Haute Coco
In Paris with the Queen of Pose
The photographer and I are deciding on the day’s shoot soundtrack, when Canadian supermodel and BAZAAR December 2018 cover star Coco Rocha chirps, “Let’s play something from my playlist!” And just like that, our mood on set went from chilled to ZoukOut 2018 in a matter of seconds. Rocha’s picks? An eclectic mélange of ’80s cheese, ’90s favourites, and current hits including Migos’s “Bad and Boujee”. It certainly says a lot about fashion’s “Queen of Pose”; the 30-year-old shapeshifter who once, in a record of three days, delivered an impressive selection of 1,000 poses. It’s a talent that led to lucrative campaigns with Dior, Balenciaga, and Saint Laurent, while her chameleon-like prowess has kept her at the top of her game for 14 years. “I’ll never forget [the moment I was first scouted], because it all just seemed so absurd to me!” Rocha recalls, detailing how Vancouver-based agent Charles Stuart discovered her at an Irish dance competition. “All my friends burst out laughing!” she shares. “Of all of us, I was the last one anyone thought could model. We all had this idea that models were these sexy glamazons, and I was a tall, lanky teen who liked to wear sneakers and oversized sweaters!” A far cry from the statuesque beauty that stands in front of us today, having arrived on set in Paris’ 20th arrondissement wearing a wraparound miniskirt, mesh tee, and yellow bomber jacket. Shooting at a vintage collector’s dream apartment in the midst of Paris Fashion Week, I am lucky enough to be able to catch a moment with the supermodel in between shows and presentations—Rocha herself, having just landed in Paris a few days before. “I actually shot two covers and editorials in a span of 24 hours,” Rocha explains, before going into length about her friend and designer Jean Paul Gaultier’s latest play. “It was so special because this was a dream 50 years in the making. When he was a little boy, he used to walk by this amazing theatre and dreamed of producing a musical there, starring his teddy bear. Sure enough, he brought that dream to life!” quips Rocha. “Jean Paul has been a huge inspiration to me, and a true friend throughout my career.” Indeed, a quick fact check on their relationship would take you through some of Rocha’s biggest professional highlights, from dancing down a runway for the designer’s Autumn/Winter ’07 show, to dressing up as Danny Zuko opposite Karlie Kloss’s Sandy Olsson, for Spring/Summer ’14. “Once, he even had me fight another model on the runway, in mud!” she muses. Such is Rocha’s dedication to her craft, evident on set, too, as she works a vinyl Chanel shift dress, paired with Bvlgari earrings for the BAZAAR cover. Swift, elegant, and precise, Rocha nails every pose and shot with ease, as our photographer squeals gleefully with every take. In another look, the model channels her inner feline temptress, moving her fingers gracefully as she crouches her back towards the ground. (Later, Rocha would upload a video of this exact moment on Instagram, and receive 206k views and 233 comments. “Live for this,” quips designer and Project Runway season four winner Christian Siriano, while Victoria’s Secret Angel Jac Jagaciak comments, “Workkkkk it!”) And that’s exactly what she does—work. “As models, we only have our face and bodies to tell an entire story, often in one moment,” Rocha explains, equating a model’s métier to that of silent movie stars. It’s a perspective neglected by most. Her book Study Of Pose: 1,000 Poses By Coco Rocha explores human movement in its purest form. Published in 2014 in collaboration with world renowned photographer Steven Sebring, Rocha in a simple white leotard, portrays various emotions conveyed simply through the human body and expressions. “[The book] was really my answer to the cynical question of ‘What do models do?’, and I think people should be inspired by what we do as much as they are of actors, singers, and other performers.” It’s a testament that has led her to the founding of her modelling agency, Nomad Management, in 2016. Having coached young emerging models in the television competition The Face alongside Karolina Kurkova and Naomi Campbell in 2013, it was a no-brainer for her next progression to be mentoring. “When I was an up-and-coming model, I had no one to go to for advice. There were no older models reaching down, to lend me a hand up,” Rocha confides. “With Nomad, and the Coco Rocha Model Camp established this year, we take models from around the world and