TWINSBURG, Ohio — Statistics show that the odds of having an identical twin are about 3 in every 1,000—a rare occurrence. Something even more rare, multiple sets of twins taking on high fashion in Italy.
For the 2022 Milan Fashion Week, high-fashion brand Gucci, did just that, bringing "Twinsburg" to Italy.
In total, 68 sets of twins from around the world walked in the show, including 18-year-olds Jack and Nate Bartel, who are Twinsburg natives.
For some models it takes years to be booked for a gig as big as Fashion Week, but for the Bartel brothers, all they did was attend the annual Twins Day Festival, something they’ve done their entire lives.
"So we were walking up to the show and this girl stops us and says, "do you wanna be like casted for like this photoshoot in Europe?" is what it was," explained Jack. "I thought it was a scam, but we were like, Hey, why not? We'll get our pictures taken," Jack added.
And it was that easy. They gave the her their information and forgot about the encounter. Moving on to prepare for their freshman year of college – Jack at University of Cincinnati and Nate at the University of Akron.
But before leaving, the brothers got a call inviting them to Italy.
"She gives us a call saying, Hey, like you've been selected, do you wanna fly out? And like, how could you say no? Still thinking it was a scam. Like we agreed. Um, but it all ended up working out," explained Nate.
While the brothers needed no convincing, they still had to fill their mom in on their international travel plans and they weren't expecting a positive outcome. .
"It's always school first. I'm thoroughly surprised she let us go," said Jake.
With the booking being legit and their mom’s approval. Still unsure of job details, the twins were off to Italy, to see if they’d make the final cut for what turned out to be the Gucci Fashion show.
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After 24 hours of traveling, the Bartel brothers arrive in Milan, Italy, and there's no time to waste, they were immediately usher into continued casting.
"We walked into the Gucci hub wearing street clothes and greasy hair. Like we weren't even allowed to take showers. We weren't allowed to do anything," said Nate. " So we were very nervous. We were like freaking out. We were like, like, cause everyone was dressed to the tea like a model. And we are dressed in American street clothes," he added.
Despite their appearance and having no modeling experience, Nate and Jake were one of 68 sets of twins that were selected from hundreds to walk for Gucci in the show.
After the excitement set in, the boys went through three or four rehearsals, but felt they still needed a bit more work, so they took matters into their own hands.
"We did some practicing walking up and down our hotel room, um, corridor, like they're super long corridors," Nate explained.
After nearly a week in Italy, it was time for the show. They got their hair, make up and nails done and then it was time to get dressed.
"We didn't really fit into the theme. Everyone was kind of tame. Like, and then we were just over here looking like disco balls," they said describing their outfits.
The brothers were dressed in red sequin suits, metal faces pieces, and white shoes. The Bartel twins hit the runway hand in hand, dressed exactly alike, something they hadn’t done since they’d learned to dress themselves.
"There's no chance I'm dressing like Nate like, like there's, unless it's the Gucci show, you know, but there's no chance I'm dressing like Nate on a normal day," Jack explained.
As they walked the long stage, their twindom was on full display for countless eyes to see.
"It felt like I was walking like a hundred miles., but once you're off you're like, whoa, that was actually really good. Like, I felt really good," they explained. "It's like, what, what just happened? Like some people in the back would start to cry cause it's like, what just happened? Like, did I really just do that?"
Nate and Jack returned home from their travels with an experience of a life time—turns out that it pays to be two-of-a kind.
To watch the full Gucci Milan Fashion Week show, click here.
*Editor's Note: The video in the player above is from a previous report.