IN CONVERSATION WITH TAYLOR PHILLIPS

Interview by Jana Letonja

Numéro Netherland Digital presents Taylor Phillips, a content creator, entrepreneur, and model. His modeling journey began in 2016 when he was discovered by a talent scout, followed by a burgeoning career in content creation. In 2022, Taylor took a significant step by launching his brand, GoodPark, built on values of community, authenticity, and human connection. He is starring in this stunning men’s fashion editorial, lensed by the talented Kolby Knight.

Taylor, tell us about the beginnings of your modeling career.

If we start from the beginning, we have to take it back to almost 13 years ago. I was 16 or 17 and I had uploaded my senior photos to a site I had no business being on, modelmayhem. Shortly after, I was scouted by an agent in NYC. Somehow this guy got my mom on the phone and after I begged and pleaded, she let me get on a plane, for the very first time, and fly to NYC by myself. Long story short, this guy was a total fraud and I’m lucky I made it out of there in one piece. I took a break from pursuing it any further after that trip. Fast forward a couple of years later, when I was a senior in college, I got scouted again, this time on Instagram, by a real mother agency. I did some test shoots and got signed to my first agency in Chicago, then Miami, LA and NYC. I was fortunate to begin working almost immediately, doing mostly E-comm and commercial work. I remember the first time my mom called me after she found me in her Kohls catalogue. That was a pretty cool feeling. I spent the next few years working for a lot of commercial clients. One of my favorite jobs to date was for Just For Men hair dye. Seeing my face every time I walk into CVS is still pretty unbelievable. 

What are your favorite aspects of a modeling career?

I love connecting with other people, especially other creatives. It’s fun being on set and getting to know the other models, the photographer, stylists, hair and makeup artists, PAs, ect. Especially when you have regular clients, it becomes like a little family. I have to admit, it’s also pretty cool to see my face on a package or have my friends send me pictures of me in a store somewhere.  

Which current fashion trend is your absolute favorite?

I’m loving the 80s-esque fashion trends. I’m a huge fan of oversized tailoring, specifically double breasted jackets, denim on denim and that sort of classic americana style.

What do you love the most about fashion in general?

It’s cliche to say, but it’s such a great way to express yourself and how you’re feeling. I also love the fact that you can switch it up whenever you want. You can create different versions of yourself with your fashion and style. 

You actually graduated with a degree in economics and finance, and even worked in the financial world. What made you realize this career path was not the right one for you?

I don’t like feeling confined to a single project or type of work, unable to pursue my interests freely. That’s the Sagittarius in me. I spent too many early mornings and late nights working away before I realized life is too short and I could always go back to the finance world one day, it’s not going anywhere. The opportunities that come from modeling and social media may not be sustainable in the long run, so I decided to take the risk now.

Shortly after beginning your modeling career, you transitioned into content creation, where you share fashion tips, workouts, real-life experiences, struggles and vulnerabilities. What made you begin creating content?

To be honest, it was just good timing. Instagram was really starting to blow up around 2016 and I had just graduated college and wasn’t feeling my corporate finance job. After a bad breakup, I quit my job and moved from Chicago to Miami to start modeling full time. I had a couple of followers from my college days, gained some followers after shooting with photographers around the country and the people who have followed me since the beginning know I used to have a very popular Tumblr, so I had a good launch pad. Shortly after, I had heard of one or two people around me making money or getting free stuff off of instagram. I decided to give myself a year to figure out how to make this Instagram thing work for me and since then, I’ve never looked back.

You are welcoming your followers to be a part of your life story. How intimidating can that be at times? How do you deal with any negative feedback on social media?

It has its moments for sure, but I’ve always been an open book and someone who loves to connect with people. I also grew up on my own. My mom was always working and my siblings are all much older than me, so when I started to share my life online and started to connect with people, I honestly felt like I was getting a lot of validation I didn’t get when I was growing up. These people online became my friends and I’ve grown so close with some of them, they feel like family. So while it can be intimidating, the positives I’ve experienced and relationships I’ve built make it all worth it.

As far as how I deal with negative feedback online, you reach a certain point where you just let it roll off your back. There definitely was a time when it would get to me, though. When you set out to share your life online, you have to realize not everyone is going to like you and that’s fine. I owe my success to the people who have followed me and supported me over the years, so I’m always listening and reading what they’re saying. Some people though don’t have anything better to do other than to tear others down.

Last year, you launched your brand GoodPark. Tell us more about it. What is the vision of the brand and what inspired its creation?

GoodPark will be relaunching in February 2024. I created it because I wanted to take all the positive things I had learned and experienced over the 7+ years of sharing my life online and scale it so I could share that with even more people. In the time I’ve been online, I’ve learned just how powerful and important community is, so that’s what I set out to create. The vision is to build a brand that is a catalyst for kindness and human connection. I have had the pleasure of connecting with people from all over the world, from all walks of life. I have literally sat in giant Zoom calls with all of them, just talking and getting to know one another. I’ve had people tell me that sharing my life online has inspired them, which is more humbling than I can put into words. The truth is those moments and connections have been the biggest inspiration to me. That’s really where GoodPark was born. This next collection is full of high quality garments that are spreading a positive message. My real goal is to make people smile and just inspire one another. We could use some more of that in the world.

We would love to get to know more about your other passions in life and also your hobbies. What fulfills you the most in life?

I would say traveling is one of my biggest passions in life. I love exploring and getting lost in new places. I really grow when I put myself in new situations and traveling allows me to do that. I also genuinely love creating content, likephotography and videography. I love capturing my friends and moments I want to remember and just creating memories. There’s nothing I love more than making a video and watching it years later and reliving those moments. I also love cars. I’m a big car guy. I can likely tell you the make, model, year and price of almost any car on the street. It’s an underrated talent of mine. 

But what fulfills me the most are my relationships. I love the people in my life with my whole heart. I’m a ride or die type of friend, loyal to a fault sometimes. From my husband to my best friends from high school, my relationships are what fulfill me most. 

What can you tell us about your upcoming ventures and resolutions for 2024?

My main focus for 2024 is to relaunch and grow GoodPark. It’s something I’ve been working on all year and I’m excited to reintroduce it to the world. Aside from that, I’m just trying to be more go with the flow. No resolutions this year, but I have set some personal goals and intentions. I want to practice living in the moment more and being more present. I have a tendency to always be working towards the next thing and I’ve missed out on enjoying a lot of my accomplishments because of it. I also want to be more mindful of how much of myself I’m giving to others, especially those who don’t reciprocate. You can’t pour from an empty glass. And like I’ve said every year before, I want to travel more, grow deeper in my relationships and just try and be a better person. 

talent TAYLOR PHILLIPS @taylorjphillips
photographer KOLBY KNIGHT @kolbyknight
stylist MARISA ELLISON @marisa_ellison
groomer ANTHONY MERANTE @anthonymerante @opusbeauty
styling assistant PIPER BEASLEY @piper____
editor TIMI LETONJA @timiletonja
interview JANA LETONJA @janaletonja