Joseph Schooling: ‘I feel like Boss is the perfect fit’

MANILA, Philippines — Olympic champion Joseph Schooling also looked like a champ outside the pool during his catwalk debut.

The swimmer, who out-butterflied his idol Michael Phelps to win gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics, led 45 models down the runway for their final walk during Hugo Boss’s fall/winter 2018 fashion show at the Marina Bay Sands Convention and Expo Centre.

Boss had named Schooling its brand ambassador in March, making the newly turned pro the first Singaporean and first swimmer to represent the German luxury fashion brand.

Boss also collaborated with Schooling on a limited edition five-piece capsule collection. Inspired by the swimmer’s athletic lifestyle, it features a polo shirt, T-shirt, shorts, bag and beach towel.

To introduce this new partnership the house lights dimmed and Boss played the video campaign it had shot with Schooling, which focused on the challenges of living away from home in order to train to become a world-class swimmer. (Schooling currently lives and trains in Austin, Texas.)

The house lights went up again to reveal the 22-year-old sports idol walking down the runway, looking elated and waving to the crowd, one of whom was “Auntie Yolly” (Yolanda Pascual), the Filipino nanny who raised him since he was a baby.

The Philippine STAR: How is your Auntie Yolly?

She’s doing well. She’ll be here for the event tonight. I love Auntie Yolly; it’s nice seeing her again. She’s like my second mom, literally. She took care of me from when I was one until now. She’s still here whenever I come back home. 

How does it feel to be the first Singaporean and the first swimmer to become a Boss brand ambassador?

It feels amazing. When a company like Hugo Boss approaches you and they want you to be their ambassador, you don’t really say no. That didn’t even cross my mind at all. It’s kind of surreal, really, and it’s a very proud moment for me, my country, and the brand also.

Has working with Boss educated you about fashion?

Yeah, for sure. From a young age, my mom and Auntie Yolly used to mix and match my clothes after swimming, and sometimes it would be okay and sometimes it would be, like, off. (Laughs) I always knew what I wanted to wear from a young age and what I was comfortable with, so I was at a certain level, and now that Hugo Boss is behind me, it’s definitely elevated many, many, many levels, which is awesome.

What was the very first Boss piece you wore?

I believe it was my first made-to-measure suit. It was a navy suit, very classic, with a light blue shirt inside, and I’d use a yellow tie with it and brown shoes. That was right after Rio, so (I wore it) two years ago.

Look cool by the pool: Schooling’s limited-edition capsule collection for Boss includes a polo shirt, T-shirt, shorts, bag and beach towel.

What appeals to you about Boss? What values do you share?

Some of the most important company values Boss has are quality, authenticity, and precision. They have really high-quality clothes, and they’re the number-one men’s brand. To compete with all the huge brands in the world you obviously have to make great clothes, and so with my morals, we align in those aspects also: with practice, with racing, with how you are personally, and I felt like that was a perfect fit.

Do you style yourself?

Yeah, usually I like to dress down in school in the US. I go to class, or I’m just getting out of the pool, or I have weights that I have to do after, I like to wear a T-shirt, shorts, maybe some tennis shoes. But when we go out for dinner or we have to attend events, I like to throw on something a little fancier, kind of mix and match and play around a little bit.

How does Boss’ tailoring fit on an athlete’s body, especially a swimmer with broad shoulders?

That’s a good question. So for me, my shoulders are definitely broader than my hips — it’s like a V from all the swimming, so all my suits have to be tailored to my body and usually it’s bigger in the shoulders. I think I wear a 50 and they go from there, because my shoulders are 54 or something like that, and my waist is, like, 48. So a lot of tailoring has to go in it and Richard, my tailor, does a great job.

What was it like collaborating with Boss on your capsule collection?

Boss did a great job at reading my mind. They looked at how I’m a swimmer and how I like to dress up usually, so if you look at my capsule collection, it’s like board shorts, kind of like “lounge by the pool, tanning with your friends” kind of thing, with a towel and a bag, so they thought that was the best way to incorporate my lifestyle into my capsule collection.

The colors, the blue and the yellow — the blue represents the water, the yellow, the gold (medal), and it happens to be my alma mater colors. ACS (Anglo-Chinese School) — that’s the school I grew up in in Singapore. The blue and yellow I think goes very well together, and that’s my first made-to-measure suit color, the pairing I like to go with.

How did it feel to model on your campaign and video shoots? Was it challenging or awkward in any way?

I wouldn’t say awkward; I’d say it was different than swimming or swim photo shoots — very, very different. It takes some getting used to. I didn’t feel too awkward; I didn’t feel like I was out of place, actually. The Harper’s Bazaar shoot that we did in LA was the most fun I’ve ever had. I had a blast on that shoot, and also the Esquire one in Austin. Yeah, it’s just something that you got to get into. You don’t feel embarrassed or shy; it’s something you have to learn and experience to get.

What goals have you set for yourself at the 2020 Olympics?

I’m not really thinking about the Olympics right now, I’m thinking about the next games I have, which is the Asian Games in Jakarta. The Olympics is kind of like a steppingstone you get to. You go through a bunch of different meets over a four-year cycle, and at the end of it you get to the Olympics, so you can’t plan for it — “I’m going to do this and this at the Olympics” —and just completely space on all the important meets on the way. So my advice would be just take things one step at a time because why stress about the future when you have something important coming up in the near future?

You should come to Manila sometime.

Yeah, for the SEA Games next year. I’m excited; it will be awesome.

* * *

The Joseph Schooling capsule collection developed in partnership with Boss is now available exclusively across Boss stores in Singapore.