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Antoni Porowski sounds off on visibility: 'I think it is important for everyone'

As a child, Antoni Porowski recalls looking up to the models in advertisements on TV and in magazines.

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As a child, Antoni Porowski recalls looking up to the models he saw in advertisements on TV and in magazines.

“I often aspired to be like the straight men I saw in campaigns and as ambassadors to luxury brands,” Porowski recalls.

These days, it’s the Montreal-born actor, chef, author and star of the Netflix series Queer Eye who many now look up to.

As a prominent figure in the LGBTQIA+ community in Canada and beyond — Porowski boasts a following of more than 4.4 million on Instagram, alone — the significance of this role hits especially close to home.

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“It’s pretty special to think young queer people now live in a world where they can hopefully see different examples of role models,” Porowski says.

Visibility, the Canadian-Polish creative stresses, matters most. It’s an element that’s especially significant during Pride, a celebration of the LGBTQIA+ community.  

“I think it is important for everyone — young and older people, alike — to see someone who identifies as LGBTQIA+ on a large platform,” Porowski says.

Antoni Porowski is an ambassador for Omega. Porowski wears the Constellation Men’s Alligator Strap 41mm timepiece, $8,800.
Antoni Porowski is an ambassador for Omega. Porowski wears the Constellation Men’s Alligator Strap 41mm timepiece, $8,800. Photo by Handout /Omega

The latest platform for Porowski to step onto is ambassador for the luxury Swiss watchmaker Omega.

“I still pinch myself to think that I am a part of the Omega family since the brand has been part of some key milestones in my life,” Porowski says. 

Porowski recalls his first encounter with an Omega timepiece being a large clock hanging on the wall of the swim club his family frequented in Montreal when he was a child.

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“The first time I saw the red Omega symbol was on the chronometer hanging on the wall of the pool I would go to for swim practices when I was about five years old,” Porowski recalls. “Other than my swimming coach, I relied the most on that clock during the entire practice. It told me when to start, how many seconds I had break in between sets and also signified my results.

“It was my first symbol of precision.”

His connection with the brand resurfaced when a move to New York City saw him take on a new role as a gallery director.

“I had to change my wardrobe to fit the part. I invested in proper tailored shirts, pants and shoes,” Porowski says. “That first Christmas I was gifted a 1950 — I believe — Omega Constellation with the original parts. It was gold with a black dial, original hands and gold observatory on the back case. I paired it with a vintage black cordovan leather strap.”

Today, the multi-hyphenate boasts a collection of vintage Omega timepieces that a Speedmaster and Dark Side of The Moon.

“I love all vintage Omega watches,” Porowski says.

Despite a growing collection, it was his initial vintage timepiece that saw Porowski through the first season of filming of Queer Eye, an Emmy Award-winning take on the previous American television show Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, which sees Porowski positioned as the show’s food and wine expert in the cast’s Fab Five.

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“I wore that very same watch — the Omega Constellation — every single day of filming,” Porowski says of the vintage timepiece, which he identifies as his personal favourite. “The watch itself is a symbol of the past, how my life has changed, and the Omega symbol a reminder of my childhood.”

Despite feeling “stressed and terrified” during those first few days of filming, he recalls how the watch — and his co-stars — provided a welcome source of strength.

“I had no idea what I was doing, but relied on the support of my castmates,” Porowski says. “Because we were all in it together.”

Aharris@postmedia.com

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