Natalia Vodianova In 'Mother Nurture' by Cedric Bihr for Harper's Bazaar UK September 2021

Natalia Vodianova is styled by Tania Rat Patron in ‘Mother Nurture’, lensed by Cedric Bihr for Harper’s Bazaar UK September 2021. / Makeup by Violette; makeup by Violette

Vodianova wears LVMH brands Celine by Hedi Slimane, Dior, Fendi, Loewe, Louis Vuitton and more. Lydia Slater conducts the interview ‘Natalia Vodianova is leading the way for a better world.’

Vodianova turns 40 this year, and the “globe-trotting superstar, designer muse, tech entrepreneur and the wife of Antoine Arnault, one of the heirs to the LVMH empire” is refreshingly unpretentious, writes Slater.

As the Russian-born, rags-to-riches supermodel dances barefoot around the Jardins de Bougainville, she recalls her grandmother and childhood mushroom-picking excursions and summer swims in forests near the family home in Gorky.

"She celebrated nature everywhere she went; for instance, she could never step on an insect," she explains. "And whenever she saw a beautiful tree, she always said, let’s hug it. She said that when you hug a tree, you receive this very special energy from Earth, from nature, that is life-giving. You can feel better, you can leave your worries and issues here with this tree... I love nature, it’s really where I get my energy from. I like to hike, and this is how I rest my body and most importantly, my spirit and my mind."

If Vodianova sounds like an earth goddess gone zen — she is. We learn that the mother of five developed serenity, heavily influenced by her friendship with Diane von Furstenberg.

"She [DVF] has always been a great support and great role model in this. She always, always has this Zen feeling about everything and it's really helpful because you can go through life thinking that everything is important, but in the end, there is very little that is truly important."

All of Natalia Vodianova’s projects and digital app investments interest AOC but her February 2021 appointment as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Population Fund is top of list. In particular, Vodianova will tackle the taboo and stigma of menstruation, an irrational mindset that “has undermined the most basic needs and rights of women.”

The reality of menstruation as bodily function for child-bearing women (forgive me if AOC has insulted men with artificial wombs or trans men capable of bearing children) serves as “evidence” of a need for female banishment to secluded and unsanitary living quarters in many parts of the world.

This is the last topic of sexual repression that a woman of privilege like Natalia V needs to take up in life. And yet she does — and for that we adore her many efforts.