EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH FASHION MODEL ANOUK HAGEMEIJER

Pony Ryder presents EXCLUSIVE interview with fashion model Anouk Hagemeijer.

Anouk Hagemeijer is a 19 year old Dutch model. Even though season 08/09 is her first, she already has impressive catwalk experience both in New York and Paris. Her stunning combination of freckles, eye brows and beautiful eyes, gorgeous face angle and graceful silhouette gives Anouk a head start in front of other models. It is very rare when such beauty and intelligence mix, but this girl has all that and still manages to keep her feet on the ground!

Anouk Hagemeijer is with Skin models (Amsterdam), Ford (New York), Nathalie (Paris), Ace (Athens), Place (Hamburg), Beatrice (Milan), Models 1 (London).

PONY RYDER: When and how did you start modeling?
ANOUK HAGEMEIJER: It started because of my friend! She signed me up (without me knowing) for the Elite Model look contest! I was really surprised when they called me and told me that I was in the finals! I came until the last ten! After a while Skin models approached me and I decided to give it a try! This was 3 years ago! But I was still in school so I was not allowed to do a lot. I started really traveling one year ago now! And I love it!

PONY RYDER: What is the hardest thing for you as a young model?
ANOUK HAGEMEIJER: I really miss my friends/family a lot when I am gone! They all go to university or work every day! And my life is totally different than theirs! I get a lot of support so that is wonderful, but sometimes they just don't understand my situation! And that is quite hard once in a while.

PONY RYDER: Is modeling world competitive?
ANOUK HAGEMEIJER: Sometimes it can be, but I try to avoid this! Same when I run or live with somebody who is not nice to me! Try to pay the less attention as I can.

PONY RYDER: Did other agencies approach you after you signed with the agencies you're signed with now? How do you feel about changing agencies?
ANOUK HAGEMEIJER: Sometimes I had this yes, but what I think about changing agencies:
That is a pretty tough question! For me it is important that you have a good and personal relation with your agents. They need to know who you are as a person and also the other way around. As long as your relation is good, they work good for you, push you and BELIEVE in you, there is no need to change agencies for me. But when you get the feeling that these factors are missing, it is better to sign with another agency and see if you can do better there! For me there is no need to change agencies or what so ever, I am very happy with my agencies!

Anouk walked for Form, Erin Fetherson ,ADAM, Rebecca Taylor, A detacher, Omnilou, James Coviello, Macqua in New York, and Veronique Leroy, Leonard, Moon young hee, Commuun, Marithe & Francois Girbaud, Comme Comme des garcons.

PONY RYDER: Anouk, this is your first runway season, and you already booked shows in NY and Paris!!! What Fashion Week did you enjoy doing more, Paris or NY?
ANOUK HAGEMEIJER: I enjoyed both, but I prefer New York!

PONY RYDER: What would you say is the biggest difference between Paris and NY Fashion Week?
ANOUK HAGEMEIJER: Paris is more artistic than New York!

PONY RYDER: What show in Paris did you enjoy doing the most and why?
ANOUK HAGEMEIJER: I loved the show of Leonard! I really really really liked the clothes! They were so colorful and nice to wear! I had 3 outfits and one of them was a really long pink dress, and it was my first long dress on a catwalk! I just felt really nice at that moment! Also the make-up and hair were super!

PONY RYDER: Same questions for New York :)
ANOUK HAGEMEIJER: Erin Fetherson! The show was so nice, really dreamy and fairytale!

PONY RYDER: You did Comme Comme des Garcons in Paris... Their show is always „interesting"... very theatrical. Is it harder to present clothes in that way, or the „theater affect" makes it all easier?
ANOUK HAGEMEIJER: Well Comme Comme des Garcons is not the main show like COMME des garcons! But this is another line of the shows, and that was not so theatrical I guess. We just had to walk without any music, and the public was all dressed in black as far as I can remember! It was quite an experience.

PONY RYDER: Can you describe the styling of that show?
ANOUK HAGEMEIJER: Our hair was tied up, and we had like a knot on the fronts of our heads! Make up was really natural and pink lips!

PONY RYDER: When you're doing runway, do you have your own signature walk, or are you trying to be more versatile, without your own particular style?
ANOUK HAGEMEIJER: No, I don't have my own particular style! I always try to walk fast and strong! But if the designer asks us to walk slow and natural (or just street walk), I will do this of course!

PONY RYDER: Is backstage atmosphere crazy and racy or ... ? What do you do backstage waiting for a show to start?
ANOUK HAGEMEIJER: Of course it is crazy and racy! There is always stress and a lot “we-are–out-of–time” moments! Hair check here, makeup check there! But the stress sometimes makes the result much better (my opinion). Backstage I always talk with girls I know, or I play on my psp-game, read a book, listen to music, eat from the buffet… The usual things to pass the time ;)

PONY RYDER: Are you afraid of falling on the runway? What do you think before stepping onto it?
ANOUK HAGEMEIJER: No not afraid of falling, more about losing my shoes… I have very tiny feet and my shoes are sometimes a bit big! Before I step on to it, I just clear my mind and think about this: SHOW THEM POWER, YOU CAN DO THIS!! haha

PONY RYDER: Your height is 175cm. Do you think that height is a major thing to be a successful runway model?
ANOUK HAGEMEIJER: Well it can be important to have a height of 1.80! For example if the designers have a lot of long dresses! I think that long dresses or pants look better on taller girls, it is just more elegant! And if you have a line up with all girls that are 1.80 it looks not really nice to have a shorter girl in between! But for me the most important thing is that you can give a certain feeling on the runway. And this feeling has to fit the clothes. If you are able to show a certain strength on a runway you can be a successful runway model, even if your 1.75.

PONY RYDER: How do you pose, what's your style?
ANOUK HAGEMEIJER: I move a lot when I am doing a photoshoot! I like to move a lot, it makes me really concentrated and this is how I can find a certain feeling that will fit in the story we are working on! I just move and concentrate on my feelings and mood and I let the photographer catch the right moments! My feelings decide my way of moving! I don't think about my body shape this just happens! And sometimes the pose doesn't look nice, so the photographer will tell me this. In that case I just change and try to find something else that works!

PONY RYDER: How do you prepare for a photoshoot? Do you take a look at the photographer's work?
ANOUK HAGEMEIJER: I always have improvised so far! I like this, I trust on my own experience and don't want to copy things that I already thought of before! Just go with the flow!

PONY RYDER: With what photographer would you like to work with?
ANOUK HAGEMEIJER: A photographer who knows what he/she wants and what they are looking for!

PONY RYDER: What was the hardest photoshoot for you, and why?
ANOUK HAGEMEIJER: This was my first first photoshoot! It was in Holland, outside in the freezing cold! I had to ware really thin dresses and my nose was running all the time! I couldn't feel my feet or hands! And the shooting took very long!! After this first shoot I could handle them all haha!

PONY RYDER: Is there a difference in posing when you are doing a cover and an editorial?
ANOUK HAGEMEIJER: Yes, on a cover it is important that everything looks perfect! You have to sell the magazine, so you have to look friendly and smiling eyes/lips! In an editorial this is not important! You can look angry, sad or enthusiastic - whatever the feeling gives you! It is more edgy, so the posing is also more edgy! On a cover it is about you, in an editorial you are part of a story!

PONY RYDER: What do you think is your X factor?
ANOUK HAGEMEIJER: I can express what I feel through my eyes!

PONY RYDER: How do you maintain your skin? What products do you use?
ANOUK HAGEMEIJER: I clean my skin every morning and evening! And TRY to drink a lot of water! I use a cleansing gel, a protection spray and daycream!

PONY RYDER: How do you stay in shape?
ANOUK HAGEMEIJER: When I am traveling I stay in shape by walking through the city! Doing castings all day is actually pretty healthy for your body! When I am at home I go running once in a while!

PONY RYDER: What is the best beauty advice u know of?
ANOUK HAGEMEIJER: Stay Healthy, Feel healthy.

PONY RYDER: Your favorite make up brand?
ANOUK HAGEMEIJER: I really like it when make-up artists use MAC, my skin never gets bad from their concealers!

PONY RYDER: Do you believe in luck?
ANOUK HAGEMEIJER: I do.

PONY RYDER: Do you have lucky socks, shirt, something...?
ANOUK HAGEMEIJER: I have a bracelet from Thailand, I think it brings me luck!

PONY RYDER: What would you do if you were not a model?
ANOUK HAGEMEIJER: I would take a gap year between school and university. Move a year to Spain, France, or Italy to learn to speak the language! Ander after I would go to study medicine at university!

PONY RYDER: What did you learn about yourself trough you modeling career?
ANOUK HAGEMEIJER: That I am a really critical person. Sometimes I can be kind of a perfectionist. But I learned because of my modeling career that it is really important to look at the things that you have and can do, and not only to the things that you don't have and can't do!

PONY RYDER: What keeps you going in your model career?
ANOUK HAGEMEIJER: The support of my friends and family and the opportunity to travel the world just for being me! This is very special I think.

PONY RYDER: What would you advise to new models?
ANOUK HAGEMEIJER: I always think it is important to stay with your both feet on the ground and present YOURSELF!

PONY RYDER: Prepare a meal for 2 people with a budget of 10 euro? Possible? What would you do?
ANOUK HAGEMEIJER: For sure that is possible! I would make pasta Bolognese! Pasta would be 3 euro, tomato pasta sauce, 2,50 and meat, 3,50! There you go!

PONY RYDER XOXO ANOUK HAGEMEIJER

Interview with fashion model Anouk Hagemeijer is original work and courtesy of Pony Ryder blog.

Polaroids of fashion model Anouk Hagemeijer are courtesy of FDIB blog, and Place Hamburg.