Hailing from a village near Rotterdam, Holland, nineteen year-old Milou Gort’s feet have barely touched the ground in the past five years. Living between the fashion capitals of Europe and Asia, with a half-Dutch, half-English boyfriend working for British Fashion Council and cheekbones you could sharpen a blade on, it’d be easy to imagine that her head’s in the clouds, but Milou is far from conceited. In fact, she’s just taking each day as it comes.
How long have you been modelling? How did you get into it?
I started aged 14. My mum convinced me to enter TMF’s model contest [Holland’s version of MTV]. At first I didn’t want to because I was shy but she convinced me I was good enough. A month later I got a call “Milou, can you come to Amsterdam?” 4000 girls applied. I made it from 70 girls to the final 10. Three girls got a contract, I wasn’t one of them, but I was happy because the agency still wanted me.
What’s your favourite thing about modelling? And what’s the worst?
I love my job, every day is different. You never know what you’re doing the next day (sometimes that’s also a bad thing though.) I get to meet new people all over the world, I can travel and have seen a lot already. But that’s also what’s hard about this job: saying goodbye and not knowing when you’re coming back. But it’s great! I didn't know I’d be lying in a field in expensive clothes! I love that!
Which models do you admire?
My favourite model is Lara Stone. She’s not super-skinny and she looks good whatever she’s wearing. I love it when I see her big campaigns, like the new Calvin Klein fall campaign. It’s simple but strong. I’ve never met her but I hope to work with her one day!
How do you find working in London?
Last year I did the shows in Milan and London. That was the first time I’ve ever been to London, and I was there just for a week. I didn’t know the underground, had twenty castings a day, no phone reception on the tube. That was hard! So I wasn’t a big fan of London that first week, but after fashion week in Milan I went back to London and didn’t want to leave. London is big, busy, there’s always something going on, so close to Holland and I have a lot of friends here, and an English boyfriend. And I work best in London! So I would love to live here one day. It’s my favourite city, but I still want to see more of the world.
Where do you see yourself in the next five years?
In five years I’ll be 25. That’s old for models, this is a job you can’t do forever. I do want to study again. Or maybe Steve Meisel will call me tomorrow and say he wants to shoot me for Italian Vogue and then in five years’ time I’ll be living in NYC and have apartments all over the world? I don’t know, we’ll see. First I want to enjoy my job in the here and now.
Interview by Katie Rose
1883magazine
UK 8 / EUR 36
