Simonetta Gianfelici, Model Turned Talent Scout, On What It Was Like Working With Helmut Newton, Thierry Mugler, and Vivienne Westwood

Simonetta Gianfelici is a Roman beauty who looks like she stepped out of Botticelli painting. Her life in fashion began unexpectedly, in 1981, when a professor asked if she would pose. Until that point, Gianfelici had been studying photography, scenography, and art history with the thought of becoming a graphic designer or an architect. Helmut Newton, Vivienne Westwood, and Thierry Mugler, among others, had other plans for her. Thirty-seven years after her first shoot, Gianfelici is still working as a model, but the lion’s share of her time is devoted to scouting and supporting young talent, both in Italy and Africa. We caught up with the peripatetic blonde in Rome, to talk about fashion then and now, as well as beauty, an Italian preoccupation.

How and when did you get started as a model?
I started when I was 17 years old when a professor at my high school asked me to do some pictures with Paola Bosé, the daughter of [Italian actress] Lucia Bosé y Dominguín. I had never thought about being a model. I was in school, I was very clever, and just very tall, blonde, blue eyes, a pretty girl. But I never thought to do fashion, I didn’t know what it was. Though I started in 1981, the real beginning of my career was 1983; that’s when I starting to work with Helmut Newton, Gian Paolo Barbieri, David Seidner, and George Hurrell—if you can believe it, he was about 83 years old. I’ve been lucky, I didn’t know that I had so much passion—not maybe for fashion—but for photography, and travel, and people, and creativity. I’m a very shy person, but I discovered that I love to act and to be different things and found a relation with the creativity and the imagination of the photographer and the designers.

Simonetta Gianfelici, Model Turned Talent Scout, On What It Was Like Working With Helmut Newton, Thierry Mugler, and Vivienne Westwood

What was it like meeting, and working, for Helmut Newton?
It was one of the highlights of my career. Our first meeting was in the big hotel in Monte Carlo. I used to say about him that he was like a juggler who was able to play with all the people around him and get them to do what he wants them to do. It was fantastic working with him, our friendship and collaboration endured for 15 years. I think he loved the power of my body, the femininity that was not [that of the typical model], not so thin. He loved my big legs, and he talked to me about Botero; he loved the way I use my hands, my expression, my inclination to have the power to dominate men—he loved this impression of power.

And what was fashion like at the time?
Very different, it was as a dream, and also the shows were like theater, people fought to be able to see a Jean Paul Gaultier or Comme des Garçons show. When the designers were preparing a dress, they weren’t thinking only about the collection but about the woman who would wear the clothes; every model on the catwalk acted and [displayed] personality and character. It made me proud to be something unique, and not as anybody else was. I’ve been a muse to Thierry Mugler and Vivienne Westwood. I think what Thierry really appreciated my power body and my soul, so fragile and so pure, that mix. For Vivienne it was different, maybe something more tender. She also loved the act that I used to do on the catwalk.

Any other career highlights?
I did a shoot with Jean-Baptiste Mondino for French Vogue that changed my life. He took pictures of me as an Italian, very sexy and voluptuous, very Roman style, indolente and a bit curvy. I was not young anymore and when I looked at these pictures I recognized myself in a different moment of my life and I thought, It’s not so bad to be older. That was important.

Do you still model?
I started to ease out of my modeling career when I was 33 years old, maybe later, but I never fully stopped. Everything was changing, nobody asked me to act anymore, there was no briefing before shooting, there was nothing to share with the team. Everything was very fast, economics was the most important thing, and everybody asked me to do what I had done 15 years before, which was boring. I started to do a lot of cosmetic campaigns for women who are not so young; the last one I’ve done was six months ago. I still model, but it’s not my first work, though I might walk for a friend. I no longer want to wait for somebody else to make a choice.

Simonetta Gianfelici, Model Turned Talent Scout, On What It Was Like Working With Helmut Newton, Thierry Mugler, and Vivienne Westwood

What came next?
A friend of mine at a magazine asked me to style some shoots, so I start to work also in this direction, which was nice because I could combine my expertise as a model, my passion for photography. I wasn’t so fascinated with the clothes, they were useful to convey the narrative; my approach was to use fashion to tell a story. In 2002, when I decided to stay here and have my life in Rome, I took a meeting with Altaroma, and then started to do scouting for them, bringing some important designers to show in Rome and then in 2005 with Franca Sozzani we decided to do this contest, Who Is On Next? From then on I’ve been scouting for that project.

How has the industry changed since you’ve been involved with Who Is On Next?
The future of Made in Italy is to preserve the artisanal capacity that we have. It’s something that comes from the past, but seen anew through the eyes of young designers who have a more global vision. I think they will be able to keep the memory of the heritage while looking forward; maybe in this mix we can find a way to give more energy to the Italian market.

You’ve also been working in Africa, haven’t you?
Yes, in 2013 I started working with the Ethical Fashion Initiative, No Charity, Just Work, looking for talent on the African continent. Our mission is identify and mentor designers with the aim of helping them become competitive in the international market.

What are you looking for when you scout?
An identity that’s genuine and authentic; everyone has to follow what they feel, but they have to be honest. I love when designers have a story to tell, I don’t like when they just follow the trends. Real talent is rare, it’s something that comes out maybe every five years, but it’s the only reason we have to go forward.

For me, it’s about beauty, above all. All my experience with fashion and photography has given me a very special feeling for aesthetics. It’s not something you can put into words; when I see something beautiful, I feel its beauty, that’s all.