Meet Mattis Perez, the Model Who’s Always One Step Ahead
From the judo mat to the fashion set, Mattis has the discipline, the angles, and his sights firmly set on the international runway circuit
- French-Korean model Mattis Perez went from a teenage judo champion to one of five winners of the VMAN Southeast Asia Model Search 2026.
Making every second count
Five years ago, Mattis Perez was fresh out of high school, had no modeling agency, and was far more concerned with judo than fashionFashionThe art and industry of designing, producing, and styling clothing, footwear, accessories, and beauty trends. It reflects cultural influences, personal expression, and evolving styles across seasons and markets.Go to Fashion Glossary.
Now, the French-Korean model is one of five winners of the VMAN Southeast Asia Model Search 2026, with an international career taking shape, a Dolce&Gabbana runway on his wish list, and a punctuality that makes the rest of the production team look at their watches in mild disbelief.
On set, Mattis had a straightforward approach to getting the job done. He arrived first, got ready first, and moved through his layouts with an efficiency that makes a photographer’s life easier.
His poses were instinctive, his angles sorted, and his understanding of the brief required little explanation. Some models need time to find their footing in front of the camera. Mattis, it seemed, had already found his before everyone else had arrived.
It’s a good habit to have in fashion, where a beautiful face might get you through the door, but knowing what to do once you’re inside is another matter entirely. He has both the look and the discipline, the latter honed over 16 years of judo before modeling entered the picture.
And while his new career has taken him from Europe to Asia, his approach remains refreshingly uncomplicated: show up, do the work, and find a way to improve.
“Five years ago, I couldn’t have imagined any of this. Modeling was something that came into my life unexpectedly, and everything that has happened since has been a bonus.”
The beginning was hardly the stuff of a carefully engineered fashion career. At 18, Mattis had just finished high school in France and was preparing to leave behind the sport that had occupied much of his life.
He had started judo at two, earned his black belt, and competed in around 400 high-level fights. Modeling was an unexpected turn, one that has since brought international work and ambitions extending well beyond his current markets.
Five years ago, he couldn’t have imagined it. Now, he’s making plans for Paris, Milan, and, hopefully, the United States.
The art of showing up
If Mattis seems unusually composed for someone still building his name in fashionFashionThe art and industry of designing, producing, and styling clothing, footwear, accessories, and beauty trends. It reflects cultural influences, personal expression, and evolving styles across seasons and markets.Go to Fashion Glossary, there’s a good reason. Judo taught him that progress comes from repetition and that a bad day needn’t become a bad career.
In a sport where one opponent can undo months of preparation in a matter of seconds, keeping a level head is essential. The same, he says, applies to castings and the occasional rejection.
“Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, but those are the moments when you learn and come back stronger.”
Judo also left him with a set of values he continues to carry into work: respect, modesty, sincerity, courage, self-control, and discipline. On paper, they sound like the makings of an excellent sportsman. On a fashion set, they translate into something equally valuable: a model who listens and works efficiently.
Between two worlds
Mattis’ French-Korean heritage has also shaped how he understands himself, although his relationship with both sides of his identity hasn’t always been straightforward.
Raised in France, he grew up with a Korean heritage; he didn’t have many opportunities to explore his culture. His mother was born in Korea but adopted as a baby, meaning the connection was largely one he carried through family background and appearance.
Growing up, he sometimes felt different from those around him. Eventually, he learned to turn that feeling into strength, first through sport and later through the opportunities his modeling career offered him. Today, his identity seems to change depending on his surroundings.
Korean roommates he has met abroad have introduced him to the language and food, small but meaningful points of connection. He hopes to visit Korea next year and discover more of the culture for himself.
His next big catwalk
For now, Mattis has his sights set on the traditional fashionFashionThe art and industry of designing, producing, and styling clothing, footwear, accessories, and beauty trends. It reflects cultural influences, personal expression, and evolving styles across seasons and markets.Go to Fashion Glossary capitals. Paris and Milan remain the obvious destinations for a model looking to establish himself internationally, with their long histories and houses that continue to dictate much of the industry’s direction. Among them, Dolce&Gabbana occupies a special place on his wish list.
Walking for the Italian label would be a significant milestone, but he understands that a dream show isn’t secured by admiring it from the front row of a screen.
The next steps are practical enough: develop his portfolio, work with strong creative teams, gain experience across Europe and Asia, and build relationships with casting directors. The United States is another market he hopes to explore.
“Whether that happens next season or in a few years, it will take the time it takes. That challenge is part of what motivates me.”
It’s an attitude that serves him well. FashionFashionThe art and industry of designing, producing, and styling clothing, footwear, accessories, and beauty trends. It reflects cultural influences, personal expression, and evolving styles across seasons and markets.Go to Fashion Glossary moves quickly, but building a lasting career takes patience, and he seems more interested in being ready for the right opportunity than in forcing one to arrive.
One percent at a time
Ask Mattis where he hopes to be in five years, and he offers an answer that’s both ambitious and unexpectedly candid.
He would love to continue growing in fashion, but he doesn’t necessarily see himself modeling for the rest of his life. With artificial intelligence developing at speed, he wonders what the industry might look like by then.
Mattis is nevertheless grateful for what the past five years have brought him. The travel, the people, and the opportunities are things he could hardly have imagined as a teenager whose life revolved around judo. There are still plenty of goals he hopes to achieve, though he prefers to keep some of them to himself.
His guiding principle remains simple: improve by one percent every day. It’s not the sort of slogan that requires a motivational poster, and he doesn’t seem interested in turning it into one. He has already put the idea into practice, from years of training on the mat to the competence he brings to a campaign shoot.
There are dream runways ahead and a Korean heritage to explore. Whether fashionFashionThe art and industry of designing, producing, and styling clothing, footwear, accessories, and beauty trends. It reflects cultural influences, personal expression, and evolving styles across seasons and markets.Go to Fashion Glossary remains his long-term destination is another question entirely. For now, Mattis is content to keep learning, stay curious, and take the opportunities as they come.
And should the Dolce&Gabbana casting call eventually arrive, one thing is probably safe to assume: he’ll be early. The poses will be ready, the angles accounted for, and the photographer won’t have to ask twice. In fashionFashionThe art and industry of designing, producing, and styling clothing, footwear, accessories, and beauty trends. It reflects cultural influences, personal expression, and evolving styles across seasons and markets.Go to Fashion Glossary, timing is everything. Luckily, Mattis Perez has already mastered that part.
Chief of Editorial Content Patrick Ty
Photography Andrea Beldua
Art direction Mike Miguel
FashionFashionThe art and industry of designing, producing, and styling clothing, footwear, accessories, and beauty trends. It reflects cultural influences, personal expression, and evolving styles across seasons and markets.Go to Fashion Glossary Corven Uy
FashionFashionThe art and industry of designing, producing, and styling clothing, footwear, accessories, and beauty trends. It reflects cultural influences, personal expression, and evolving styles across seasons and markets.Go to Fashion Glossary editor Rex Atienza
GroomingGroomingThe care and maintenance of hair, skin, beard, and nails, including cleansing, shaving, styling, and scent. Once niche, men's grooming has grown into a major lifestyle category, and VMAN's VanityGo to Grooming Glossary and hair Myckee Arcano
Production design Arj Madarang
Production Francis Vicente
Frequently Asked Questions
Mattis Perez is a French-Korean model and one of five winners of the VMAN Southeast Asia Model Search 2026. He’s building an international modeling career, with ambitions to walk for major fashion houses in Paris and Milan.
Before entering fashion, Mattis practiced judo for 16 years, earned a black belt, and competed in around 400 high-level fights.
Mattis dreams of walking for Dolce&Gabbana, a fashion house he admires for its distinctive identity and combination of elegance and confidence. He hopes to strengthen his portfolio and gain more international experience to reach that goal.
Judo taught Mattis discipline, resilience, self-control, and how to handle rejection without taking it personally. These values inform his professional approach to modeling.
Mattis hopes to expand his modeling career across Europe, Asia, and eventually the United States, with Paris and Milan among his key ambitions.
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