Juanel Hernández becomes the first Dominican model to appear in a global Louis Vuitton campaign under the artistic direction of Pharrell. Born in Ingenio Consuelo, a municipality in San Pedro de Macorís, Juanel comes from a humble, Christian family—both of his parents are evangelical pastors. At the age of eight, like many Dominican children, he discovered a passion for the national sport: baseball. He joined the baseball academy of Major League star Fernando Tatis, quickly beginning to pursue his dream of becoming a professional player. He dedicated himself to becoming the best center fielder, training for a decade and emerging as a top prospect for signing. At 17, Juanel’s world seemed to fall apart when he suffered a serious injury to his right ankle, forcing him to abandon the sport he loved.
But life had a different plan. The pastor of his parents’ church saw great potential in him as a model and shared this with the family, sparking a new hope. Juanel did his research and reached out to Sandro Guzmán’s modeling agency, which promptly scheduled a meeting and began preparing him for the international market. Just six months later, he made his debut in Milan for Emporio Armani. He has since walked in Milan and Paris for Louis Vuitton, Ferragamo, Dsquared2, Moncler, Philipp Plein, Todd Snyder NY, and Bode, among others. He has starred in campaigns for Emporio Armani, Dsquared2, Solaris, and Benetton, and worked for numerous clients across Europe.
Juanel has modeled in the world’s leading fashion capitals: Paris, Milan, Spain, and New York. His greatest dream is to build a church for his parents, who have always guided him spiritually. From his very first modeling earnings, he set aside 50% to begin purchasing building materials—and he says he won’t rest until he makes it a reality.
