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Escape artist
A trip to Brazil inspires Daria Werbowy's first collection for Lancôme - and helps benefit a worthy cause.
By Michelle Villett
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Daria Werbowy isn't your typical supermodel. Her five-year career as one of fashion's most sought-after faces should qualify her for diva-like behaviour, but when we meet at Toronto's SoHo Metropolitan Hotel, the 24-year-old Canadian beauty - dressed simply in jeans and a black blazer - comes across as down-to-earth, hard-working and professional. No doubt, it's the reason she was chosen to collaborate with Lancôme on a new limited-edition line of makeup - the first-ever collection created by a spokesmodel.
For every product sold, $1.50 will be donated to the Centro Espacial Vik Muniz, a children's charity in Rio de Janeiro. We spoke to Werbowy about what inspired her collection.
How did you get involved with the project?
"I went to Brazil a year and a half ago and was introduced to artist Vik Muniz. We went to see the charity he's involved with [the Centro Espacial Vik Muniz], where kids from the favelas - the famous slums of Brazil - go a few times a week. Vik wanted to bring art into their lives and teach them that they don't have to be typecast by society."
What intrigued you about this charity?
"I think it's a great idea to use art as a tool to bring people beyond their struggles. I went to a high school for the arts, and I still take art classes in New York. Art has been something for me to escape to [because] you can get lost in this money-driven world we live in."
How did you develop the colours in the collection?
"We started with a scrapbook of different pictures, pieces of fabric and photographs. Then we spent a whole day in the Lancôme labs near Paris, mixing things. The idea was to have something in your bag that you could carry around with you everywhere. One of the most difficult things was to create something that was adaptable to all ethnicities and age groups, but I think we nailed it. There's at least one colour in the palette that every girl can wear."
How did your visit to Brazil inspire you?
"A lot of people's reactions to the collection have been 'Brown colours? What do you mean? Brazil is like Carnival: crazy, shiny, lush.' But we're presenting the favela side, where people use the earth, trees and found objects to create their homes. These people have the most beautiful places in Rio de Janeiro because they have the most incredible view of the ocean. It's an amazing contrast, so I wanted to represent that."
Were you nervous about putting your name on something?
"One of the hardest things was branding myself. If I put my name on something, it should represent who I am. I was impressed with how much freedom Lancôme gave me: They didn't give me any guidance; they just said, 'Go into the lab and see what you come up with' - and it worked!"
Image courtesy of Lancôme
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