Style Icon – Calvin Harris

He’s gone a long way since breaking onto the music scene as a gangly teenager with floppy hair to this year becoming the man who fronts the Emporio Armani campaign, hero-worshipped by males and adored by females all over the world. But that’s exactly the path global superstar Calvin Harris has taken since his beginnings in the humble setting of Dumfries, Scotland; so how exactly did the new face of Emporio Armani achieve this rise to prominence and become such a style icon in the process?

The multi-talented DJ, producer and singer/songwriter began experimenting with electronic music at the age of 17 in his bedroom whilst also saving up for a move to London where he hoped to learn and become involved with the vibrant capital’s music scene. He was discovered on social networking site Myspace and subsequently earned his first record deal, going on to release his first album in 2007. It’s safe to say he hasn’t looked back since, producing 3 more albums and embarking on a number of lucrative tours around the world.

He’s a Grammy award winner and was named by Forbes Magazine as the world’s top-earning DJ for a second successive year recently. He has a $400k per night residency in Las Vegas super-club Hakkasan and was the first British solo artist to reach 1 billion streams on Spotify – it’s fair to say then that Calvin Harris is one of the biggest names in music and a pioneer of the burgeoning electronic dance music (EDM) scene.

Calvin’s Look

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As part of his new deal with Emporio Armani, he will be the face of the Spring/Summer 2015 season including being the brand’s worldwide testimonial for eyewear, watch and underwear lines. Georgio Armani himself heaped praise on the 31-year-old DJ, producer and singer/songwriter by saying: “Calvin Harris is a truly cosmopolitan, dynamic young man who is capable of attracting the masses with his music and energy. He isn’t a model by nature, and this creates a more sincere and engaging bond with the public.”

In response, Calvin Harris said: “It’s incredible to be working with Mr Armani and his team at Emporio Armani. I feel an affinity to the brand ethos and have been a long-time admirer of their designs.”

Harris- the man who can seemingly do no wrong at this stage of his career- broke onto the scene as a geeky-looking teenager who dressed in contrasting colours, hoodies and sported a shaggy unkempt beard whilst releasing early tracks such as “Acceptable in the 80s“, but he has since embarked on an image transformation, stopping singing on his hits and instead collaborating with some of the world’s top artists. He has become notable for his buff physique and designer stubble, with the press dubbing his transformation as “geek to sleek”, helping him to emerge as an unlikely style icon, known for having dated glamorous pop star, Rita Ora.

Real name Adam Wiles, Harris’ newfound style is epitomised by a simple masculine look that is inherently casual. He follows in the footsteps of his good-looking sporting counterparts David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo as the model of Armani Underwear and proves he can wear the prestigious Italian designers clothing with aplomb judging by these campaign shots below.

See the Armani Underwear collection here