At the time of this interview in March, Jefferson had also just finished shooting a campaign for Cesare Paciotti with Jessica Craig Wright, and the following week was heading to Paris to work with Kenneth Willard for a new L'Oreal campaign. As for shows? Jean-Paul Gautier in Paris, Alan Truong, Pele Pele and PNB Nation, to start.

Editor's Note: I'll ask you to bear in mind reading this interview with Jefferson that English is not his first language. But having spent just a few months in New York, he was already conducting the entire interview in English. That being said, Jefferson is full of play, spirit and personality, and if his great charm and charisma don't come clearly through, the only fault is mine. Jefferson was interviewed with his agent at Boss Models, Nigel Pembroke-Sloan.

Jefferson, how old are you?

Seventeen.

Oh my God! What sign are you?

Gemini.

An evil twin?

Nigel: A quietly evil twin?

They're the worst (laughs). Where are you from?

Londrina, in the south of Brazil.

How did you become a model?

I had a friend that was a model and she introduced me to a scout. When that scout was in New York an agency mentioned they needed a model with long hair and she told them she had somebody — me. They came to Brazil to meet me and that's how I got started.

Did any other kids have hair as long as yours at your school?

No.

You're the only one? Why?

I don't know.

Nigel: Because he's a skate boy! Let's tell it like it is — skateboarding, skateboarding, skateboarding. I always call him the "un-Brazilian." "Do you like soccer, Jefferson?" "No." "Do you like Samba?" "No." "So what do you like?" "Basketball, Skateboard, Pearl Jam."