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W
hen German electro
pioneers Kraftwerk
scored their biggest
hit with
Das Model
in 1978, could
they perhaps have foreseen the
future, and the German
supermodel explosion? In the
1990s, Claudia Schiffer, Heidi
Klum
et al
conquered the fashion
scene with their Teutonic blonde
looks. Supermodels made
modelling, alongside acting and
singing, a dream job for girls all
over the world. Who can forget
Linda Evangelista’s famous
statement about not getting out
of bed for less than $10,000?
There’s no better evidence of
this phenomenon than the hit
TV programme
Germany’s Next
Topmodel
. The series’ first
winner, Lena Gercke, has
already clocked up five years in
the model business. She’s
currently following in Heidi
Klum’s footsteps by presenting
Austria’s Next Topmodel
. We met
the girl fromCloppenburg to
find out what life as a model is
really like.
Lena travels a lot. The
23-year-old has just returned
fromCape Town. Before that she
was inMadrid for a couple of
days and she’s just about to fly to
Puerto Rico via Berlin. She takes
planes like other people ride the
train to work.
“I actually need the rush
now,” she admits. “I live a gypsy
lifestyle. If I stay in one place for
more than a week, I get bored.”
Her advice for frequent flyers
L E N A G E R C K E
BLONDE AMBITION
Five years after her catwalk debut, Lena Gercke is the presenter of
Austria’s Next Topmodel
and works all over the world
.
But does she
have what it takes to join Claudia and Heidi in the supermodel league?
“but you can’t split yourself
between two places,” she says.
Any obscurity in the Big
Apple can’t be for lack of
application. “I’m a hardworking
person,” says Lena. “I’ve never
turned a job down or shown up
late. It’s never been about fame.
I’ve always just wanted to be
good at what I do.” Which she is.
In fact, she’s the ultimate
professional. During the
GW
photo shoot, she gives her all,
and doesn’t care how long it
takes to get the right pictures.
Our photographer says he’s
rarely met anyone who’s so easy
to shoot. Lena knows how to
play to the camera and moves
like a pro.
She seems equally at ease on
screen, when she’s presenting or
fronting ads. She practically
grew up on TV: “I was 17 when I
appeared on
Germany’s Next
Topmodel
, and I learnt a lot,
particularly how to perform in
front of the camera.”
Nowadays, that’s more
important than ever. Heidi
Klumnever modelled much on
the catwalk; she made her
breakthrough in an advertising
campaign for American lingerie
brand Victoria’s Secret, which
catapulted her to fame. She’s
now a media mogul.
For the modern supermodel,
it’s no longer enough to be
beautiful, slim and photograph
well. It’s about being able to sell
yourself. These days, knowing
how to present yourself on
screen is vital if you want to be a
success in the fashion world.
Luckily for Lena, it comes
naturally to her: “I’ve had a few
presenter coaching sessions. But
for me it’s about being genuine
in front of the camera, and that’s
why I just try to be myself.”
Ultimately, Lena thinks her life
isn’t half as exciting as the TV
showmakes it seem. “There’s the
TV programme and then there’s
the real fashion world. Of course
shows like
Austria’s Next
Topmodel
try to be as realistic as
possible, but if we just showed a
model going from one casting to
another, up to 10 a day, the
audience would get bored.”
Lena’s life revolves around
effective time management. “My
diary is inmy head. I have an
agency that makes sure that
nothing overlaps. I know exactly
where I have to be and when.”
All the same, it can’t be all
work, work, work, eh Lena? “I’m
living my dream, I enjoy my
work and I’m passionate about
modelling,” she says.
In an era beset by financial
crisis, even the more glamorous
professions are falling back on a
traditional work ethic. Lena
Gercke is a credit to her job.
Whether that’s enough tomakeher
a supermodel, only time will tell.
and business travellers is to get
as much sleep as possible. She
has become an expert in using
her time wisely. “I always work
out howmany hours of sleep I
can get, and howmuch time I
have for this and that. I need
that for my head. I create a daily
plan, just to get some structure
in my life, which is actually
really chaotic.”
When I ask her where she
lives, Lena says: “Everywhere
and nowhere, really. I’ve got a flat
in Berlin, but when I get time off,
I don’t go there. I prefer visiting
my family and friends.” And
more recently, her boyfriend,
whom she tries to see at least
once every 10 days. It can’t be
easy; Lena’s man is Real Madrid
midfielder Sami Khedira, who
no doubt travels as much as she.
A famous footballer boyfriend,
international modelling
contracts, presenting TV shows
– sounds like Lena’s hit the big
time. But in comparison to
Klum’s international fame, she
has a long way to go. Last year,
she had to give up her flat in New
York. She still gets modelling
jobs in America, but no one
really knows who she is. She’s
keen to push her career
Stateside, and is planning to find
a new flat in New York this year,
“I’m a hardworking person.
I’ve never turned a job down or
shown up late for a job”
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