When mom is a model
Cindy Crawford returns to the catwalk alongside her daughter at Paris Fashion Week
Cindy Crawford returned to the catwalk in Paris last week alongside her 16-yearold daughter Kiai, an aspiring model, shown here with brother Presley, 18, who has also launched a modelling career.
You would expect a certain amount of pomp and circumstance when meeting one of the world’s biggest supermodels — and by supermodel, we mean true, ’90s supermodel — but nothing quite compares to meeting Cindy Crawford during Paris Fashion Week.
But then, there’s plenty to celebrate.
This show season marked the bonafide runway debut for Crawford’s daughter Kaia Gerber, and she walked for everyone from Alexander Wang, Burberry and Prada to Isabel Marant and Valentino.
Then, of course, there was the Versace show, a legendary tribute to Donatella Versace’s late brother, Gianni, that legitimately broke the Internet (and Instagram).
The show featured not only Crawford’s daughter, but also Crawford herself, strutting down the catwalk in a slinky gold dress alongside Donatella, Naomi, Helena, Claudia and Carla Bruni.
“I don’t think it’s very normal for mothers and daughters to be in the same show,” laughs Crawford, “but it was especially exciting because my daughter was also in the show, and fun to revisit that moment where we all walked out together.”
That said, Crawford is more than aware of the fact that Kaia is now a megastar in a fickle, fast-moving industry — one that’s even more complicated these days, thanks to social media — and like any mom, is equal parts proud and protective.
“I wish I could have slowed it down, or put it off,” she admits. “When she was 14, I kept saying, ‘You have to wait until you’re 16.’ And then she got to 16, and I was like, ‘I should have said 18.’
“But I think that I had an incredible career and I managed to avoid some of the pitfalls, so who better to be her mentor?”
Indeed, when it comes to modelling, Crawford’s advice to her kids — Kaia, 16, and son Presley, 18 — is “treat it like a job: be on time, be professional, don’t be on your phone, and engage with the hairdressers and the makeup artists and the photographer.”
Not surprisingly, the learning goes both ways.
“So many times at this age, your teenager might say, ‘You don’t know anything,’ but my kids don’t say that. They know that I know, at least about fashion,” says Crawford.
Her 2.5 million Instagram followers see her kids teaching her a thing or two, too.
“I listen to them about social media,” she laughs. “Kaia is like, ‘Don’t put a hashtag.’ It’s fun and we can learn from each other.”
Speaking from the opening of the Omega Her Time exhibition in Paris, a celebration of 100 years of watchmaking, Crawford was also celebrating the announcement of her two children joining her as brand ambassadors for the luxury watch company.
“Omega is all about legacy, and obviously, my kids are part of my legacy,” Crawford explains of her long-term relationship with Omega, now in its 22nd year.
“They’ve also been part of the Omega family since they were born — we went to the Beijing Olympics, the Vancouver Olympics, and three years ago, Kaia and I went to Peru with Orbis, the charity for the Flying Eye Hospital, and she got to see how Omega gives back.”
But to Crawford, the partnership has come to mean much more than a mere brand endorsement — especially now that her family is involved.
“What I’ve loved about Omega from the very beginning is its quality, history, legacy, and timelessness,” she says.
Though the visit to Paris was officially a work trip for Crawford, Presley, and Kaia, it was clearly valuable family time for them, as well.