Chatting up Heated Rivalry star Robbie Graham-Kuntz at the Boss fashion show in Milan | Canada Voices

From a Mississauga neighbourhood to the front row in Paris and Milan, Robbie Graham-Kuntz, to use a hockey term, slapshot to stardom with his role as Kip in Heated Rivalry, the Canadian hockey romance series that has become Crave’s most-watched original series to date and a global sensation.

Like his Heated Rivalry co-stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie, Graham-Kuntz has been a muse for fashion folk (he’s on the cover of Nineteen92 magazine) and brands alike (he recently started modelling for Abercrombie). In Milan, he took his place in the front row at Boss, dressed head to toe by the label in a classic white poplin shirt with an archival 1980s paisley print silk tie, light grey double-breasted jacket with shoulder pads, dark grey three-button vest, ’90s-cut pleated wool pants and black monk strap shoes.

Seated alongside A-listers such as David Beckham and K-pop star S.Coups, the Canadian actor answered some rapid-fire questions about his time in Italy’s style capital.

Has this been a crash course in fashion for you?

Oh, yeah. This is my first time at Milan Fashion Week and only my second fashion show ever, so I feel new to this whole world. We’re drinking champagne at 11 a.m., so I’m enjoying that! I like how everyone in Milan dresses in this effortless way. It looks tailored and confident.

What were you wearing in your teens, and how has your style evolved?

A mix of pop collars and skinny jeans. Even though I grew up in Port Credit, I’d shop in Toronto at Honest Ed’s and go thrifting at Goodwill for baseball caps. My fashion sense has probably gotten worse. Now I’m so plain in my day-to-day clothes – comfortable jeans and a Uniqlo T-shirt. Something I don’t have to worry about getting dirty.

What’s a prized possession from your closet?

My grandfather is a Grey Cup champion. I have one of his championship rings – that’s a real treasure to me.

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Did your father influence the way you dress?

He’s functional, and I guess I am, too. We both have down jackets with holes that we’ve just duct taped over, because if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

What’s your relationship to style like these days?

That’s been changing recently. In the past, I thought of interesting pieces as, ‘Is this really worth buying?’ or ‘Am I really going to find a time to wear it?’ Now I’ve been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to be given a lot of clothing that I wouldn’t normally buy myself, like patterned sweaters. Looking at colour differently has given me the confidence to wear it more.

Name a movie character whose style you aspire to.

Jude Law in The Holiday is what I try to recreate. He’s so charming in it.

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Tell us about a star who you think is rising through the fashion ranks.

Benito [Skinner] from Overcompensating [in which Graham-Kuntz also stars]. He’s killing it from a cultural and creative standpoint, as well as from a fashion standpoint. He just did a campaign with Polo for the Olympics.

Who is an actor you see as having potential fashion icon status?

Timothée Chalamet has been killing it recently. He has this effortless charm with anything he wears. And I would say the same for Connor Storrie, Hudson William and François Arnault.

Directors you’d love to work with?

Christopher Nolan. His characters are all very groundbreaking and unforgettable. Greta Gerwig would be great. Quentin Tarantino would be very cool. My favourite Tarantino character is Django from Django Unchained.

What did you listen to on the plane to Milan?

Fleetwood Mac’s Gypsy and a lot of ’70s rock. There’s also a really good podcast called Criminal. It’s true crime.

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Drink of choice?

I’m more than happy to have a beer or a rye and ginger. Anything light, like a lager.

Which superhero with a great costume would you most want to play?

Wolverine would be a good match. From what I’ve been told online, I fit the comic book description of a shorter, Canadian Wolverine. I’m just grateful to have grown up in Canada and to be here to champion Canada on a global stage as much as I can.

How has Heated Rivalry affected the hockey world for LGBTQ people?

It’s certainly opened up the conversation more. I think concrete change is still far to come.