From PARIS With LOVE

Sami Outalbali is fresh off the Eurostar, after waking to the chirruping sound of birdsong to catch an early train from Paris, where he is based, to London. His journey would have gone just fine, had he not been stopped by an errant guard; “They don’t like my face,” he later says, noting that this is a regular occurrence when he is travelling, whether he is dressed down in a tracksuit or dripping in designer clothes. The final hiccup, he pulls up the other side at King’s Cross and can’t find his pre-booked car.

Yet Sami remains bright and cheery as he steps inside the studio, politely asking if he can quickly nip out for a cigarette before being ushered into styling and grooming. While he puffs away outside, I decide to ‘feng shui’ the spread of snacks, suddenly panicking that he’ll think I only brought croissants (parched, sad-looking ones at that) because he’s French.

This is Sami’s second Attitude cover photo shoot – he first struck a pose for our March issue last year – and he didn’t think twice about appearing again. “That was actually my first cover ever,” he clarifies. “People liked it. My friends loved it. [I received] good comments… I’m really happy to do another one for you guys.”