Model Rianne Van Rompaey Says Goodbye to Fashion Shows: “I Don’t Want to Be Perfect Anymore”
With a long post on Instagram in which she speaks openly to her 218 thousand followers, top model Rianne Van Rompaey bids farewell to the world of fashion. 29 years old, Dutch, ethereal beauty, blue-green eyes and hair of a sweet shade between blonde and red, Rianne conquered the world of fashion when she was still a teenager . She has walked on the most important catwalks such as Chanel and Miu Miu, and for Victoria's Secret in the great comeback show of the Angels, a few months ago. She has posed for countless advertising campaigns and magazine covers, including, several times, for d .
In an interview with our newspaper last fall, Rianne Van Rompaey made some statements that hinted at her desire for change and her vision of the future of modelling .
I love this job, it's a great privilege, but sometimes it's really too fast. If I look back, I think it's time for a break. I would like to start the transition to acting, I feel it's a decision I have to make to feel good and explore new realities"
A few months ago, in fact, Rianne Van Rompaey made her film debut with a short film, 3 Faces , directed by David Findlay. And it is her acting career that she wants to focus on now.
Rianne's Farewell to the CatwalksMy dream was never to be a model, I always wanted to be an actress, so I don't mind starting over at all.
"My dear friends and beautiful strangers, forgive my sentimentality, but I'm about to take you on a little trip down memory lane, as I'm about to make some big changes in my life." This is how Van Rompaey's social media post begins announcing her retirement from modeling. "11 years ago, I was a high school student (I had just turned 18) when I went to my agency to audition for Louis Vuitton. The casting director was from Paris, I remember the clubs were full of crazy girls and I was shitting myself. I don't even know how, I was called first and what for me was a milestone (an audition for Louis Vuitton!!) was the start of an insane ride."
Smiling, without makeup, at the height of her natural beauty Rianne Van Rompaey continues: "The fashion industry welcomed me with open arms, and I jumped right in without hesitation, so curious about the world and the people around me, suddenly. I met my best friends in this system, I grew up with them. I ended up building professional relationships that have spanned a decade, with people I really respect, creating work that I am very proud of." Then, the farewell (or maybe goodbye?) to her modeling career. "The fashion industry has given me so much more than I could have even asked for. But now it's time to follow my dreams. I need to take a break from modeling. I want to know who I am without fashion. I have so many dreams and passions, so many sides of my personality that were left behind because this career was my priority."
But beyond the desire to open up to new passions and paths, there is another aspect that pushes the top model to change direction. And these are reasons linked to the pressures of the profession . She writes: “Adhering to what I thought the model Rianne Van Rompaey was in the eyes of others was of the utmost importance to me, because the expectations were really high and I was paid a lot to be perfect . I wanted everyone to love me. Then, somehow, something changed in me over the years (maybe it was age?)”.
“I don’t want to try to be perfect anymore. I want to be gross. I want to roll around on the floor of a New York basement trying to make people laugh. I want to dress weird, cut my hair, make mistakes without feeling the eyes of the system on me. I want my body to be truly mine again, to put my own judgment on hold . I really love the fashion industry and the people I work with. I know I’ll see them all again, again. I hope not in two months, that would be complicated. But life is short and it’s time for new adventures. Adios amigos! See you on the big screen!”. Among the comments, some famous colleagues stand out. “Rockstar, we all love you,” wrote Gigi Hadid , for example.
The myth beyond the modelRianne Van Rompaey is not the first to put a brilliant career on hold at the height of its success. A similar precedent was that of Cara Delevingne , 32, who left the fashion show circuit ten years ago. The English top model also flew to the cinema. Her announcement was greeted with clamor, as if it were an authentic farewell to the fashion system. Over time, however, Cara continued to be a testimonial for fashion and beauty brands, but following her own rhythm: a step back to return to being the protagonist of her life, without falling victim to the system and its pressures. Even great icons of the past put an end to their modeling careers when they were still young and in great demand : think of Twiggy , who already in 1970 began to refuse new shoots a few years after a dazzling, revolutionary start in Swinging London. "You can't be a coat hanger all your life," she used to say, preferring to continue building her myth with acting. Even Inès de la Fressange , muse of Karl Lagerfeld and his Chanel in the 1980s, at a certain point preferred to say au revoir to the catwalks.
Rianne's StoryRianne Frida Loes Van Rompaey is her full name. Her beauty is described in the environment as pre-Raphaelite, as it recalls the representations of Shakespeare's Ophelia that permeates the artistic movement. Raised in the Netherlands, by Belgian and Dutch parents, she was hired by the Paparazzi Models agency when she was in high school. Her first professional shooting took place in 2013 for the Dutch edition of Elle. In 2016, she was included in the Top 50 of Models.com, described as "one of the most disruptive stars of the year". Nicolas Ghesquière, creative director of Louis Vuitton, wanted her as an exclusive model for his creations, offering her great visibility. Then, collaborations with various brands followed, from Alexander McQueen to Moschino, from Valentino to Fendi, from Michael Kors to Versace, Hugo Boss, Burberry. In short, the rapid rise that characterizes the profession of the top model culminates with her arrival at the DNA Models agency and continuous work in photo shoots for magazines.
The covers for d
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