by Felix Petty | 08 April 2020, 5:26pm
Introducing a special project by Willy Vanderperre and Alastair McKimm: Safe + Sound
We've never been more physically apart. Separated by the coronavirus pandemic that's spread across the world, forced into homes, to self-isolate, live out an indeterminate amount of time in our own little bubbles. How do we stay sane during this time? Stay healthy, keep some kind of routine? We're all in this together, and with the wish to find some hope in this moment of sadness, connection in this time era of distance, creativity in the age of corona, photographer Willy Vanderperre has created this portfolio for us.
"As we are all going through the same, worldwide isolation, we felt it would be a great idea to connect with the models all over it. Some of them I consider to be real friends, so I thought a straightforward action, like Facetime, felt appropriate," Willy explains, the day after his birthday, from his home in Belgium.
"I wanted it to be a real conversation, hearing how they are coping with the situation. These girls normally live a hectic life, so I was intrigued to hear what they do to keep sane. In this fast changing world we live in, a conversation and keeping contact is important.
We also wanted to reach out to the fashion community. Sharing, interacting. The techniques I used were also direct: a screengrab, a picture of the screen to record a video over the phone. It was such a great project to work on, seeing the girls, my friends, even if it was for only a short amount of time. I also liked the fact they were in their home, a place where we normally do not see them, all natural, no make-up, just really who they are, simple and honest.
An iconic wink. And the iconic image of Home Alone, a situation we are all in, to give it some humour."
Featuring 19 supermodels from across the world, from Adesuwa in Nigeria to Binx in Brooklyn and Rianne in Amsterdam — we find out how our favourite models in the world are staying safe and sound.
Adesuwa Aighewi
"Hi my name is Adesuwa, and I'm coming to you live from Nigeria. I think this is the first time I've been asked a question — how I'm coping, what I'm doing — that I don't know the answer too. I'm doing the same sh*t I was doing before, I'm doing everything."
Adut Akech
"I'm keeping positive by just spending as much time as possible with my family, I think the only thing we can do at the moment is to spend as much time with our loved ones as we can. I've been writing and reading a lot during this time, that's what's helping me through this, knowing that we're not alone in this, that we're in this together, that time shall pass. We've got to keep positive."
Adwoa Aboah
"I am currently in Scotland, in the middle of nowhere, on the Isle of Bute, with the closest and most dearest people in my life. My routine here? I exercise, I cook, I clean, I'm keeping a journal, I write. We dance together and laugh together and play Articulate together, and those things we do together keep me sane and happy and able to manage all this madness that's going on."
Anna Ewers
"Hi, I'm Anna and I'm very lucky, I'm isolating at home in Germany with my family, and we're still allowed outside so we've been going on really long hikes together, that's keeping me sane."
Anok Yai
"Hey, it's Anok, I'm in quarantine in Los Angeles, I'm staying in my sister's apartment. It's been a rough few weeks, but I'm staying sane, keeping positive — I'm teaching myself yoga, teach myself to play the guitar, I'm talking to my family all the time."
Binx Walton
"Hey it's Binx, I'm in Brooklyn, New York. I wake up every morning, eat a piece of toast, walk my dog, watch some movies, read a book, play some guitar, strum along, you know what I'm saying? Just chilling y'all, look out the window, listen to some music. Some advice? Go buy a record player and listen to music."
Fran Summers
"What's keeping me positive in these times? My family. I'm in my childhood home, with my dogs, taking them for walks, we're all cooking together. I'm very privileged in this situation, I've got a lot of love around me, and I'm very appreciative of that. We spend all our time together as a family, it's really nice, I'm trying to enjoy just not doing anything all the time."
Gigi Hadid
"Hey it's Gigi, I'm at the family farm. I'm so lucky, at this time, to be with my family. I'm cooking so much for them! Hopefully that's keeping them happy."
Ilona Desmet
"I'm in Ghent, Belgium, and every morning I wake up, go to the park, listen to the sounds of the birds, I do my yoga routine in the park. To keep myself sane I'm trying to learn to play instruments from YouTube tutorials.
Imaan Hammam
"I'm trying to keep busy, I'm painting, reading, talking to my family on FaceTime a lot, that keeps me feeling positive. I start the day by doing 30 minutes of workout, make some breakfast. I've been baking too, cleaning a lot, trying to avoid my phone, being on social media too much, I find that calms my mind down."
Julia Nobis
"Hi I'm Julia Nobis, I'm at home, in bed, in New York, and to stay sane at the moment I'm mainly cuddling my cats and knitting."
Kiki Willems
"Hey I'm Kiki, I'm in New York at the moment, and I'm staying sane by learning from my mistakes. Like now I only read the news in the morning, and the rest of the day I ignore it, it's not going to bring you much happiness if you spend all day reading the news."
Mica Arganaraz
"What's a routine? I wake up around 11.30, have a coffee, some breakfast. I'm rewatching Twin Peaks for the fourth time, so I watch an episode of that, pretend to do a work out, look through some art books, play backgammon, cook, eat in bed while watching a film. It's a tough moment to be completely sane. Some days are really overwhelming, but speaking to family and friends helps, and I'm trying not to look at my phone."
Mona Tougaard
"Hey I'm Mona and I'm in Palm Springs, and I'm just trying to relax during this time, enjoy myself. I'm cooking a lot of food, smoking some cigarettes, and I'm not trying to do too much. I like being inside anyway, and not doing a lot, so I'm spending some time for myself, focusing on me instead of work."
Paloma Elsesser
"I'm in New York at the moment. Each day is kind of the same, like Groundhog Day. I wake up and meditate for twenty minutes. I make my bed, make my coffee, I laze around, try to find some order for the day, reading and watching TV, cleaning up my flat, I do photoshoots online now, I'm trying to just take each day as it comes."
Rianne Van Rompaey
"I'm in Amsterdam, in my apartment, and what do I do to stay sane? Well I think I'm too far gone already. But I try! I try to meditate, do some yoga, read a book, I try to do that everyday to start the day with something calm. I walk at the end of the day, cook, and I'm watching all the movies I think I should've watched a long time ago, I'm watching the classics and daydreaming of the time when we could go outside. I'm trying to laugh, trying to keep myself together."
Selena Forrest
"Hey it's Selena, I'm in Palm Springs. What do I do to kill time at the moment? I listen to music, I watch TV, I try to meditate, learning to freestyle, killing the time."
Sora Choi
"I'm in Korea right now, I'm staying at home, exercising, doing yoga, watching movies, cooking, I'm enjoying being in the present."
Vittoria Ceretti
"I'm in Ibiza right now, I'm spending my days cooking, meditating, doing yoga, trying to stay sane during this hard time."
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