Malik: In Motion, On Purpose
Malik: In Motion, On Purpose by Leon Haasbroek
Malik didn’t have a master plan when he was scouted at 17 in Toronto by Sean Penhall of WANT Management, but what he did have was instinct. A quiet understanding that this moment mattered. Modelling didn’t arrive as fantasy or spectacle. It arrived as focus. As direction. As the beginning of something he could finally commit himself to fully.
“Getting scouted gave me direction. It was something I could pour all of myself into.”
From the outset, the work was deliberate. Commercial jobs, test shoots, e-commerce. The kind of foundation that doesn’t shout, but builds. Modelling became less about being seen and more about learning how to move through spaces with confidence and intention. How to speak, listen, adapt. In an industry defined by constant change, Malik learned early that presence is a skill, not a given.
At just 18, he relocated to China for three months. Alone, on the other side of the world, with no familiar markers to rely on. What could have been disorienting became defining. China sharpened his independence and expanded his worldview. It was also where he encountered the full velocity of fashion week for the first time, the pace, the pressure, the precision.
“Moving to China taught me independence. For the first time, I had to make it on my own.”
His first runway appearance carried the weight of arrival, but not complacency. The moment the show ended, the next chapter was already forming in his mind. Pride was present, but so was momentum. Each achievement became fuel, not a finish line.
London marked a pivotal shift. What began as a short stay extended into months as opportunity followed opportunity. Choosing to remain meant leaving family and familiarity behind in Canada, a calculated risk taken in pursuit of growth. London offered something rare: creative intensity paired with belonging. It became a place of community, collaboration, and trust. A city that didn’t just host his career, but actively shaped it.
Malik is not interested in stasis. Evolution, for him, is non-negotiable. Even before modelling, he resisted the idea of staying fixed. Change is where clarity lives. Growth is often internal, invisible to the outside world, but deeply felt. What remains constant is his commitment to refinement. Creatively, he gravitates toward brands that exist between worlds. Labels like Golf le Fleur and Drôle de Monsieur, where street culture meets elevated design, where colour, silhouette, and narrative coexist effortlessly. That space mirrors his own trajectory. Contemporary. Fluid. Unrestricted.
Despite constant travel and visibility, grounding remains essential. Gratitude anchors him. He speaks openly about the importance of the people around him, his girlfriend, close friends, collaborators, and mentors like his Mother Agent: Sean Penhall. Acknowledging the journey, and those who have shaped it, keeps the ambition clean.
Modelling, he says plainly, saved his life. It gave him purpose when he needed it most, and he hopes to continue building within it long-term. At the same time, his curiosity is widening. Styling has begun to interest him. So has food. Before modelling entered his life, he planned to study cooking or baking. That creative instinct still surfaces in quieter moments, where making something by hand brings balance to the pace of his career.
Visibility is something he approaches with humility. Despite his growing presence, Malik is reluctant to define how others should perceive him. He doesn’t seek to impose meaning. If anything, he hopes to be recognised as driven, open, and genuine. Someone in motion.
“I see my life right now as the rising action of a story. There’s so much more to come.”
Looking ahead, his aspirations are expansive and deeply personal. Financial success, yes. Career milestones, absolutely. But also care. Supporting his mother, remaining rooted in London, and working with global houses such as Louis Vuitton and Golf le Fleur. Above all, continuing a career he recognises as a privilege. Malik is not chasing hype. He’s building intention, experience, and longevity. With each city, each season, and each evolution, he continues to move forward with clarity and purpose.
And while this chapter is already global in scope, it’s clear that his story is still unfolding - deliberately, confidently, and very much on his own terms.
