Q&A With Freja Beha Erichsen

TODAY’S Q&A IS THE GORGEOUS FREJA BEHA ERICHSEN

HAILING FROM DENMARK, FREJA BEGAN MODELLING FULL TIME IN 2005, WHERE HER FIRST CATWALK APPEARANCES THAT SEASON WERE PRADA, LOUIS VUITTON AND MIU MIU. 

SHE HAS SINCE GRACED THE COVER OF EVERY VOGUE MAGAZINE ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS AND HAS APPEARED IN CAMPAIGNS FOR JIL SANDER, BALENCIAGA, GUCCI, CK, CHANEL, CHLOE, H&M, VALENTINO, HERMES AND ISABEL MARANT,  AND SO THE LIST GOES ON.  HER STRONG ANDROGYNOUS LOOKS HAVE PRETTY MUCH EPITOMISED THE 2000’S BUT SHE IS NOT JUST A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN BUT ALSO A STRONG, INTELLIGENT SENSITIVE SOUL TOO.

FREJA TOOK SOME TIME OFF TO RE-GROUP AND TO TAKE A STEP BACK FROM THE FASHION WHIRLWIND SHE’S BEEN CAUGHT IN FOR THE LAST 8 YEARS. SHE RECENTLY RETURNED TO MODELLING AGAIN, BUT WITH A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT HEAD ON HER SHOULDERS. SHE’S PLANNING ON MODELLING LESS SO SHE CAN PURSUE OTHER THINGS SIMULTANEOUSLY, ONE OF THEM BEING HER WORK WITH THE CHARITY MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES OR MSF ( DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS)

AS YOU MAY HAVE SEEN, THE AUGUST ISSUE OF BRITISH VOGUE STARS THE BEAUTIFUL FREJA BEHA ERICHSEN ON THE COVER, SHOT BY THE ONE AND ONLY PATRICK DEMARCHELIER. ( I DID THE HAIR!) I TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY, AFTER THE  SHOOT, TO ASK FREJA IF SHE WOULD DO MY Q&A FOR ME, AS I WAS VERY INTERESTED IN HER WORK WITH THE CHARITY AND WHAT SHE’S BEEN UP TO LATELY. SHE VERY KINDLY AGREED.

I RECENTLY WROTE AN ARTICLE FOR TWO MAGAZINE ABOUT FREJA, AND THE AMAZING MSF CHARITY WHICH INCLUDED EXERTS FROM THIS Q&A. WELL HERE IT IS NOW,  IN ITS ENTIRETY.

TAKE IT AWAY FREJA ( PRONOUNCED “FRY-A” IN DANISH,  BY THE WAY )  

HOW DID YOU END UP BECOMING A MODEL?

I WAS APPROACHED ON THE STREET IN COPENHAGEN WHEN I WAS AROUND 15 AND A COUPLE YEARS LATER I BEGAN WORKING FULL TIME.

WHERE DO YOU LIVE?

I LIVE IN BROOKLYN, NY

IF YOU COULD CHANGE ONE THING IN YOUR CITY WHAT WOULD IT BE?

I WOULD LIKE THERE TO BE MORE WILD NATURE IN LITTLE PATCHES AROUND THE CITY. 

I OFTEN MISS BEING IN NATURE, WALKING THROUGH FIELDS AND FORESTS, BUT THEN I GO TO DENMARK AND DISAPPEAR IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE IN MY MOTHERS SUMMER HOUSE AND GARDEN AND GO FOR LONG WALKS.

HAVING BEEN HUGELY SUCCESSFUL AS A MODEL, YOU APPEARED RECENTLY TO HAVE TAKEN A SHORT SABBATICAL AND HAVE BECOME INVOLVED WITH THE CHARITY, MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES (DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS OR MSF) , CAN YOU TELL ME MORE ABOUT THE CHARITY, HOW YOU FIRST BECAME AWARE IT AND EVENTUALLY BECAME INVOLVED? 

I’VE KNOWN ABOUT MSF FOR YEARS AND MADE LITTLE CONTRIBUTIONS FOR YEARS AS I MUCH ADMIRE THE WORK THEY DO AND THE EFFORT OF THE MANY VOLUNTEERS THAT CARRY THE ORGANIZATION. I TRIED TO DO A FEW DIFFERENT PROJECTS FOR THEM IN ORDER TO RAISE AWARENESS AS WELL AS FUNDS. IT’S LOVELY TO BE ABLE TO COME UP WITH PROJECTS LIKE THIS THAT SEEM WORTHWHILE.

YOU OFFERED PEOPLE IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY TO GET INVOLVED IN THE CHARITY WITH YOU, HOW DID YOU DO THAT EXACTLY AND WAS IT EASY TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN? 

I SUGGESTED SOME FELLOW MODELS AS WELL AS MAKE-UP ARTISTS AND HAIRSTYLISTS TO GIVE AWAY A DAYS SALARY DURING THE SHOWS IN PARIS. IT FELT LIKE A BIT OF A GRASS-ROOT APPROACH AND AN EASY WAY OF GETTING PEOPLE INVOLVED. I DON’T KNOW THAT IT WAS THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY TO RAISE FUNDS, BUT IT WAS AN IDEA TRIED, AND I THINK IT’S ALWAYS WORTH A TRY.

YOU HAVE RECENTLY RETURNED TO MODELLING BUT ARE CHOOSING TO WORK LESS. IS THIS BECAUSE OF THE CHARITY AND THE NEW JEANS LINE YOU’RE WORKING ON? 

I HAVE SPENT TIME ON THE CHARITY AND ON CO-DESIGNING A LITTLE CAPSULE COLLECTION WITH THE DESIGNERS AT MOTHER JEANS, IT’S BEEN A TREAT AND HAS REALLY HARDLY FELT LIKE WORK.

I THINK THE DECISION TO WORK LESS CAME A COUPLE YEARS AGO ALONG WITH A DESIRE TO EXPLORE OTHER THINGS AND BREATHE A BIT AFTER HAVING WORKED AND TRAVELLED PRETTY MUCH NON-STOP FOR YEARS. IT’S BEEN LOVELY TO SPEND MORE TIME WITH MY CLOSE FRIENDS AND FAMILY AND UN-WIND A BIT AND OF COURSE TO HAVE TIME TO DO PROJECTS LIKE THIS ONE WITH MOTHER JEANS FOR MSF.

WHAT ARE YOU INTO RIGHT NOW ( MUSIC, FASHION , ART,  FOOD)I’M LISTENING A LOT TO VINCENT GALLO’S ALBUM “WHEN” AND THE VOLCANIC CHOIR AS WELL AS ATOMS FOR PEACE AT THE MOMENT.

MUSIC WERE YOU INTO GROWING UP AND  ARE YOU STILL INTO IT NOW?

I CAME ACROSS PJ HARVEY’S ALBUM “RID OF ME” WHEN I WAS AROUND 11 OR 12 AND IT COMPLETELY BLEW ME AWAY. I HAD NEVER HEARD ANYTHING LIKE IT BEFORE. IN SOME WAYS THERE ARE SOME VERY CRUDE ALMOST UGLY ASPECTS TO THE ALBUM THAT I HAD NEVER HEARD COME FROM A WOMAN BEFORE, NOR DO I THINK I HAVE SINCE. IT SEEMED QUITE BOLD AND EMPOWERING AND I STILL GET THE SAME SENSATION WHEN I LISTEN TO IT.

IF YOU WERE PUT ON A DESERT ISLAND AND COULD CHOOSE 10 SONGS TO HAVE ON AN IPOD WHAT WOULD THEY BE?(AND EXPLAIN - IF YOU WANT TO- WHY YOU CHOSE THEM )

WOW THAT SEEMS ALMOST AN IMPOSSIBLE TASK! THANK GOD I’M NORMALLY ALLOWED TO TAKE 12 IPODS!

HENDRIX - LITTLE WING (LIVE AT THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL IN THE BEAUTIFUL YEAR OF ‘69)

PJ HARVEY - BEAUTIFUL FEELING (THE PEEL SESSIONS 1991-2004)

THE SMITHS - STRETCH OUT AND WAIT

BJÖRK - SACRIFICE

LED ZEPPELIN - SINCE I’VE BEEN LOVING YOU

THE BEATLES - I WANT YOU (SHE’S SO HEAVY)

RADIOHEAD - JIGSAW

DAVID BOWIE - LETS DANCE

PJ HARVEY - SILENCE

LCD SOUNDSYSTEM - HOME

IF YOU COULD LIVE ANYWHERE BESIDES WHERE YOU ARE, WHERE WOULD IT BE.?

I’D LIKE TO TRY A FEW MONTHS IN NORTHERN FRANCE AND A FEW MONTHS IN  SOUTHERN ENGLAND. I LOVE THE COUNTRYSIDE AND IT WOULD BE A NICE BREAK FROM NYC.

WHO MAKES YOU LAUGH?

MY DEAR FRIENDS AND BELOVED FAMILY.  

WHERE ARE YOU GOING TO NEXT?

SCOTLAND FOR A SOLITARY HIKE.

I’D LIKE TO THANK FREJA FOR TAKING TIME OUT OF HER BUSY SCHEDULE TO ANSWER MY QUESTIONS FOR ME.

On The Cover: Kate Moss

Alexa Chung For Lacoste