A day in the life of Luca Mariapragassam
Photos Lucile Casanova
Words Matthieu Morge-Zucconi
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The marketing consultant talks Youtube, home workouts and white musk.
Anyone familiar with French fashion website and menswear brand Bonne Gueule has certainly already come across some of Luca Mariapragassam’s content. He was the brand’s editor-in-chief for four years, before leaving to start his own company. These days, he stays busy by multitasking: he has a YouTube channel where he shares fashion advice with a healthy dose of banter, a marketing performance consulting agency, as well as several part-time teaching gigs, including at the renowned Institut Français de la Mode (Paris Fashion School). We sat down with him to talk (very) short hair, white musk, and home workouts.
Hi Luca, could you introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Luca, and I’m 28. A couple of years ago, I started my marketing performance consulting agency, called Convers(at)ion. We provide consulting services for companies across three pillars: traffic, conversion, and retention. I also launched a club for entrepreneurs, where we teach our method to business owners, who can reach out to us when they need guidance. Last but not least, I recently opened my YouTube channel, where I discuss all things menswear, as it’s a topic I’m very passionate about. It’s a lot of fun. I do some teaching too, at the Institut Français de la Mode’s Entrepreneur Programme, in particular.
Before that, you worked for Bonne Gueule, right?
Exactly. I left two years ago. I was already very much into marketing when I worked there. I met Robin, with whom I started the agency, at Bonne Gueule. Back then, I already did some marketing, in particular when it came to product launches. Robin and I share a common approach and references on the topic, and we decided we wanted to create our own method.
YouTube is another passion you discovered through Bonne Gueule.
I did quite a few videos for Bonne Gueule, it’s true. I decided to open my own YouTube channel because I missed talking about menswear a lot. I needed to find a way to share! Even once I’d left Bonne Gueule, I still had guys reaching out to me for advice. There’s definitely a demand for it, there are plenty of guys out there racking their brains, when the answers to their questions are sometimes very straightforward. Now that I’m independent, I have the freedom to share my advice differently if I feel like it. I really love having a more relaxed approach to my videos. The aim is to publish two videos per month; I hope to find the time to stick to this goal!
Does this new professional situation mean that you work from home?
Yes, in the morning, I do. I get up at approximately 7:30am, I read for a while, and start working at 9:00am. I work from home until 11:00 or 11:30am. Then, I meet up with Robin at a hotel lobby. We’ve grown to really appreciate them as working environments. The Hôtel National des Arts et Métiers, for example, is very calm and quiet!
Do you shower in the morning?
Yes! I do a large part of my routine under the shower: I brush my teeth, I shave… It’s just that much more practical. Not that I have much choice when it comes to shaving, as my girlfriend hates finding hairs and beard trimmings in the sink. The shower solves that problem. In case you’re wondering, yes, I do have a mirror in my shower.
What grooming products do you use?
I have a fondness for orange blossom, so I often use the Horace orange blossom and petitgrain shower gel. I also have an orange blossom bar of soap. I like white musk a lot too. It’s used a lot in Italy, and it always brings up childhood memories, of friends who all smelled of white musk. I buy mine from various places, I sometimes go to the supermarket and get the one with the least worst composition! I loved the Santa Maria Novella white musk limited edition. I bought five bottles of it, which I went through in no time! Other than that, I’m currently testing a variety of shampoos. I use the Horace conditioner, though. I have a very sensitive scalp, for which it is perfect. Right now, I’m using the Lush shampoo bar. In all honesty, it’s pretty terrible! (laughing)
What products do you use when your routine moves out of the shower?
It really depends! If I forget to trim my beard in the shower, I’ll do it above the sink with a beard bib. It looks completely ridiculous, but it’s super practical. Then, I moisturise. I use three different products depending on my skin’s dryness: if it’s really tight, I’ll use the Horace moisturiser. If not, I have a super fresh Château Berger product that really wakes me up in the morning. I also use Vichy Mineral 89. Moisturising is a crucial step in my routine. Without it, my skin would always be dry. This is also true for my hands and feet. I use Nivea cream, and a moisturiser from L’Occitane on my hands. I’m a compulsive hand-washer, so I often have dry hands!
What do you style your hair with?
You can’t see it right now because of the cap I’m wearing, but I recently cut it all off. I used to style my hair with the Horace wax pomade. I have nice hair so it would get a lot of attention, and I felt like a change. Also, it required a huge amount of maintenance, including a trip to the hairdresser’s every three weeks. All gone, now.
Did you shave it off by yourself?
I went to the hairdresser’s first, but she didn’t cut it short enough, so I trimmed it down again when I got back home! (laughing)
Does your busy schedule leave you enough time to exercise?
Yes, even though I don’t really exercise enough. I do push-ups, crunches, I have an elastic band for body weight exercises. It works really well, in particular for the shoulders. I work out at home, in 20 to 30-minute sessions.
You run your own business, you teach, you shoot videos… Do you manage to actually switch off?
When I go on weekend getaways, I do. I also often go to my mum’s in the countryside. Surrounded by greenery, it’s a real breath of fresh air. I hate the noise of car horns. I really enjoy Paris’ 11th arrondissement, but I struggle with the noise of scooter and bus engines, etc. I sometimes get stressed by the environment I live in.
You started out as an editor-in-chief. Do you still write?
Of course. I write a lot of content on marketing, and it’s building up to a significant database of information for my entrepreneur club and the agency. I don’t write any articles on menswear anymore; I’ll leave that for YouTube. That being said, I’m thinking about creating a newsletter on the topic. One day maybe!