Papis Loveday

Loveday was born in Dakar. His mother was a diplomat and his father a medical doctor. He has 6 siblings and 19 half-siblings.[1] He graduated from a private high school in Dakar. As a teenager he pursued a career in athletics and was most successful in the 400 metre sprint. With the support of a national sports scholarship, he moved to Paris, where he studied computer science. Loveday was discovered by a sport photographer during his preparations for the athletics world cup.[2]

Loveday in a 2009 campaign for Etro

Loveday began modelling in 2003. He signed a contract with Riccardo Gay Model Management in Milan. A few weeks later, United Colors of Benetton booked him for a worldwide advertising campaign which was photographed by Oliviero Toscani. Shortly after, he was featured in a campaign by Italian footwear label Debut together with supermodel Natasha Poly.[3] Further contracts with the agencies Major Model Management in Paris, DNA Model Management in New York City, AMCK Models in London[4] and Louisa Models in Munich followed. From 2005 to 2008 Loveday was considered the most booked black male model of the world.[5] He worked for the houses of Dior Homme, Valentino, Armani and Vivienne Westwood among others. He walked the runways at Milan and Paris Fashion Weeks for Lanvin, Thierry Mugler, Givenchy, Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent.[6]

In 2009, Loveday switched to Milanese agency Joy Model Management.[7] That year, he appeared in a worldwide campaign for Etro. Loveday was featured on the covers of several fashion magazines, including Ibiza Style Magazine,[8] The Untitled Magazine, Style Up Your Life!,[9] Hype,[10] Posh and The Trend Issue. He was also featured in editorials of magazines including GQ, Vogue hommes, BMM, Cosmopolitan and Collecioni. Loveday was voted “Best Model of the World”, by Turkish TV station TV8 in 2009. The readers of German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung elected Loveday as “Munich citizen of the year” in 2012.[11]

Loveday appeared as a guest judge on Austria's Next Topmodel,[12][13] Germany's Next Topmodel and Die Model WG. In 2014 Loveday became a regular judge on Austria's Next Topmodel.[14] In 2018 he became a judge and coach on Switzerland's Next Topmodel.

In December 2015 and January 2016, Loveday presented his first television series Austria's Next Topmodel Real Life by Papis Loveday, which was produced in Hong Kong and aired on Puls 4. The show documented Loveday mentoring and coaching six novice models in a similar format to the Top Model series.[15]

In August 2021, Loveday was a contestant on the ninth season of Promi Big Brother. Loveday, who had never publicly disclosed his sexuality before, talked about this experiences with homophobia and racism on the show.[16] Loveday reached the finale on August 27 where he came in fourth place.[17]