It's not often you meet a supermodel who verbally shuns the industry's ideal of beauty, but then again it's not every day you meet a supermodel like Laetitia Casta. The French model and actress is a former GUESS girl, one of Victoria's Secret's 'hottest angels ever' (not our words, although we are inclined to agree) and L'oreal spokesperson, but has in recent years preferred to focus on rather different projects. Indeed, when French liquer brand Cointreau approached Casta to follow in Dita Von Teese's steps and become the image of Cointreau she refused, but only until they gave her a role with 'meaning.'
On a trip to Paris earlier this month to celebrate the launch of her collaboration with the brand as their new creative director, we spoke to Laetitia about her definition of beauty, her tips for surviving fashion week and more.
What do you think it is about you that’s so in line with what Cointreau were after?
The idea is to fight for the beauty. When I talk about beauty it's something profound, not something superficial. It's true I came from fashion but I also felt I fought for something. I met incredible people like Saint Laurent who taught me to how to fight for beauty – real beauty. I think that's why they came to me because they knew I was trying all those 20 years to be authentic and trying to break the code as a model.
What does beauty mean to you?
You are beautiful in the eyes of someone without them looking at you. Beauty is something universal, it's not only one way of being. It's what I'm fighting for women to accept the feminity that they have. This is really important to me, [especially now that] I have daughters.
How has having daughters changed your perception?
It didn’t change my perception, I didn’t become a woman because I had kids, I think you’re born as a woman and all your life you're going to stay being a woman. I was lucky to have daughters because another generation of daughter will change the generation that came before. When I was a kid I wanted to defend my mother and my great grandmother, they didn’t have the same opportunities that I had and they gave me strength to be who I am today. They were scared and I said 'I don’t want to be scared [too].'
Do you have any fashion week survival tips?
I always say just be yourself, this is the best weapon you can have, there's no trick... maybe a good pair of shoes? Honestly I’m not very interested in that [anymore], I’m more interested in being creative right now.
**How do you keep fit?
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Sometimes I have to [work out]. I don’t want to like everybody but I have to and I’m a human being. I’ve always been a sports person anyway since I was a young girl; it’s good for the brain. I go to run, I do gym sometimes, I swim... I’m not a freak out with that.
**How would you describe your style and do you follow the trends?
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I think it has nothing to do with style, it has to do with the personality. The more you’re going to let the personality come out, the more chic attiude to have. If you try look like everybody it will be not good. I don’t follow anybody, just myself.