Within a year I take, on average, 80 to 90 flights. Multiply that by the 13 years I've been in the fashion industry, and then add the various other personal flights I take and, if my maths are correct, that means I've flown approximately 1,250 times in my life.

This amount of travel also means thousands of hotels, taxis, restaurants and shops. What do all these things have in common?

Customer service.

Airlines are an interesting example, as over the years I've experienced and witnessed the highs and the lows (excuse the pun).

Now, generally, I'm astonished at the organisation at airports. I look at the thousands of meals, pieces of luggage, passengers and it's beyond me how it can all run so smoothly. But when it goes wrong, it seems to go so very wrong that I think my three-year-old nephew could come up with a better contingency plan.
A couple of weeks ago it took me 11 hours to get back to London from Madrid, because of fog at Heathrow. At one point, our flight just disappeared off the departures board. With no announcements in the Madrid airport lounge, I went to the desk and was met with a blunt "Yes, that flight has been cancelled." This was followed by a shrug and "I think there is room on the 2.45, if I were you I'd go to the gate and ask." Before losing it, I realised I was in Spain and it was siesta time…

Air miles or frequent flyer miles are interesting too, and seem to test the concept of customer service to its limit. As I understand it, these are a way of airlines rewarding loyal customers - the more miles you fly, the more money you spend, so the better the rewards. With all the travel I do, I'm lucky to be gold level with both BA and Virgin….. But try as I might, I can't seem to spend these mystical miles. I have 800,000 of the things, yet I have received some strange responses when trying to use them over the years:

You can't use air miles at the airport; your request is too short notice; you have the wrong class of ticket; you have the wrong type of booking; computer says no (OK, I may have made that last one up, but I often think they should just use that phrase).

Virgin, to be fair, are slightly better than BA at customer service. One member of staff at Virgin's Flying Club was so good that I took her extension number and she now gets the majority of my business. Simple! Customer service works.
However there is one airline that truly excels at this and that's Air New Zealand. The ground staff and crew are simply the most helpful that I have ever come across. Once, they even put on a wine tasting in their lounge when the plane was slightly delayed. On board they have come up with innovative and genius ways of making Economy and Premium more comfortable. They might seem like little details, such as having the entertainment system available during take-off and landing (and not just during the flight), but they make a difference - and have now been adopted by many of their rivals. If you are travelling from the UK to LA, make sure you take a look.

However, for the gold standard of airline travel, it has to be First Class on Emirates; little private pods, the largest screens, the best entertainment, pop-up mini-bar and vanity unit, and simply the largest flat bed ever. They know what they're doing and spoil you completely.

American businesses supposedly invented the phrase "the customer is always right" and I have been overwhelmed with examples of incredible service I've received in the United States over the years. This year I have had to travel to LA more than ever, and for a while my hotel of choice was the Sunset Tower Hotel. I've recommended it to numerous brands and companies I work with, too, but after repeatedly bad customer service, I'm changing my mind. Good customer service breeds loyalty; bad service makes customers fickle.

But it's not just in the travel and leisure industries that good service is vital. I've recently been learning a lot about service in the building industry, as I've been renovating an old Victorian house for the last six months. nu:builds of west London concentrate on a very personal service. Where many people I know have been having absolute nightmares with their builders - some of them ending up in court to resolve their differences - Richard and Nick of Nu Builds have become my mates. The build is ahead of schedule and they have adapted the way they have had to work with me (due to my travelling and work schedule), and we are already planning our next project together.
Eden Clay is a young company that deals in wooden floors and tiles. When I told them how difficult I was finding it to source exactly what I wanted, they simply said, "David, send us picture of what you want, we will find them, send you samples and give you a very good price" - and that's exactly what they did. What started with me buying an old school-style radiator from them has, thanks to their level of service, evolved into them supplying every single last metre of flooring for the whole project, simply because their customer relations went above and beyond anyone else.

Dealing with my build and renovation has had me dealing with larger companies too, including utility firms which often don't have a good reputation for customer service. But going against the grain of the usual horror stories, Southern Electric have always offered me a great service. In fact, I almost look forward to calling them, as I know that nothing so far has been too much trouble. We're always told to shop around for a cheaper energy supplier, and I've worked out that I'm paying a little bit more with Southern Electric than I would be elsewhere, but for the level of customer service that has saved me time and worry, I'm willing to pay.

But where I think customer service matters the most is when it comes to fashion and shopping. Richard James once explained that he started off as a personal shopper; he had a customer base for whom he would shop around the world, knowing their every style and requirement. His customers would trust him profoundly and that bond between supplier and client is something we don't see so much of in today's world, unless you know where to look.
Joe Ottaway is the head personal shopper for men at Selfridges of London and also has a private service. I've always said that women shop for a hobby while men shop out of necessity, but Joe takes all the boredom and frustration out of shopping for men. You tell him what you require and he sources exactly what you need. After you've built up a relationship he knows your specific styling tastes, the prices you want to pay, and makes the process simple and effortless, often mixing high luxury brands with M&S and Topman, so this level of service is not just reserved for those with deep pockets.

Of course, this level of personal service for men has its historical roots on Savile Row. Men would have had a loyal bond with their tailor of choice; in many cases they would be the best of friends - and these relationships still exists today. I'm just as likely to been seen having a drink with the Thom Sweeney boys and lunch at the RAC Club with the Henry Poole tailors as I am to be seen in their shops buying suits.

Why can't this level of service be translated for men on the high street? Men don't like going through women's departments to get to the men's section, or sorting through rails of clothes, trying them on, standing in a queue….
Perhaps it's because there are so few big men-only fashion retailers. Come to think of it, there appears to be just one store on the high street that is dedicated solely to men, and that is Burton. I'd love Sir Philip Green to turn Burton into a mecca for men - the ultimate men's store where good service is key and where men could simply enjoy being. Service staff would be impeccably dressed, and a tailor could be on hand for adjustments; tea and coffee would be available to every customer. It could be one-stop shop for men, from casual to suiting, luggage to accessories, perhaps even with a vintage section where clothing could be sourced for you. Why not?

I've always prided myself on providing good service, and not just in my current job as a model. From working at a dog sanctuary aged 15 to delivering pizza, I always endeavoured to go beyond what was expected of me, and beyond what I was paid to do. I read when I was younger that it costs a lot less to keep customers than it does to recoup new ones, and that's something that's stayed with me.

Within modelling, there are thousands of models to choose from. I'm very lucky to have great clients and proud of the fact that I've been able to build relationships with the brands that I work with. I have worked with Dolce and Gabbana for nearly eight years, Massimo Dutti for 10 years and I've just signed for M&S and Lucky Brand for the third year in a row. For me, it comes down to a mutual sense of loyalty and respect - and that's something that gets overlooked far too often.

Дэвид Ганди и Кайли Миноуг.

David Gandy & Kylie Minogue.















Дэвид Ганди,Кайли Миноуг и Чарли Сэйм.

David Gandy, Kylie Minogue & Charlie Seim.





Дэвид Ганди и кто-то по видимому из музыкантов.

David Gandy and Larry King.



With Caroline Rush.



David Gandy with Wei Koh.



David Gandy with Wei Koh and Dylan Jones.



David Gandy and Dermot O' Leary.





источник 1

David Gandy and Tinie Tempah





David Gandy,Dermot O'Leary, Dylan Jones attend the Lou Dalton show during The LC:M A/W 2014 on Jan 6, 2014 in London.







David Gandy,Oliver_Cheshire.

David Gandy and Edward Taylor



David Gandy, Alex Blimes, and Patrick Grant



David Gandy with David Walker-Smith



David Gandy with Edward Taylor and guest

What’s it like to be the most successful male model on the planet? David Gandy talks to Selma Day about fame, fashion and one particularly memorable billboard…

David Gandy, the world’s most successful male supermodel, is the epitome of Englishness – known for his trademark dapper, English-gent style – so it’s fitting that we meet in Brown’s, the most quintessential of English hotels.
“Brown’s is my favourite hotel – I love the history of the place,” he says. “I love Mayfair – it has such a lovely atmosphere. I absolutely adore the arcades and all those unique little shops where I get to know people. The shoe shiner in the Burlington Arcade is a friend of mine as is Danny (Pizzigoni) from Watch Club in the Royal Arcade. He’s always tempting me with watches.”
Dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt that shows off his perfectly proportioned physique (the result of vigorous training if you want to know), David looks more casual than usual but every bit as stylish, and more youthful than his 33 years. With his chiselled features and piercing blue eyes, he is jaw-droppingly handsome.
David is probably most famous for becoming the muse of designers Dolce & Gabbana back in 2006. He became an overnight sensation when he graced a 50ft billboard in Times Square in New York, wearing nothing but a pair of white pants, as the face of the brand’s Light Blue fragrance. It was the defining moment in his career – one that catapulted him into the global fashion world and onto the walls of many a girl’s bedroom.
Did he ever imagine the impact that particular shoot would have? “No, but I wanted to create an iconic image,” he says. “We knew we’d produced something special on the day, but it wasn’t me who thought of that – it took Dolce & Gabbana and (photographer) Mario Testino to take the chance of completely going against what everyone else was doing at the time. You had these skinny guys in the Dior suits and then suddenly there was this Mediterranean-looking, muscular guy – but it worked, and still to this day people are trying to copy that ad.
“Obviously when I saw it, I was like, wow – that’s a lot of crotch there. I sent it to my mum and said, ‘Mum – this is the ad.’ She didn’t say anything negative about it – she just went, ‘David, this is going to be huge – I absolutely love it.’ I thought: okay. But no – no-one had anything negative to say about it. It literally took off. It went out, and the phone calls started coming the next day.”
Today, we’re here to talk about David’s role as ambassador for London Collections: Men, alongside UK rapper Tinie Tempah, TV and radio presenter Dermot O’Leary and radio presenter Nick Grimshaw.
“London Collections: Men is all about promoting Britishness, and I’m a huge advocate for everything British – everything I do is about constantly trying to push British brands,” says David, who has been on the committee – chaired by GQ editor Dylan Jones – since it was set up by the British Fashion Council in 2012.
“The rest of the world seems to want everything British. The definition of British for them is class and luxury, but we seem to forget that,” he says. “I’m not saying we don’t appreciate it – I just don’t think we are very good at shouting about what we do.”
David has collaborated with the likes of Jaguar, is currently working with Marks & Spencer and was the only male model to represent his country and the fashion segment at the Olympic closing ceremony in 2012, so he has the right credentials for the job. Over the three days of the collections (January 6-8), David will be seen at over 50 shows and presentations, not to mention the lunches, dinners, meetings and interviews that go with his ambassadorial role.
“London Collections: Men has gone from success to success, and is getting bigger and better – you’ve got names like Tom Ford, Pringle, Burberrry and Hackett. I think one day it will be the number one men’s show and I don’t think it’s really far off,” he says.
Along with promoting all things British, David is on a mission to make fashion for men more accessible. “When men see very high fashion in the headlines, it’s not a normal guy in a suit – it’s the rather quirky and fashion-forward pictures.
“What I’ve always tried to do – and I think it’s important for brands ­– is to make fashion attainable and tangible for men. I wish we could all go out and afford Tom Ford suits, Dolce & Gabbana or Armani, but most men can’t – so it’s nice to say, ‘Well, actually, this is what you can do with M&S or Reiss or Topman’. Instead of suits for £5,000, it’s £300. And I think men are slowly getting that.”
David, who grew up in Billericay in Essex and lives in Fulham, says he wasn’t always into fashion.
“At university and before that, I was very much into sport, and as a student you don’t think about dressing that well – and you can’t afford it,” he says. “I was always very utilitarian, dressed for going to the gym or going for a practice.”
These days, David feels most comfortable wearing a suit. “I’ve always loved suits,” he says. “I find them very easy – I can go to a cupboard in ten minutes and get something out, put a suit and tie on.
“I don’t wear that much casual stuff any more, but when I do it is literally jeans, T-shirt, Belstaff leather jacket and a few accessories. It’s very simple. Someone said to me the other day, ‘I think you were born in the wrong era’.”
David counts all the old favourites – Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, James Dean, Cary Grant – as his role models. “It’s amazing we are still using those guys as icons to this day,” he says. “What I did like about the old school is that they never went out to be stylish – they just made it stylish, whereas nowadays a lot of people look like they’ve clearly been styled. I pretty much style myself. There are a few other people who do it – Jude Law mixes traditional and contemporary styles very well. There are a lot of guys around at the moment. Ryan Gosling dresses very well.”
Since that shoot, David has had what he calls a “great working relationship” with Dolce & Gabbana, subsequently appearing in underwear campaigns and, in 2011, becoming the first male model to be honoured with his own D&G coffee table book.
One of the photographers whose images are featured in the book was Mariano Vivanco. “I went on a shoot with him – we literally had a weekend together in New York, just him and me,” says David.
“We were going for lunches and walking around the streets of New York in the freezing cold and taking pictures – just having this very fly-on-the-wall kind of thing. You look at people like Steve McQueen who’ve had these kinds of backstage shots. They trust one photographer to take them, and they are all released slowly – and sometimes after they are dead.
“That’s pretty much what we wanted to recreate, and it was fun. It’s a different side that people see. You’re not in a shoot, you’re not switching on to your other side of modelling, which is one shot – bang, bang, bang, okay we’re done. Here, you’re having fun and there’s laughter – there are shots where we’re having a joke with the waitress and I’m laughing and he’s taking pictures. It was nice, and the book did very well. People are still asking if it’s going to be reprinted to this day. Someone paid $1,000 on Amazon for one – but the money all goes to charity.”
Last year, David launched his Blue Steel Appeal to raise money for Comic Relief. Its name is inspired by satirical fashion film Zoolander, which stars Ben Stiller as model Derek Zoolander. The first event was a fashion auction hosted on eBay, which raised over £250,000.
“I feel very fortunate to be where I am and to make a living from it ,and that’s why I work with charities – the idea is to give something back,” he says.
A keen animal lover, David is also an ambassador for Battersea Dogs and Cats. He recently helped to raise funds (around £15,000) to care for lost and abandoned animals by offering dog walks with a host of celebrities (including himself) in an online auction for the charity.
Another project he is involved with is Style for Soldiers, which provides injured soldiers with bespoke shirts and clothing from Emma Willis (based in Jermyn Street).
“Emma and I will go along and she will measure all the guys for shirts, so when they go into civilian life and have interviews or start their businesses, they feel good about themselves,” he says.
“What’s lovely is receiving thank-you letters telling us about their stories, and about new jobs they’ve got. If you get one letter and you’ve made one person happy, it’s enough.”
David has used his successful modelling career as a stepping stone to other activities, such as his charity work and putting his name to various projects including being an ambassador for Johnnie Walker Blue Label whisky and owning a stake in health-focused ice cream company Wheyhey. A guest blogger for Vogue.com, he’s also diversified into short films. “I did one with Jaguar and one with David Zwimmer over in America, and it’s a slightly different take on fashion,” he says.
“Modelling is my bread and butter and I enjoy it, of course, but after 13 years of something, you get a bit tired of things and there’s not much of a challenge. So I’ve happily moved into these other areas.”
One of David’s greatest passions is cars (he’s the official car reviewer for GQ.com) and last year he completed the famous Mille Miglia race in Italy with fellow model Yasmin Le Bon.
He is a fan of Jaguar cars and drives the new Jag F-Type. “I’ve always been absolutely in love with them and have driven them for many years now – we did a video this year together to show the heritage collection,” he says.
But his “little baby” at the moment is a 1960 190 SL Mercedes, which is being fully restored.
“I’ve always had a passion for design, whether it’s cars, houses or anything else,” he says. “Fashion covers so many boundaries – if you look at Ralph Lauren, Dolce & Gabbana or Armani, they don’t just stick to clothing – they’ve all got their home ranges, fragrances, they’ve got a whole wide range.”
So what’s it really like being David Gandy? “It’s a question and a half that one,” he says. “What can I say? It’s very good. I’m doing everything now that I’ve always wanted to do. So yeah, it’s not a bad place to be at all.
“I adore what I’m doing. I don’t really look back. In the fashion industry, you are always working ahead and planning what to do next. Sometimes I actually forget to enjoy where I am at that time and at that moment.
“I think everyone has good and bad days, but I’m not going to moan about it. If I find it’s a bad day because I’m completely knackered from three trips to LA I’ve had in three-and-a half-weeks, I just think I’ll have a nice sleep and I’ll feel better in the morning.”
The thing that strikes you about David is how approachable and down to earth he is. He can talk for England, but he assures me he’s a naturally shy person. “I’ve had to overcome that,” he says.
“I could be a lot more in the limelight, but choose not to. I say no to many things – TV shows and everything else – and I don’t send personal tweets or do Instagram. I keep my private life very private, which is very, very important. You keep part of yourself away from the persona that everyone else has of you – I think you have to.”
In that case, I guess he’s not going to answer my next question then – does he have a girlfriend? And on that note, I’m told by his PR that my hour is up.