The always magnificent supermodel Carolyn Murphy greets readers today at Porter Edit. Murphy is truly an icon in fashion world, after three decades of a spectacular career. Her natural beauty is intoxicating and she holds the longest-ever Estée Lauder contract at 20 years.

Ilona Hamer styles Murphy in slouchy menswear suitings in neutral colors from Acne Studios, Balenciaga, Deveaux, Jil Sander, JW Anderson, Loren Stewart, Michael Lo Sordo, Proenza Schouler, Totême, and more.

Photographer Alexandra Nataf is in the studio with an interview by Tilly Macalister-Smith for the April 20, 2020 issue.

“I think the BEAUTY of the industry, and the WORLD, right now is the INCLUSIVITY”

Murphy’s interview opens with convo about her recent runway walks at age 46. Pre-COVID-19, the model walked for Isabel Marant , Fendi , Off-White , The Row and Zimmermann .

She closed The Row because “Mary-Kate and Ashley are friends of mine; there’s such a sisterhood with the two of them. I really admire their intellect and design sense.” On walking in Virgil Abloh’s Off-White show in Paris, Murphy is full of high praise.

“He’s so intelligent and kind, and interesting. I was chatting with Gigi in the fitting, who I adore, and they brought out the dress!” she exclaims, referring to the skin-tight white knit dress with a cutaway midriff that revealed her perfectly toned abs. “There was such collective energy in the fitting – I felt empowered, actually.” Clearly, Murphy enjoyed the liberation that came from her recent runway stint. “There was this sense of ‘What have I got to lose?’ It was all about having fun. I think the beauty of the industry, and the world, right now is the inclusivity. I think many years ago they wouldn’t have accepted a 46-year-old on the runway, and now it’s open to all age ranges, which is so nice.”

Reflecting on the importance of nature in our lives and her daughter Dylan, Murphy makes one of the most beautiful statements ever I’ve ever read about a daughter. Talking about the importance of fresh food in her life, growing it herself and sharing the love of land with her own mother and daughter Dylan, the superstar reflects:

“Dylan is much more together than I was. . . . She’s not on social media. She toiled with it for years then got off. She appreciates fashion like any other young woman, but she has no interest in the industry itself. She’s just very wise. She came into the world like that. I had a home birth on the farm I had in Upstate New York and I remember looking at her and thinking, ‘Wow, she’s going to teach me.’”

Known for her long-term environmental concerns, Carolyn Murphy’s “aptitude for positivity” attachers her to philanthropy and change. We’ve written about Carolyn’s passions many times, and we note her clarification (in her own mind) between activism and being an advocate: “I’m not an activist, I’m an advocate,” she states.

Murphy’s priorities are authentically baked in from a childhood, with a focus on the ocean, animals, nourishment and children. “Animals and children don’t always have a voice, we have to protect them, and I’m passionate about the ocean because I grew up around the water and surfing.” Specifically, she supports the Surfrider Foundation, The Wellness Foundation, Animal Haven, Edible Schoolyard NYC, Ocean Unite and No More Plastic and has also worked with Bette Midler’s New York Restoration Project.