The young man from Lanzarote, Jose Caraballo, better known as Joan Carod, participated as an assistant art director in Chanel's "SloMo" music video, the song that raised the singer to third place in the latest edition of Eurovision, and which is already number one on the list of the 40 main ones.
Joan, who studied fine arts in Madrid, is increasingly consolidating his role in the world of fashion, with roles as a stylist, director or art assistant in numerous projects with Spanish celebrities, but he has not yet managed to make this his full-time job.
His participation in the “Chanelazo”
“When I finished university, an art director, with whom I had collaborated for an Aitana video, called me for the filming of the Chanel music video, so I said come on, let's do it,” says Joan. “The filming was in December, before Christmas, and it took us a lot of work, 16 hours of filming practically, but it was quite cool,” he adds.
The young man highlights that both the young singer and her dance team were tireless, despite the long hours of filming. “They didn't stop dancing, as if it were the first time after many hours, they were hard workers.”
In addition, he highlights and values Chanel's effort, despite the numerous criticisms received after her election at the Benidorm Fest, with only 3.97% of the votes from the public.
“There has been a lot of criticism, but I have met her personally and I can say that she has worked very hard, like us,” says Joan. “I am happy to see where she has reached and happy that she is valued and that we artists who are behind her are valued.”
“It is true that I have only participated as an assistant and that I have not been able to work in a main position as I would like, but I am very happy,” he adds.
The importance of your name being known to succeed
And it is that to succeed in this sector it is essential that you stand out, that your name is known and that you have the key contacts. For his part, Joan has not wasted time in this last year and his resume already includes projects that include many celebrities.
Specifically, he has worked as an art director on a project with Blanca Suárez and as an assistant for an Ana Mena music video.
With David Bowie, Dua Lipa, Harry Styles or David Delfín as references, Joan has also had the opportunity to do the styling of the presenter Sandra Barneda and the pilot Marc Márquez, among others, although the list is much longer.
“It hasn't been easy to get these jobs,” says the young man. “Since I finished my degree I have been insisting and sending many portfolios to stylists, photographers, producers and art directors. Some have been warning me of projects, mainly to work as an assistant, but it is true that I am already starting to do styling and art direction,” he says.
“I was lucky, because when I finished in the summer I managed to speak with the art director of C Tangana and she helped me start my career,” he explains.
In addition, he insists that the issue of styling is complicated, since many showrooms did not respond to him because they did not know his name. “It is already quite difficult to succeed in the world of fashion, but even more so in showrooms, because if you are not someone, if you do not have a name or several projects with famous people, they do not pay attention to you,” he explains.
Now he seeks to create his own identity that represents him
For his part, the young man is now focused on continuing to work and continue trying to find his place in the world of fashion. “I want to dedicate myself to this and I will continue until I get tired, because I see myself here in the future,” says Joan. “I want to create my own identity that people recognize and that represents me, I would like them to trust me and value me for my work.”
“I love my island, but it is a reality that there are not the same opportunities as in other places like Madrid or even Gran Canaria or Tenerife, very few music videos are recorded and very few editorials come out in Lanzarote,” explains Joan. “So sometimes you have to consider leaving to get what you want”.
"To this day I have not managed to live off what I studied, since they are rather sporadic jobs, although I would like to dedicate myself 100% to it," explains the young man. "For the moment I have to combine them with my work at Zara, which at least is related to fashion."
However, the Lanzarote native insists that the key to success is to believe in yourself and not give up. “In the process you will find many obstacles, because in the world of fashion there are many people who are going to step on you and take advantage of you, but you have to insist and believe in yourself.”