished the old building of the Azerbaijan Hotel. Work was never afraid and never went "with a crown on his head." Already the ninth year, as I am in the modeling business - and I do not regret that I chose this sphere. I have success and achievements, I know, love and respect. So it's not for nothing ...

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