Evan Mock loves fashion. Like loves it. “It's a huge part of my life. It always has been,” the Hawaiian-born actor tells GQ via a phone call from Milan, where he's attending fashion week. “When I was younger I was the kid wearing things that were a bit out there. I was really picky. I was obsessed with these Oshkosh pants that zipped off and became shorts. Balenciaga started doing them recently, which was funny to see."
Today, Mock is routinely included as a high scoring entry on best-dressed lists. He can practically wear anything. He has fun with it, too. He pushes boundaries with a sense of youthfulness, and doesn't take anything too seriously. The Gossip Girl 2.0 actor-cum-model fuses a skater vibe – catch him flipping boards in baggy cargoes, wavy specs and chunky Nike Dunks or beat-up Converse kicks – with more hypey pieces, such as cropped sweater vests, baby pink tablecloth check Vivienne Westwood handbags and low-slung flared trousers. Anything goes: even the dyed pink crop. Naturally, he's become the cover guy for brands such as Calvin Klein, and earns front row suits for buzzy shows like Salvatore Ferragamo.
But Mock wants a change. He, as he puts it, is maturing. Look to his hair; self-submitted evidence that he's growing up. “I've grown out my hair,” he says, explaining that his scalp needed a break from the bubblegum dye, “My vibe is shifting. I'm evolving as a person, and I think it was time to bid farewell to the pink buzzcut. It was fun while it lasted.” Instead, he's got a choppier, poker straight ‘do going on. "It's how I want to be perceived. It's not as young."
The 25-year-old says that he's consciously entering his 'young gentleman' years. Perhaps because he's graduated from Gossip Girl High (the show hasn't been renewed for a third season), and wants to be taken more seriously. “I've been wearing these sweater vests with white button-up collared shirts underneath. Very preppy," he says. “I'm wearing a lot of cashmere. Shiny boots and tidy loafers. Really great high-waisted trousers that just fit well.” He reveals that he's got a new-found love: tailors. Baggy just isn't his vibe anymore. “If something doesn't properly fit, I'm gonna ask for a tailor to get that sorted."
Mock's decision to change up his style is reflective of his wider approach to life. He muses that these days, he's saying no to things. “I'm being super selective. In fittings, I know what I like now,” he says. “In the same way that I've decided to be pickier with work.” He explains that he's just wrapped on two films that he shot in Bulgaria, but they're also projects that he is passionate about. As his star rose following his role in Gossip Girl – that sort of meteoric TikTok blink-and-your-famous stardom — he found that he'd say yes to everything, notably fashion shows and collaborative opportunities. “I'd end up just doing this mad on-the-road fashion week thing, which was just crazy and super draining.”
Mock didn't just sit front row at the Ferragamo show for the pap shots. He was there on a sort of research trip. “There was this super chic leather jacket paired with leather red-zippered pants that I will be asking to wear for the Vanity Fair Oscars party in a few weeks,” he excitedly says. “I love what [creative director] Maximillian Davis is doing at the brand. It's contemporary and so sophisticated. It's proper grown-up stuff." For the show he wore a checkerboard cut-off vest and flared slacks – very Mock 1.0 – but with a thin black tie to level it out. Following that, he's flying straight back to New York. No other shows. He's seen what he wanted to see. If you're going to paint yourself in a more mature light, Ferragamo, which has long ascribed to the gospel of quiet luxury, is a good place to start.
Mock's throwing his energy into his own brand, Wahine, which he launched in early 2022 and is reflective of his Hawaiian heritage. Dua lipa wears it. So does Kid Cudi. “I wanted to make clothes that me and my friends want to wear," he says. “I also want to glorify the patterns they have in Hawaiian culture.” Wahine T-shirts come emblazoned with photographs of the scenic islands that frame his hometown, and the beaches he grew up on, while striped, tailored shirts are reminiscent of those ones worn by the men around him when he was a young kid. “You get most inspired when you're doing the things you want to do,” he says. “When you do things you don't want to do, it just dilutes the results and nothing comes out as good as it should be."
