Om LOMBARD : Cover for News of Sunday “A Simple Man with an Extraordinary Life” 23/5/2013 – MAURITIUS

The scene at the News on Sunday office grew a notch hotter, when Om Lombard walked in, all confident and every bit the charmer. With his iconic face, wicked sense of humour, ongoing success and powerful mix of bravado and business savvy, Om Lombard is among the most prolific male models of all time. His signature look and commitment to professionalism have made him a star in the world of fashion, but the enterprising Mr. Lombard is also an accomplished businessman and bio-baker. He is presently writing a novel. News on Sunday sits down with the face behind all this memorable imagery, to catch up with the in demand glamour man and multi-tasker to discuss the industry, the future and what it is like to navigate the delicate balance between high and low-end fashion in a world obsessed with style. Date of birth: September 2, 1973 Profession: Model, businessman and Bio-baker. My childhood dreams: My actual life. Favourite quote: “Experience means nothing if we do not share it with others.” My life: My life is that of an ordinary man living an extraordinary life. My definition of happiness: Simple living but high thinking. Greatest moment of my life: Every morning when I wake up for a new day is a great moment. Saddest moment so far: The day my brother dies in an accident. If I meet God, I will tell Him: It will be a very long chat… I love: Life, people and nature. I hate: War and arrogance. If I could have it my way: Money won’t be a goal, but a support. I cannot ever resist: A smile from a kid. Style Icon: Manish Malhotra My favourite gadget: IPhone 5, which is also my best enemy so far! I love to read: I especially love to write. Dream Destination: Pondicherry Nobody knows this: I cannot touch a living fish, despite being a good fisherman. Most embarrassing moment: Once for a show, the makeup room was set in the ladies’ washroom! Greatest fear: Forest destruction. I cannot stand: Disrespect and arrogance. My fist lie: I do not remember… Ha ha! For 24 hours, I would like to swap places with: I feel lucky enough to want to keep my own identity. Make the readers of NoS an offer they cannot refuse: Spend one night with me… baking my bio-organic bread! One fashion rule I always follow: Being on time. Latest fashion buys: Jeans by Diesel Kitchen beauty secret for men: Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dine like a pauper. Fashion crime: Being too fashionable. Am I a criminal? If a crazy fan stood outside my home and insisted she is my wife: I will ask her to make me dinner. If I were invisible for a day: I will prefer my phone to be invisible. Jewelled treasures: My beads-bracelets, I cannot live without them! Quirky habit: I talk like a radio! The craziest rumour I’ve heard about myself: I am gay! Travel must-haves: An airplane-especially to leave Mauritius! One law I would like to break: ‘Mister Break’ Dream woman: Aishwarya Rai Favourite model: David Beckam Signature style: Beads-bracelets, Ray-Ban and diamond earrings. A male fashion trend should die immediately: Slim pants! The best way to break into the modelling word when you are a guy: Do not look for an open door, save time, try the window! Shoots v/s shows: Both. Shoots allow me to be a momentary actor while being on stage is like a drug to me. A guilty pleasure: Bio-organic brioches! If not a model, I would have been: Once again, I am lucky because I am an all-rounder. Was modelling a childhood ambition for you? No, it happened by chance. Is changing people’s perception of you as a model something that is important to you? Yes, and this is why I am a bio-baker along with being a model. Bio-baking is not a virtual world. It is for real, not for show. You are faced to yourself without any audience. It involves no camera, no action and no reaction. No one will do the job for you. You are also writing a book? I have been writing since long about fashion and health issues. The wish for writing a novel was being nurtured since long too. I did not look for a subject back then because it was not the right time yet. In October 2012, I decided to make it a reality. In the night of October 28, I woke up at 1.30 with a subject trotting in my head. The title of the novel will be “Des jours et des nuits” and is inspired by the places I have been. It is not about my life per se. I am leaving for an international shoot in Sahara shortly. I will then be in Pondicherry, because it is where the plot unfolds in the novel. I will be there so that I can assure authenticity in the novel. You’re surrounded by images of beauty in your job, what do you find beautiful in a person? Physical beauty is the first thing you see but it does not always guarantee internal beauty. As I like to work with the same people over a long span of time, I try to find people who are also beautiful inside. Modelling is a superficial world and I try to go beyond this. Even if I am the leader of my team, I consider myself as one of the pieces of the team and I make sure to choose the members of my team well. A stereotype of a ‘male model’ is that they’re dumb, what’s your view on this? I am not only a model; I am also a businessman and a bio-baker. The fashion industry uses models like ‘Kleenex’. It is also impossible to live as a model in Mauritius because modelling is not really remunerative in Mauritius. Most of the time, the customers earn money form modelling, more than the models themselves. I do not foresee any change. Do you ever find it difficult to recognise yourself in pictures? Not really. In any case, I do not like too much of Photoshop with my pictures. Do you have any friends among other models or they feel jealous about the amazing success you’ve had? Basically, I do not have friends. I work 18 hours a day, and 6/7. I do not have time to have friends. I have my family and my team, the Om team. My team is like a living family to me, some come, some go, but the team stays. Any parting message? In today’s world, we are all attracted and influenced by appearance, stars and celebrities. We tend to forget the most important thing-the real ‘us’. We are in a society which favours appearance to the detriment of our selves. Let’s change this and be the heroes of or lives! I would also like to thank my exclusive Deeya Bizllal, my Make-up Artist and all my wonderful OL69 Team, with whom I just finished shootingthe latest international clip of Alan Ramanisun, DJ Assad and Willy William in Mauritius (To be released in June in Europe). By Mumtaz SOOGUND