japan !!! 💓🙈🫶🤪

so #swag

ugh. running the @tokyo.marathon2026 was #tough. my time as a collegiate middle-distance runner did #not prepare me for that kind of #pain. big shoutout to all the homies who supported me along the way (i love you). and the hot springs in hakone that helped me #recover. special thanks to the bestie @sarahstape for calling me five months ago and asking me to run the marathon with her. love how we just go for things and live our lives to the #fullest. here’s to more adventures and painful marathons (bc i guess i’m a runner again). kk… xoxo -gawain

i highly recommend the book (purgatory) in the first pic, but cannot underscore enough how disappointing the book (parade) in the last pic is … anyway here’s italy

What ever happened to the vocation of being a listless American in Paris?

Alongside @dktepp and @emilymulls , I had the honor of curating @pilotmagazined ’s Issue 6 Digital Extension. So in awe of every writer I worked with and the dedication that went into these pieces. For those of you who have experienced me as an editor, you know I do not go “light.” Kudos to all who indulged my pedantic and (dare I say?) grueling oversight. Collaborations like this will forever fuel me. 💞 Check it out on Pilot’s website under the category “Issue 06: You Are Here” (pilotmagazine.uk/category/issue-06-you-are-here).💓

Behind the scenes of my nascent modeling career (jk… but what if) 1. @vivienpaints paints me like one of her french girls 2. @demonicaphoto shoots me like Jeanloup Sieff shot Yves Saint Laurent back in 1971 Shoutout to these masters of brush and lens for using their talents to immortalize my twenty-something existence

My recent coverage for @pilotmagazined of the “I Wool Survive” fashion show presented by @michaelschmidtstudios , @grindr , and @rainbowwoolofficial . Link in bio ❤️🐏🏳️‍🌈

Here ye here ye… friends, family, strangers I’ve never met… I have an exciting announcement. Come March 1st, 2026, I, Gawain Semlear, will be running the Tokyo Marathon on behalf of @healtheplanet , a non-profit dedicated to teaching children about sustainability and empowering communities to take action aimed at bettering environmental conditions.  I would be most obliged if you, my dearest internet companions, could help me reach my goal of fundraising $5,000. All donations will go directly to Heal The Planet.  To donate, please follow the gofundme link in my bio. NO CONTRIBUTION IS TOO SMALL.  Anything helps.  Love y’all,  Gawain xx

I turned 26 yesterday, and, taking stock of my adult life, can I just say that I love the way I’ve lived. I’ve traveled through Europe, India, North America, and North Africa, and have lived in three iconic cities (New York, London, Los Angeles). Though many of these experiences weren’t without vicissitudes of well-being. I took an unconventional route after graduating college and my early 20s were addled with an ennui specific to itinerants and expats. While my peers settled in Brooklyn and slipped into quotidian patterns à la the 9-5, I was idling in some foreign city, hoping (praying) the 100 pounds in my bank account wouldn’t run out before the end of the weekend. Life could be really lonely at times. I often wondered if I had made some terrible mistake. Most people I knew were in the nascent phases of their career, chasing the much sought after, albeit elusive, notion of stability. My life back then felt all but stable, or career-oriented. But amidst all the confusion, I discovered something far more enriching than either of those things: novel experiences that have educated me more than any degree, internship, or entry-level job could. I feel as though I’ve lived a million lives in the last half-decade; I’ve seen more than people twice my age, and have built up a motley crew of friends and acquaintances around the globe. I’m so excited for this next quarter of my life. Here’s to doing things differently, and never taking anything for granted. xx P.S. And… if there is such a thing as stability, it’s my older sibling @skittlesamour , who has been my biggest supporter, confidante, and friend throughout all my chaotic machinations. Thanks for doing everything you can to make every year of my life as special as possible. I love you!

the first time i read dracula i was 14 and i think it had a palpable effect on my aesthetic development

Link in bio for my coverage of the eccentric universe of @alaskalynch , an LA-based writer, theatrical host, and musician. Featuring @baitingthegods , @pinkserpentsupperclub , and @temporalrefugeefoundation . I’m so incredibly thankful spaces like these exist. LA can be a lonely place, but they make it less so. I’m in awe of everyone who has come together to help make them happen. Special thanks to @miz.lynch and @evanvolk for taking the time to chat to me and share their insights. And a thanks to everyone who has contributed their talents, be it musically, theatrically, or otherwise, to this world. ❤️❤️❤️