In the virtual world of 2022, 160,000 followers on Instagram may not be enough to get noticed. But it’s easy to see that there are other people behind those statistics. 160,000 subscribers means 160,000 different people with lives, jobs, and ambitions. In the case of one particular author, many members of the Forbes billionaires list can be found among his 160,000 followers.
Gstaad Guy has made a name for himself by parodying the lives of other notable people and the mountains, making fun of the Alpine culture of après-ski, fine wines and snobbery. It is no surprise that this content resonates and entertains the most prosperous. other people on Instagram, probably because it feels close to home.
But this is rarely a typical auteur tale or Passion Economy comedy. When you meet Gstaad Guy, you will be amazed not only by his 6’6″ height, but also by his calmness, at odds with the characters he created. He also leads a double life: as a full-time employee of Apple.
“So. . . My bosses have no idea what I’m doing. I think Covid and remote operation are one of the reasons why this can happen,” GG told macchiatos in London’s quirky Belgravia district.
Let’s start at the beginning. If you or your friends ski in the Swiss Alps and in Mykonos or Capri during the summer, chances are you’ve heard of Gstaad Guy. With Instagram as its primary channel, the account started with a very privileged character, Constance, before expanding with another tight ego, cousin Colton. Although both are bon vivants, their other origins make them contradictory and complementary characters.
GG (who declined to give his real name for this interview) says he first created Constance as a joke while phoning a friend at his chalet in Gstaad who was upset about a masseuse’s delay. “I pretended to be him in a video and sent it via Whatsapp to his mother. She enjoyed the video and passed it on to each and every Whatsapp organization’s chats with the mothers she participates in. “
“It took off via Whatsapp, especially in Gstaad, but then a page posted it on Instagram and it went viral. “Returning from a few weeks of vacation in Asia without an internet connection, he stopped on the street next to a stranger who told him, “I know you, you’re the guy from Gstaad!GG says he remembers being confused. I thought, “What? Yes. . . I’m the boy from Gstaad!” And that’s the spark that prompted me to create this account. “
A little over two years ago, GG befriended the vanquished Virgil Abloh, and his character Colton voiced one of Abloh’s latest Off-White fashion shows. He has collaborated with some of the world’s most exclusive brands, launched his own vlogging channel (often with artist and podcaster Logan Paul or street artist Alec Monopoly, with millions of viewers), and began projecting himself into a feature film. This is actually an engaging example of how the hobby economy has created a new career path.
Gustaf Lundberg Toresson: Your adapted ego has evolved over time into two antagonistic characters. In your own words, who are Constance and Colton?
Gstaad Guy: Constance is a pompous British aristocrat from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London. He splits his time between Gstaad in winter, his boat in Monaco in summer, and the rest of the year. The second character, Cousin Colton, is a doppelgänger of Constance and a TikTok-loving Gen Z-loving crypto-enthusiastic New York counterpart who now lives between her cousin Constance’s mansions and her own apartment in Beverly Hills. The dynamic of these two characters is based on differences in their upbringing.
This dynamic is also conveyed to the viewer, who shares similar views to Constance or Colton. Their coherent look pushes them to be more complicated and elegant, and the kind your grandmother needs them to be. And the look of Colton, the flashy, life-loving TikToker they’re looking to suppress.
Logan Paul and Gstaad Guy
Lundberg Toresson: But Constance came first. Where did the inspiration come from?
GG: I was actually very inspired to base the character on one of my most productive friends, and I slowly began to expand the point of absurdity. I wanted to make other people laugh and at the same time give an explanation to other people in society. Why take yourself less seriously and realize how ridiculous are some of the things you worry about and communicate about. At first, Constance was only available to a very limited number of people. As the page progressed, I brought in Colton, who is a bit anti-Constancy, which gave the page a completely different size and allowed me to speak to a much younger audience.
Lundberg Toresson: There are many ski resorts in the Alps. Why Gstaad?
GG: Gstaad is this charming Swiss city located in the Alps and happens to be a haven for the world’s elite and the world’s billionaires. You had to be part of this world or aware of it to find something fun in the story. . So at the beginning of Gstaad Guy, there’s a huge concentration of Gstaadians who can understand the jokes because they were so focused on Gstaad. I’m talking about hotels, restaurants and the only nightclub in Gstaad and a passerby wouldn’t. perceive what I’m talking about.
As the page progressed, I began to slowly move away from Gstaad-specific jokes and toward cities like Monaco, London, and Paris, while maintaining the elite approach.
GstaadGuy interviewed via Gustaf Lundberg Toresson in London.
Lundberg Toresson: Do you know who’s following the page?
GG: So Constance brought the billionaires from Gstaad, but Colton brought a completely different audience to the page, because it talked about fashion stars and social media. This led to the page being available to the wealthiest 1% of the United States, many of whom were celebrities. It turned out to be an eclectic mix of influencers, creators, celebrities, and at the same time billionaires and some state leaders.
As I started posting more, the limit of other people who could relate to Gstaad Guy’s humor was going to increase. But the limit of other people who would like to identify with Gstaad Guy’s humor and who are curious is much higher. The audience gradually surpassed the global richest 1% and other people started following him because he was funny and because they were curious about the secret and absurd lives of the global elite.
Recently, I invited him to spend a few evenings in Gstaad for New Year’s Eve. Although there is a lot of wealth in this alpine town, you can only build your chalet on 2 or 3 floors. So there are those huge, luxurious, multi-story ones. basements that I have been invited to visit. One of the most surreal moments is placing many of my “fans” in a basement with a net worth of trillions of dollars, just with the billionaires and me.
“Actually, I was in Gstaad when I started” – Gstaad Guy in Gstaad
Lundberg Toresson: In addition to being Gstaad Guy, do you work full-time at Apple?Do other painting buddies know Gstaad Guy?
GG: Actually, only a few, and they’ve been very supportive. I tried to keep it a secret for a long time. In fact, Covid has contributed to this as we have all been running away from home. But I’ve noticed on calls from larger teams that other people would come up to me and say, “Oh my God. I can’t really work here. ” Is it literally you? This started wonderful friendships with other people from all over the world.
I’ve only been remote since joining the company and haven’t been to the workplace. So, it’s smart to keep it discreet, because there’s not as much gossip in the workplace as there would be otherwise.
Lundberg Toresson: How do you think it would be won at Apple?
GG: Haha. I’m sure. I guess I’ll see it once this is published.
A boy interrupts the verbal exchange and needs to shake GG’s hand. He explains that he possesses a tequila logo while handing him 3 sumptuous bottles. “This happens all the time. But this is a bit ironic, because I don’t even drink. .
Lundberg Toresson: What came out of this, from one point of view?
GG: I’ve worked with some of the biggest luxury brands in the world, such as Loro Piana, which is part of LVMH. In my opinion, they have some of the products in the world. Every product collaboration I’ve worked on with Loro Piana sold out in a matter of hours. Our brands are perfectly aligned and Loro Piana is now part of the identity of my character, Constance.
Loro Piana has presented more than six hundred pairs of the limited edition Open Knitting Walk that will be sold exclusively on Gstaad Guy’s account. This is the fastest-promoting Loro Piana product in history and sold out completely within a few hours. Months later, we did it again with another variant of the shoe: the Loro Piana Summer Knitting Walks. If I promoted more typical influencer promotions, such as teeth whitening kits or herbal teas, I wouldn’t have been able to make the sales I did. . It’s the combination between the products and the logo of Gstaad Guy and Loro Piana that is so strong.
I also created a drink with Don Julio and one of the most productive French restaurants in the world, LPM Restaurant and Bar in London’s Mayfair domain. There are two Gstaad Guy drinks on the menu, Constance and Colton. But good luck trying, they’re also almost exhausted.
And of course, my own merchandise in GstaadGuy. com, as well as skin and hair care products in collaboration with The Organic Pharmacy sold at the Hotel Alpina in Gstaad.
The Gstaad-type drink
Lundberg Toresson: You also worked with Off White and talked about the defeated Virgil Abloh as an inspiration. What encouraged you about it?
GG: Virgil has been a huge inspiration to me, mainly because of his ability to create and design at the highest level, but also because he was able to do all of this and be active in many other worlds and fields at the same time. He has managed to navigate a very corporate environment while maintaining his identity. You can simply design a massive collection and negotiate with executives one day, post it on social media the next, and DJ in a club the next night.
He’s a bit like the Renaissance man from New Day. It’s anything that’s always been a dream for me, Hannah Montana, Miley Cyrus, I guess the “double life” and Virgil Abloh proved it was imaginable in reality. world.
While I am a big fan of his, he has naturally become an admirer of mine. One day, I was sitting in my friend’s space and I saw Virgil Abloh start to stick to me, and I panicked. I’ve been a fan of Virgil for years. I approached him to pitch a startup concept about 8 years ago in Matsuhisa, Los Angeles, and even attended his lecture at Harvard 4 years ago. Suddenly, he became a fan of mine, and eventually we became good friends. After two years of connecting on Instagram, Virgil asked me to dub his new live Off White exhibition in Paris as Colton.
Cousin Colton plays the show Off-White
Lundberg Toresson: What is the content of the Gstaad Guy?
GG: It’s a song written and directed through Constance called “Commercial Flight. “Based on “I Will Survive” by Glory Gainers, which I directed on my first stop in Gstaad, a year after creating the Gstaad Guy page. I had never been to Gstaad before this performance.
Lundberg Toresson: What has been the situation of your friends and family?
GG: It was actually a two-way street. Close friends told me to stop and focus on my career, even though they had explained my vision for the page. My family told me that the first video was great, but that I deserve to prevent. That was at first. But once things started to get better, they understood my vision. Apart from my vision of the boy from Gstaad, I felt that I could threaten everything because he had an absolutely different aspect of my life to which I devoted most of my time. I think that since the page is based on characters and not me as a person, I have fewer challenges if things go wrong.
Lundberg Toresson: What message do you send to other young people who are encouraged by this?
GG: You can make it plus. If you think you don’t have time, you do. There are plenty of resources to save time, so get started. We live in a virtual age where you can work smart and save big. time on busy paintings and spend more time making smart paintings. Also, make ambitious and motivated friends. It provides you with peace of mind to share the ups and downs with those around you.
Lundberg Toresson: It must have helped us to dare to go “over there”. So far he has had a very interesting adventure. What’s next?What’s going on for Constance, Colton, and you?
GG: My dream for the page is to continue making other people laugh and take themselves less seriously. If I can continue to do it at the highest level, that will definitely be the driving force. And if I can continue to be a financial success, thank you. That you go to the page, that is an advantage. Plus, just laughing and being artistic helps me stay alive and young.
And, oddly enough, the classes I learned in my life as a Gstaad Guy have helped me work at Apple, and vice versa. I’m learning classes from both sides that make me grow and I don’t see any explanation as to why I would avoid either.
Sasha Baron Cohen is a huge inspiration to me, and the way I think about my page is that the sketches on Instagram so far are the fashion edit of Sasha’s early TV sketches like Ali G and Borat before directing her mainstream feature films. So yes, The Target is a full-length feature film through Gstaad Guy and will be available soon.
It has been edited and condensed for clarity.
For more stories like these, @gltore on Instagram.