Modeling, writing a book, hosting a TV show, vlogging, acting… Dean Pelić has done it all. Currently, the Croatian native is one of the most popular people in his region and has a strong online following. We wanted to learn more about him and what makes him tick and he was very kind to offer an exclusive interview to InCompany by Attire Club.
What can you tell us about your background? How were you as a young boy?
I really had a great childhood. Wouldn’t change a thing. Being outside the whole day, playing with my friends from morning till evening… Definitely wouldn’t change a bit. As a kid I had lots of dreams, living in my imaginary world… I guess, not much different than I am now. I guess some things never change. Still have a lot of dreams, lots of them came true, still living in my imaginary world, in my own bubble, and liking it very much.
You have worked in very many fields; from journalism to acting and modeling: which of these roles do you identify with most?
I always wanted to work on TV as a TV host and that goal I made true. I always wanted to write books, and that’s what I am currently doing. I published two books, one quickly became a bestseller, and the second one just came out a little more than a month ago. Right now, I am preparing my first book to come out in English, which is really something I am looking forward to. And of course, I also love being a model, it is something I started a long time ago, and I still love it as much as the first day. I enjoy being all of that: TV host, model, writer… Since I was a kid, I believed that you can be whatever you want to be, and to this day I believe in that.
Do you have someone you look up to?
Hm, not really. I never really had a role model. I don’t know why. I never looked upon anyone and said “I want to do that”. Or maybe I did, but I always wanted to do it my way, anyway.
What did you learn from working as a model?
Uh, lots of things. I guess working as a model really helped with my self-confidence which when I started wasn’t really that great. So slowly, as I was growing up working as a model, my self-confidence grew along, too. I definitely learned that modeling is not as easy as it looks like, and it is far different than how it looks from the outside. It’s a hard work but also an enjoyable one, if you love what you do. All the travels, all the people that you meet. It’s a great opportunity.
What are your favorite fashion brands and why?
I would be lying if I say that I have a favorite brand that I buy like everything from. I have a lots of favorite brands lol as I wear lots of different styles and various pieces. I like to mix it a bit. So sometimes you see me wearing Boda Skins jacket and with simple black t-shirt, diesel jeans and Armani high-top trainers. The other day I will be in a camel coat paired with a Sandro Paris hoodie, wearing Tom Ford glasses, Pepe jeans with Air Force One. And the next day I’ll be wearing a Tom Ford suit. It really depends on the mood. There are so many brands I like, and whenever I travel, I try to find some unique brands from that country and get something I like. When it comes to fashion, I like to play with it, but the most important thing is that I feel good wearing it.
What can you tell us about your book?
What can I tell you about my book? Well, it came after my weekly column, people seemed to really like it, and so it was a natural step to put some of my favorite columns into a book. And, to expand upon the key themes, the book is all about relationships, love and my view on those subjects. It is full of advice, and kinda going back to what love used to be. I’m very old-school when it comes to love and relationships, and even though I thought that would be weird to people, they seem to like my point of view on these things. So, yeah, I cannot wait for this English edition to come out really, really soon.
Who are your readers?
Who are my readers? They are mostly women, however, some men also have read my book. In general, they are people who want to see that there are other people thinking the same things as them, who look at love and relationships from a different viewpoint. They often want to know they aren’t alone in dealing with some of this stuff.
You also have a very active YouTube channel. What do you vlog about?
I do, although I don’t spend nearly as much time as I should on my YouTube channel. I vlog about the same things as I talk about in my book, but also travel, which is my biggest passion.
You are also very popular on social media – what is your relation to it?
Yeah, I guess that came naturally. Wasn’t expecting this much following across the social channels, IG, FB, YT etc. It takes work as I also collaborate with brands, but I don’t want my IG to look like some kind of webshop. It still is and always will be my personal channel that I use to communicate with my fans, where they can follow my journey, what excites me, what saddens me and all sorts of stuff that make me, me. My fans follow me for who I am, and I really appreciate that.
What are your plans for the next years?
Can we really plan anything nowadays? I think days of planning ahead are gone. Don’t leave for tomorrow what you can do today because tomorrow is uncertain. You cannot plan anything in advance. You go day by day, and that is the best way to go. So definitely less plans, more actions right now. Because I think it’s obvious to us now that you cannot rely on or plan something for the next month let alone next year. So all we have is now. And that is great, actually.
Do you have any New Year resolutions?
No, I’m not that type of person that would like quit or begin doing something from 1.1 or Monday or whatever. If you wanna do something, do it immediately, do it right away, don’t wait for something or someone to change yourself. Everything else is just procrastinating and obvious not meant to be, or you don’t want it bad enough since you wait for something so you can change. That’s not how it works.
What are you currently obsessed with, fashion- and otherwise?
Fashion-wise, not much. I am thinking about how I need some new clothes as I rarely buy new stuff. I get a lot clothes from brands and stuff, but I rarely shop by myself. And the thing is, I don’t like shopping. Maybe that’s because, as a model, I used to try on clothes so much on all of the shootings, shows and stuff that now when I go to the store and have to try clothes, I don’t want to. So, I stick to online shopping. But am too lazy to do that too [laughs]. There are just so many things, and it takes hours. I think I need a personal assistant [laughs]. Otherwise, I’m obsessed with gadgets. I haven’t told you that. But I love a gadget. These are the only “modern” things I actually am obsessed with. So I am eyeing new iPhone and iPad and a new Playstation. I can’t get enough of these things. With everything else, I’m quite old-school, love history, historical places, historical movies and documentaries, books… but when it comes to gadgets, I cannot help myself lol. And travel, yeah that’s like my obsession. Always looking for new places to go, booking tickets even though I know that eventually I will have to cancel it because of all the restrictions… I actually booked some flight a few days ago but had to cancel because of the situation, so I just keep collecting vouchers to use later when times get better. What can I tell you, it’s bigger than me, can’t help it, I just feel so good when I book the tickets somewhere. It’s the best thing ever.
Thank you!
Fraquoh and Franchomme
P.S. We want to hear from you! What do you think of Dean and his work? Did you get to read his book? What did you think of it? Share your feedback, questions or thoughts in the comments below! For more articles on style, fashion tips and cultural insights, you can subscribe to Attire Club via e-mail or follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram!