You’d think it would take much more, but to make it big in the modelling world, kindness is all you’ll ever need.
That’s according to iconic super model Yasmin Le Bon.
“The ability to be kind and have empathy is everything in the fashion world. Imagine, you are walking into a room full of strangers; they are photographers, stylists, light men... You need to be comfortable with them within the next 15 minutes, because over the next eight hours or so you’re going to have to create something beautiful together.
“So they need to care about you. And only kindness will get you that. No one cares about an a******.”
Le Bon was speaking at the ‘In conversation with...’ segment of Fashion Forward, the three-day event featuring catwalk shows and talks by industry insiders.
“And oh, keep your feet in good shape because they’re not going to last forever, “she told an enraptured full house.
Born in England to an Iranian father and English mother, Le Bon was one of the highest-earning supermodels of the 1980s, working with the biggest names in the industry: Azzedine Alaia, Chanel, Dior and Versace. She’s been on the cover of all the top magazines including the first ever issues of British and American Elle.
Asked if she tried to use her exotic looks to her advantage when she started off at the age of 18, she said she did.
“I tried everything, darling,” she laughed. “Anything to get me the campaigns and the shows.”
But, she added, it didn’t always work to her advantage.
“I assumed everybody always knew what they were getting into when they signed me on,” she recalled. “I once did a major campaign and while we were shooting, I realised something was off. I didn’t quite know what it was but I knew something was not right.
“After we wrapped up, I called my agent and told him that the project was done but I had a weird feeling about it. And sure enough, the call came later with the client asking if they could make my eyes blue. I said ‘No way, you can’t.”
The fashion world has completely changed, she said, adding she was a bit concerned about how models were getting younger and younger.
“I feel a bit sorry for some of the girls. It’s such a lonely job, it’s difficult and it’s tiring. You need good friends, people who will look out for you.”
Le Bon also touched on the dark side of the fashion industry, in particular stories about famed photographer Terry Richardson, who’s been accused of sexually abusing models, especially minor girls, for many years.
“It’s an unfortunate side of life,” she said. “I’m really not sure what I need to say about it but given the life it is, I’m more surprised there isn’t more of it.
“I think the most important thing is communication. We need to talk about these things and we need to be vigilant.”
She dismissed the suggestion that, in an industry where “sex sells”, it was inevitable.
“I don’t think sex sells at all,” she said. “I can’t think of anything less sexy than trying to be sexy. The boy paying you all that attention is not sexy. It’s the one that’s playing cool that’s hot.”
Asked if she was concerned for her eldest daughter Amber (she has three children with Duran Duran frontman Simon Le Bon), who’s just began her modelling career, Le Bon said she’s happy for her to learn through trial and error, like she did.
“She will make mistakes but I am happy for her to do that. Because those aren’t really mistakes, they are experiences. They will be the making of her.”
Good manners
Still active in the modelling world, Le Bon, who is turning 50 later this month, has also dabbled in fashion design. Her first collection for British women’s brand Wallis called YLB for Wallis launched in 2009.
She was asked if she stresses about getting old.
“It’s difficult growing older,” she said. “Anyone who tells you anything else is bull*****ing. But you have to embrace it. It’s funny, it’s ridiculous but you have to accept it. When you do that, age becomes irrelevant.”
The best advice she’d give to aspiring models is to have good manners.
“I was brought up in a family with strong morals so manners were everything to me. Just a simple thing like saying ‘hello’ when you walk into a room can change things. By doing that, you are already dictating to people how to behave with you. You are re-directing their energy.
“There is so much insecurity [in the fashion industry] already, so you need to make people feel comfortable and secure. By doing that, you dictate how you are treated. And that goes a long way.”
And then, of course, the inevitable question about how she does it — keep fit, that is.
“Yes, I exercise and eat well but that’s it,” she laughed. “Everything else you see, has nothing to do with me, let’s be honest about that, just a good dose of Persian genes.”
