GLOBAL INFLUENCER NATALIA VODIANOVA

CO-FOUNDER ELBI.IN, GLOBAL SUPERMODEL, PHILANTHROPIST, INVESTOR

It takes a lot to rise from the ashes, achieve your goals and give back to the world like Natalia Vodianova has. She is a strong, independent woman who has made good for herself by simply believing in herself. She has a story that cannot be restricted to a page, so I won’t even try. But the words written here are a ray of inspiration as Natalia divulged into a conversation with Smriti Raizada and gave us new perspectives of how she views the world and hoe she believes that the only way ahead is to be kind.

EX: Hey Natalia! How and when did the name ‘supernova’ surface in your life?

I am so glad to be here! It’s so funny how that caught on because ‘Supernova’ is actually a name Mario Testino gave me after I gave birth to my oldest, Lucas. I was about nineteen at the time and Mario was so impressed that I got back on the runway just two weeks after he was born. Eventually, the whole industry picked it as my official nickname so it came naturally to name my Instagram account @natasupernova.

EX: Young age, as we’ve heard, was a difficult time for you. Is there a specific moment from back then that led you to turn things around for good?

Growing up in a poor district in Russia meant my childhood came with its fair share of challenges. I don’t think there was one specific moment or an incident I can recall, but times were certainly tough. I was very fortunate to have been discovered by a local modelling agency when I was fifteen, while I was helping my mother out at the fruit stand she ran in my hometown. I had my first big modelling job when I was seventeen and after that everything changed very quickly. I’m very grateful to the fashion industry because it completely changed my life. It took me away from a life of hardship and alienation.

EX: What’s been your driving force behind getting actively involved in social causes?