Samir Ali came to Norway aged ten after his mother fell in love with a Norwegian man, and took his two sons to little Skarnes outside Kongsvinger.
– He told us that we were going on vacation to Norway. I don’t understand why we have to pack all our stuff, it seems a bit odd for a vacation trip. “When we arrived there was ice on the ground, I was shocked when I realized we had moved too well,” he told Good Morning Norway.
NORWAY-ENGLISH: Samir Ali was born in England. When he was ten years old, he moved to Norway. Private photo
Camp bed with 30 other men
Football became the gateway to friends and the Norwegian language. He developed well and quickly integrated. But after the Russian era he wanted to move back to England.
– I want to go back to my friends in England, and besides, Skarnes is a small place. I need to experience something different.
He went to London with his one-year-old brother, Mohammed, but without money or a place to live.
With no roof over their heads, the two brothers end up in a homeless center. There they slept in the church crypt with more than 30 other men, in camp beds without any privacy.
– It was difficult in many ways, at the same time I met people from all over the world and in different life situations. In the evening before we fell asleep, we had a good conversation. We have nothing and thus we are not afraid of losing anything. We have everything to gain, says Samir, and continues:
– I was never as happy as when I was homeless, because in that period I felt what was really important; friends, family and who you are as a person.
BACK: The 23-year-old is delighted with the time he has had at a homeless center. Photo: Screenshot, Facebook
Model career
After half a year of being homeless, a message arrived on Samir’s instagram account.
The message came from Norwegian modeling agency Alexander Norheim at Team Models, one of Norway’s largest modeling agencies.
– I didn’t believe that he meant it seriously, so I didn’t answer first. But in the end I thought it was okay to answer it. It ended with a meeting at Tim’s office in Oslo.
Norheim was serious and also connected Samir with a major modeling agency in London.
Early in their careers, most models had to work for free to build their portfolios, and Samir was no exception. Therefore, she is staying at the Center for the Homeless, while trying to build a modeling career on her feet.
Feet planted well on the ground
After several long days on set for various customers, he finally landed jobs at big fashion houses like Louis Vuitton and Loewe.
After its first fashion week in London, the fashion bible continues Mode interested in Samir and he mentioned in an interview from 2019 as a new face for the new decade.
INTERNATIONAL MODEL: Samir Ali currently works for big fashion houses like Louis Vuitton and Loewe. Photo: Gil-Gonzalez Alain / ABACA / Stella Pictures
After leaving the homeless center and moving into a youth hostel, Samir now lives in the Brixton district of London with his mother and ten year old sister.
– I follow my little sister to school every day, then I go for a walk with my mother. In the evening we watch movies and relax.
And amongst this family routine, Samir lives on as one of the greatest male models in the world.
“Hardcore zombie fan. Incurable internet advocate. Subtly charming problem solver. Freelance twitter ninja.”
