Why we use real men as models

Since day one, we've believed that the people wearing Hamiedog should look a lot like the people shopping at Hamiedog. That's why we've never chased perfect models, six-packs or airbrushed images. We'd much rather celebrate the real men who make up our community.

Every now and again somebody will ask "How do I become a model at Hamiedog?", usually followed by "Well, not that I'd be any good at it...", which always makes us laugh. Because that's exactly the sort of person we're looking for.

The truth is, most of the people you've seen modelling Hamiedog over the years have never modelled before in their lives. They're not signed to an agency, they're not influencers, they're not spending six hours a day in the gym and eating chicken and broccoli out of a Tupperware tub. They're just normal blokes - and that's exactly the point.

We don't want fashion models

If we're being honest - if someone walked through the door looking like they'd just stepped off a catwalk in Milan, we'd probably think they'd taken a wrong turn. Hamiedog has never been about creating a fantasy version of what men should look like - we're more interested in the bloke walking his dog on the beach, the dad who's escaped the family for an hour, the tradesman grabbing a new t-shirt on a Saturday morning, the retiree who's finally got around to replacing a hoodie he's had since Tony Blair was Prime Minister.

Those are the people who shop here. So those are the people we want to see wearing our clothes.

We don't care about beer guts

This is probably the bit that surprises people. We genuinely don't care. Got a beer gut? Fine. Got no hair? Fine. Got too much hair? Also fine. Got a chest that looks like it should come with its own Forestry Commission licence? Still fine.

We don't care if you have a six-pack or a six-pack of Newcastle Brown.

The reality is that the vast majority of men don't look like fashion models. And yet somehow fashion advertising still pretends that they do. We've never really understood that.

"I'm not model material"

Over the years, we've heard that sentence hundreds of times. Usually from somebody who goes on to take some of our best photos. The reason is simple: we're not looking for models. We're looking for people.

The best photos are always the ones where somebody stops trying to pose, forgets there's a camera and starts having a laugh. That's when you get the genuine smile. That's when you get the personality. That's when you get the real person.

The clothes look better

This might sound strange coming from people who sell clothing for a living, but we honestly think that our clothes look better on normal blokes. If you're built like an Olympic athlete, everything looks good on you. You could wear a bin bag and probably get away with it. But our customers want to know what a t-shirt looks like on somebody who enjoys a Sunday dinner and occasionally falls asleep in front of the telly.

That's real life. And that's who we're selling to.

Some of our best models never wanted to do it

In fact, we'd say there's an inverse relationship between how much somebody wants to be a model and how good they are at it. The lads who turn up saying "I haven't got a clue what I'm doing" or "my Mam signed me up without me even knowing" usually end up looking great.

The lads who arrive with a catalogue of poses they've practiced in the mirror? Let's just say that once they're relaxed a bit, they just do what comes naturally.

It's about community

At the end of the day, the people wearing Hamiedog clothing are the reason Hamiedog exists. The models are customers. The customers become friends. The friends become part of the story. That's been true since the day we opened.

So if you've ever looked at our photos and thought "I could never be a model", good news - you're probably exactly what we're looking for.

And the only real requirement is being comfortable enough to have a laugh and not take yourself too seriously. Because that's always worked pretty well for us.

If you'd like to find out more about modelling with us, just check out our models page here.