She Is More Than Just A Pretty Face
By: Hope Wilkos, Writer
With looks that have won over generations of admirers, Natalia Vodianova is one of those supermodels that stands out for unmeasurable qualities that come so easily to her; kindness, generosity, vivacious personality and everlasting positivity mixed with sharp intuitiveness.
Natalia was not one of those beautiful girls given a silver spoon early in life. As a teenager, she worked very hard to help her mom and two sisters, after her father walked out on them when she was very young. Growing up in a poor district of Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, Natalia witnessed too many injustices, feeding to make her stronger and influence her heartfelt decision to aid others who need assistance desperately, emotionally and physically.
Perhaps it is the goodness that Natalia exudes from within her soul that caught the attention of Viva Models, the model management agency that signed Natalia to work as a model for them when she was just 17 years old, prompting her to move to Paris. That was the beginning of what Vodianova says was her “opportunity to find life’s true purpose.” This wholesome beauty worked in all facets of the modeling industry. Runway, editorial, advertising campaigns; she did it all, almost a surreal success for such a down-to-earth girl. For eight seasons, Natalia was ‘THE’ face of Calvin Klein , one of the most prominent lifestyle brands in the world, representing timeless luxury in fashion. At one point, Forbes Magazine listed her as the third highest paid model in the industry, ranking her alongside names such as Gisele Bundchen, based on the statistics that Natalia has earned $8.6 million in one year alone.
Famous photographers such as Mario Testino, Annie Leibovitz, Steven Meisel, Helmut Newton, Bruce Weber are just a few of the professionals eager to capture the model’s expressions and gorgeous features in front of the camera. Designers such as Givenchy, Nina Ricci, Versace, H&M, Hugo Boss, Guerlain, Diane von Furstenberg, Yves St. Laurent, Stella McCartney, chose to have Natalia represent their brand on the pages of worldwide magazines, social media websites and in impressive clothing campaigns. Natalia has graced the covers of U.S. Vogue as well as its international editions, ‘W’, Vanity Fair, Glamour, Marie Claire, Elle, Cosmopolitan and she is gratified to attest to the fact that she has appeared on many of the covers of these magazines’ anniversary editions.
Modeling opened an abundance of exciting doors for Natalia Vodianova. She can also put acting in her well-rounded resume’. You might recognize the talented young woman in the 2010 remake of ‘Clash Of The Titans’ , playing the important role of Medusa. In 2009, she went on to co-host the semi-finals of the Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow. One year later, Natalia appeared in the 2010 Winter Olympics closing ceremony which was held in Vancouver. That appearance was followed up by her appointment as an ambassador of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, her native land.
When asked what her biggest personal achievement was, there was no hint of hesitation. Natalia created the Naked Heart Foundation, started on the premise that every child living in urban Russia should be privy to a safe environment in which to play. In addition, recognizing the tremendous responsibility of raising children with disabilities or special needs, having a sister with cerebral palsy herself, the Foundation works hard to lend support to these types of families, struggling each and every day. There is nothing more rewarding than a child’s smile. Touched by emotion and grief after the horrific Beslan School Seige in 2004 (a group of armed Islamic factions occupied one of the schools in Beslan in the Russian Federation, taking 1100 people hostage of which 777 were children. In the end, after the standoff, 385 hostages were brutally murdered, 186 of those being children), Natalia vowed to give children the joy and happiness they deserve in an effort to distract them from psychological trauma that was the norm to experience. It all began with the opening of one play park close to Natalia’s home where she grew up, and now, years later, there are over 40 play parks with an aggressive goal to complete 500 play facilities throughout Russia before the end of the decade. Under her strong and confident guidance, the Foundation is undertaking the goal very aggressively and they are on track to achieve that count, maybe even more.
Not only playing a strong leadership role in The Naked Heart Foundation, Vodianova supports philanthropy on a global level as well. She has supported the (Bugaboo) RED campaign, the initiative with the mission to obliterate AIDS in Africa. Natalia has also been recognized as an ambassador for Hear The World, globally educating and creating awareness of those with hearing loss. She is also a spokesperson for the Tiger Trade Campaign, an alliance of 38 different organizations united under the common aim “to bring back wild tigers by stopping trade in tiger parts and products from all sources.” In an interview supporting the campaign, Vodianova said: “I’m proud that Russia, my country, is home to the most magnificent of animals, the wild Siberian tiger. Today it is up to us to protect the tiger and its home, fewer than 350 Siberian tigers remain in the wild and no more than 3,400 tigers survive anywhere in the world. Unless we act now we will see the extinction of the wild tiger within our lifetime.”[
Most recently in 2015, with the prowess of Eugenia Makhlin who is a well-known name in the tech world, Natalia created the Elbi App. Coinciding with its launch on the web as a new app, Natalia attended the 2015 Web Summit to introduce her new product. Elbi allows people to donate money with a “Love Button,” also giving users the ability to create content, send messages, and vote. Some of the charities included that you can contribute to from this app are Save the Children International, Walkabout Foundation, Blue Skye Thinking, and several others. Elbi stands for “Little Big” (LB), and the philosophy behind it is that you can make a big difference through little actions and it is as easy as touching a button.
With all this said, it is certainly no surprise that Natalia has been showered with coveted awards signifying just how much she has achieved as a young woman.
- Harper’s Bazaar awarded Natalia “Inspiration of the Year” Award in November of 2010 for her numerous philanthropic endeavors.In April of 2013, she was named ‘Philanthropist of the Year’ by this same publication.
- At the 4th annual DVF Awards in April of 2013, Natalia was presented with the ‘Inspiration Award’. The honor recognizes outstanding women who dedicate themselves to transforming the lives of others.
- In November of 2014, because of Vodianova’s selfless efforts to be the Voice Of Children, highly respected professional author and businesswoman, Arianna Huffington, presented her with ‘Glamour Woman Of The Year’. The ceremony took place at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
- While holding the annual ‘Love Ball’ gala in July of 2016 to raise funds for The Naked Heart Foundation, Natalia learned that the first Russian Barbie doll would be modeled after her likeness.
One of the greatest honors of all time is yet to come later in this year. The Business of Fashion will publicly commend Natalia with their distinguished 2017 Global VOICES Award at the star-studded gala, part of the larger event that is held from November 29, 2017 through December 2, 2017 in Oxfordshire, England. A constantly strong and admirable role model, Natalia has used her drive and determination to work as a member of the Board of Directors for the Special Olympics and has continued to be a vocal advocate for full implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The BOF chooses those individuals to receive this esteemed award who have had a monumental impact on the international fashion community. The yearly gathering draws over 150 industry leaders from more than 20 countries.
“The two extremes of my life — my childhood and my success — only obtain purpose through my philanthropic work. This has always been driven by the fashion industry. Only thanks to this support am I able to fundraise and speak out for the causes that are important to me. The industry was always very understanding and supportive and I am very grateful for that,” Vodianova was quoted as saying.
Although some do not accomplish as much as Natalia has already accomplished in a decade, her energy and kindness for others will keep her focused on her goals and giving others that opportunity to experience life as they have never experienced before. She is an inspiration to generations of women who seek their own life’s purpose.
