~ Fashion Mogul ~

Name: Valero Lorenzi Durand (Val) (Daddy) (jk)(kinda)

Age: 45

Face Claim: Jeffery Dean Morgan

This is an original, non-role character - so hold on to your seats!

Originally from: Baton Rogue, Louisiana

Now Lives in: Beverly Hills, California

Personality:  

Valero has had to work extremely hard, to get to where he's at today - leader of the fashion world and still growing, he stays quite on top of things. And even now as his youth is dwindling, he remains fresh and current to the best of his ability, mainly because his line of word relies on it...but also, because that's just the sort of person he is. No, he's not a young gun anymore; and for a long time, he was settled into simple family life. But now more than ever, he's rejuvenated his charming, genuine, and affectionate nature, feeling an all new zest for life....even if he's not too sure of where to focus those emotions. He's generally a man that demands respect due to his title alone. 'Val Durand' has become a household name, so it isn't a surprise that someone might find a shock at meeting the one and only. But beyond that he longs to be known as a person, share adventures, and maybe even eventually find the love of his life, since he hasn't exactly done that yet. A true chivalrous romantic, though he hasn't shown that off for years. 

And while we're talking about Val's intimidating nature, well - don't be. Sure, he can get a little scary during fashion week, but beyond that, he's a completely likable and carefree sort of guy. He's relaxed, laid back, and easy to know, even if he seems a little disjointed. Let's just say he didn't make his fortune on being an introverted hermit; he's got an outgoing personality with a touch of wit that's helped him along the way. But as the years have gone by, he's aged like a fine wine ; mature, well mannered, seasoned. He works with beautiful models every day, but he's never gone over that line with any of them, nor does he want to, which of course plays into his mature nature. And while this man seems all but perfect...well, don't even go there. He's got a deeply altruistic nature that gets him into trouble sometimes. While he's not one to go out of his way to look for an argument, he tends to stick up for the underdog in various situations which in turn ropes him into some shit storms. And once he's got a pretty dead set ideal about you - good luck changing it. He's a firm believer that people don't change, they simple masquerade their bad qualities and new and improved. He's got a strong head, especially when it comes to seeing through what he perceives as BS.

If you asked Val what he did for a living, he would most definitely say, "Be a dad." Because he loves his children deeply and that comes first, even before his multi-billion dollar corporation, "Lux Fashion". He's a very family oriented guy despite his friction with his estranged wife of which the media loved to feed off of. They loved to portray him as someone running around with models behind his wife's back and abandoning his children, but it couldn't be further from the truth. Val is about as straight and narrow as they come, a sharp shooter when it comes to life, even if it sometimes can come off as anal or stubborn. If you want to impress this guy, just ask about his kids; he could go on, and on, and on...just about all day. Despite his young personality that ever changes with his business as every year passes, his doting fatherhood certainly ages him to some. 

Background:

Baton Rogue, Louisiana - it's not exactly a breeding ground for fashion icons. And the business isn't necessarily designed for straight men, either. But none of it started that way; it all began as a young man named Valero, who fell in love with his camera. Taking pictures was an excellent escape from reality for a kid who's parents could never figure out how to get along long enough to say "How was your day?". It wasn't changing it, just...putting it into another perspective, and that's been Val's motto for life ever since. He had a sort of mean and nasty dad who got a bit aggressive when he drank. Maybe he didn't know it at the time, but the best day of his life was when he left, and never came back, even if life in general got a bit harder. His mother was left with 5 children to raise on her own, and one woman's salary wasn't going to do it. But this isn't quite a tragedy; they did live happily ever after, thanks to their incredibly talented middle child. 

Val's love of photography lead him to an apprenticeship at a small photography company. He went from taking senior photos to artistic pieces, eventually getting his foot in the door as a fashion photographer. The industry was invigorating; fast paced, changing faces, changing popularity, art...it all sucked him in, and from that day forward, he's had a new dream in mind - to create his own form of art, in a brand of his own. Fast forward 20 years and you now have to owner and founder of "Lux", the leading runway and fashion magazine and also the holder of the exclusive clothing brand "Durand" tailored for both men and women. Basically, Val was living the dream. He could take care of his mother and siblings, eventually children, and wife. He was on top of the world, a man who had everything, and I mean everything.

Though, about 5 years ago, Val lost one of his sister's to cancer, causing him return to Baton Rogue where he was surprised to find - you guessed it, his long lost father. Suddenly pretending to care after all that time. And it doesn't end there...it appeared that now that Val had made himself into success, he wanted back into his son's life. Well even by then as a man with kids of his own, he was jaded, and still is. He didn't stand for it then and wouldn't now. So he turned away his offer to rekindle a father-son relationship, even though it's never felt quite right...but sure as hell he went home and hugged his own children tight, promising them that he'd never, never leave them, ever. A promise he was at least fairly certain he'd kept, but it didn't come without its own bumps and bruises. 

Val officially separated from his wife  a few months ago, and it was a long time coming, though no less jarring. A fashionista herself, Jeanne Dubois - Durand was and is a busy women who shuffles herself back and forth from the US, Canada, Italy, and France at any given moment, and that's just the tip of the ice burg. Perhaps she'd become more and more selfish as time went on or maybe she had something to prove to her husband. Either way, she had smaller and smaller amounts of time to actually be a wife and mother, resulting in some ill feelings from Mr. Durand. So that meant that after 22 years of marriage and 4 kids later, it was finally time to call it quits. The media had a field day; and all that it's left now is Val feelings a little bit...lost. He's still holding out hope that maybe the right woman for him is out there somewhere. That he can still be there for his kids even if he's not with their mother. And although he hardly knows where to begin, he's eager to start seeing life from yet another perspective. 

Other:

He owns "Lux" , a fashion magazine and also the popular upscale clothing brand "Durand" (multi-billion dollar company)

He splits his time between Los Angeles and NYC about 50/50, due to work.

If someone wants to play one or some of his children, be my guest!! it will definitely make things interesting and we can discuss everything! below i'll just put some references.

If you wanna ship with him, can maybe we do it, below? x) he's got a lot going on, more than I can really post on shipping page. so ship with him belowwwwww

Family:

4 siblings - 1 older brother Jacques, 1 older sister Katrina, 1 younger sister Marie (now deceased) 1 younger brother Donovan 

mother - Liana Durand , father - Paulo Durand

Separated Wife - Jeanne Dubois  - Durand

oldest daughter - Tonya Durand (21) (elsa hosk)

oldest son - Julian Durand (20) (nick jonas)

youngest son - Alphonse Durand (13) (idk lmao)

youngest daughter - Marta Durand (6) (idk again!)

SHIPPING:::

Okay, not going to get crazy here. He needs friends and enemies to keep it interesting, anyone who wants to play either or both or whatever of the older children feel free to do so - i figured at least one of them can be totally not okay with him intermingling with current hollywood out of either embarrassment or still bitter over the divorce or whatever, and maybe one can be pushing him to move on, leaving him quite conflicted! So please take them, names, and fcs can all be adjusted. 

I think he needs like, a saucy young romance to spice things up xD something he won't be totally secure about but can't seem to hold back. I'm going to be a tad picky on this but if you're interested let me know xD also, not just a random 'sex' buddy, I mean like someone he can actually date and get along with, but it feels totally wrong because she'd probably closer in age to his kids. That kind of deal.

Okay, tadaaa, please ship with him asap :3