With her icy white hair and piercing blue stare, Pyper America Smith looks more at home in the wintery hills of Narnia than she does on the catwalk. Nevertheless, she made her runway debut in 2015, walking for the likes of Moschino, Giorgio Armani, and Philipp Plein. Since then, the 20-year-old beauty and Next model has starred in campaigns for Calvin Klein, Moncler, and Forever 21. She even appeared in a campaign for H&M alongside her siblings — Lucky Blue, Starlie Cheyenne, and Daisy Clementine — who, by the way, are also her fellow Atomics band mates. When she’s not prancing down the catwalk or vamping it up in a campaign, you can find her lolling around on Instagram, pretending to be a Beverly Hills mom. She’s really quite convincing. As if that was all, the Salt Lake City-born saucepot has been tapped as the new face of Superga‘s spring/summer 17 campaign, and what a face it is. Fresh from the campaign launch, we followed the pied Pyper and her lovely beau, Brandon Lee, around for an afternoon, to chat about moving house, her Hollywood dreams, and Grandma’s good advice.
Tell me a bit about yourself and where you grew up?
I was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, and grew up in-between Utah, Montana, and Southern California. In Utah, I lived in a pretty small town that was very family-orientated. It has a much slower pace than places like Los Angeles or New York and kind of felt like a little bubble, but I loved growing up there because of the neighborhood and homey feel.
Did you always want to be a model?
I’ve always wanted to be a comedian and an actress.
What does modeling mean to you?
When I’m on set and on location for shoots I try to express myself through the clothes. With modeling you have to try on a bunch of different figurative hats and get into character for the brand.
If you weren’t a model what would you be doing?
I would love to be an actress, so I am studying acting right now.
What is the story behind Pyper TV?
Pyper TV is a collection of improv videos that I have made. I have a few different characters and personas — an Australian explorer, a Beverly Hills house mom…
Who is the ultimate Beverly Hills mom?
Hmm, I’m not sure… a Beverly Hills house mom is bougie, dramatic, and just hysterical.
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
My grandma always told me to be stella, she told me to not be of this world, be me and not to do what is expected. Never sell yourself short.
What is the worst?
I probably don’t remember because it wasn’t very good!
What does beauty mean to you?
Beauty is pure, effortless. It’s appreciating the simple things.
What do you stand for?
I stand for doing what’s right, if something feels right to you — it’s powerful. I stand for being real and genuine to everybody and being an individual.
What are you most excited about for 2017?
I’m so excited to be the face of Superga. I think about where I was a year ago and it kind of blows my mind, I just can’t wait to see how much I grow this year. I’m also excited to play some really cool shows with my band The Atomics.
What else are you working on?
I have just moved into a new place so I am working on decorating my apartment, it’s actually really hard!
What are your hopes and dreams for the future?
I kind of want to switch things up and explore different hobbies. I’d love to get into art.
Read: Get to know Pyper’s brother, Lucky Blue Smith. He’s so lucky, he’s a star.
Credits
Text Tish Weinstock
Photography Finn Constantine