English Texts
The face of Kaia Gerber may well have a look of predestination, with features so delicately reminiscent of her mother Cindy Crawford. But one thing is for sure, her face is powerful because it allows an entire generation to relive the most sublime moments of fashion history through a contemporary lens that is freer and more experimental.
Miuccia Prada, who chose her for the Prada show in Milan last February, reveals how she was attracted by Kaia’s passion and ambition: “She’s certainly inspired by her mother’s career and success, but she has turned it into something all of her own, and that’s really remarkable.” According to Pierpaolo Piccioli at Valentino, meanwhile, “Kaia manages to express that distinctively joyful and beautiful mood of the 1980s in a contemporary way.”
This new star of fashion is only 16 years old, yet she is already aware that to move freely around the world you also have to return home. In fact, shortly after the photo shoot for the cover of Vogue Italia, she answered the phone in Malibu where she lives with her parents Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber, and with her brother Presley, who also happens to be a model. Technically, Kaia is doing her penultimate year at Malibu High School, but the flurry of runways and advertising campaigns over the last year have prevented her from attending class. She is doing her high-school courses online, trying to impose self-discipline and avoid distractions. The image of Cindy Crawford returning from a stroll along the beach – wearing a white unbuttoned shirt and peeping into her daughter’s room to remind her to finish her homework – is already enough to evoke an entire world. “I did a creative writing course last year. I’ve never read my stories out loud in front of anyone. I’m not saying I wouldn’t do it, but there’s a time for everything. For now I’m keeping my stories to myself.”
It’s been a colossal year for you. Shortly after your 16th birthday, you did your first runway (for Calvin Klein) and since then you’ve never stopped. The world is watching you grow up. It can’t be easy. The only way to face such tough changes is to tackle one thing at a time and not dwell on things too much. The first shows were very exciting. I’m learning a lot from being around other models and seeing how they work and move. Always being far from home has been a big challenge. Between one time zone and another, I’ve missed out on birthdays and special moments in my family.
When you’re travelling, do you live by the famous saying “home is where the heart is”? Let’s say that while I’m travelling, my home is mainly inside the telephone, thanks to Facetime. Having video access to my family has changed my life, because even if our schedules are totally messed up – with me going to bed on the other side of the world while my family is getting up and gathering around the table for breakfast – it makes me feel as if I were there drinking coffee with them. Sometimes I leave the phone on while I’m sleeping so I can hear the sounds of their day.
We’re dominated by FOMO, the “fear of missing out”. We want to see everyone at the same time, do everything, and not sacrifice anything. It’s sweet to hear a teenager concerned about missing out on beautiful family moments. Is your family helping you to decipher these changes that are affecting your life? If I’ve got an instinctive relationship with fashion it’s thanks to my family. When I was small there were days when I’d go to school in my pyjamas, and other days when I went dressed as a superhero. I thought it was fun to show people how I felt according to what I was wearing. And then obviously there was my mother. When she was getting ready to go out in the evening, I used to follow her to her walk-in wardrobe to see which dresses she would choose. Watching her getting dressed was like being under a kind of spell. I was enchanted by her beauty. You won’t believe it, but when I was little I didn’t know she was famous. I didn’t even know she was a model. For me she was just my mum, and it’s still a bit like that today. Sure, she’s got her life, but she’s one of those people who succeeds in never bringing her work home with her. Home is home, and work is work. This small, simple rule has always made us a very close-knit family.
Your generation is very different from the models of the ’80s and ’90s, and the canons of beauty have changed too. But willingly or not, your roots are truly anchored in the great beginnings of fashion history. You grew up with the fashion magazines of those fundamental years, and you saw your mum on the covers. How do you picture that period? I’ve always been close to that world and it has always attracted me. On the coffee tables in the lounge, there were piles of books by fashion photographers such as Richard Avedon and Herb Ritts. I discovered what fashion was thanks to their photos. I’d go to the lounge and admire those images for hours sitting in the couch.
You must also have childhood memories of the top supermodels: Claudia, Helena, Naomi, Linda and Christy. Do you remember the moment when you realised what they represented for the rest of the world? I grew up with them. They encouraged and supported me before I even knew who they were for everyone else. Again, it was thanks to those photography books that I started to connect the dots and understand. The fact is, like my mother they were also different in private. They kept their feet firmly on the ground, and that’s a quality I greatly admire.
Another big change for an up-and-coming model these days is the great wave of female empowerment. Do you think this new feminism has influenced your work? In Vogue Italia we’ve talked a lot about the new sisterhood. I’m curious to hear your opinion. I grew up around very strong women who inspired me. This new wave of feminism has brought a unity of purpose that I’ve never seen before. At work I’ve noticed a thousand ways in which women have really started to support and help each other and join forces.
Has your mother given you advice on how to survive in the model’s life?
The rule is to make sure you never get too little sleep for too many days in a row. Then there’s always the eagerly awaited return home, the place where you can let yourself go, sleep, get back on your feet and stay in bed. My mother has always advised me to be conscious of how lucky I am, especially with regard to travelling. Open my eyes, always be aware of where I am, and look out the window. Models have a very privileged job, and you mustn’t waste it by staying shut in a hotel room.
Another big change in fashion revolves around social media and the control we have over our image. With your 3.5 million followers, what is your relationship with social media and how do they influence your sense of style? Let’s say our generation has been a bit of a guinea pig. We’re the first to be born in the era of social media. It’s definitely an interesting lens through which to see yourself and the world. But everything good always has a negative aspect, and I think that having a “real” life outside social media is far more important – focusing on the moment and reality without spending too much time thinking about others. At 16 years old you’ve already graced the major runways. What are your dreams for the future? One of my dreams is coming true now with the cover of Vogue Italia. When I was 13, I did a shoot with Steven Meisel for this magazine and I felt a very powerful sensation. Sooner or later, I thought... And here I am. It’s been a great return, like closing the circle.
(Trad. Antony Bowden)
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