According to most people’s opinion, the fashion world is primarily based on money, fame and beauty. If you are beautiful you can quickly become famous and then rich. After that, you don’t need anything else to be happy. However, there are models for whom fashion is not only about money and a continuous weight-loss diet, but also about a certain world of principles and values. One such person is undoubtedly Coco Rocha.
From dance to the catwalk
Coco Rocha is one of the most popular but also one of the most controversial supermodels of the new generation, who has shone not only for her beauty but also for her views and approach to business.
Coco Rocha’s real name is Mikhaila Rocha and she was born on 10 September 1988 in Toronto, but lived most of her childhood in Richmond, British Columbia. Her father was Trevor Rocha, a ticket seller at the airport, and her mother was Juanita who worked as a flight attendant. The woman also has a sister, Lynsey, and a brother, David, and her genealogical tree is so developed that despite being born in Canada and raised in Colombia, the woman has Irish, Welsh and Russian blood in her veins.
As a young girl, Coco developed an interest in dance, which led her to become a young professional dancer. This profession gave her the opportunity to travel the world and perform on many different dance floors. It was thanks to this that, in 2002, she was spotted during one of her performances by Charles Stuart, one of the managers and representatives of the fashion industry. The man took a keen interest not only in the girl’s figure and beauty, but also in her face and views. Seeing in her the future of modelling, he offered to work with her. Mikhaila herself had never thought about a modelling career, so she knew nothing about this world. However, she decided to give it a try, but on her own terms.
On my terms
For most working models, an effective fat burner is the cornerstone of any diet and life. Models don’t usually go above a predetermined weight, don’t change their body shape, don’t share their private views or want to change the world.
Coco Rocha was different from the start of her career. When her agent tried to organise her session and collaboration he was told that his client was “too big” to take part in a particular session. When this information reached the budding Rocha, not only was she not discouraged, she actually saw it as a plus. As a dancer, Coco Rocha was not overweight or more round, but had a more developed body in terms of muscles. This was the result of hours of training and exercise. Rocha had no intention of changing her body, forcefully reaching for slimming patches and bulking up her muscles, so she stood her ground against the whole industry. She first started taking part in other castings and catwalks and later shared her thoughts while participating in various programmes and interviews. She then spoke out about how excessive dieting and bullying of models in terms of weight and figure was leading to anorexia and many health problems. Through her actions, her message became stronger and stronger.
Coco Rocha has also made no secret of her approach to religion and has loudly stated that she is a Jehovah’s Witness. She repeatedly mentioned that religion gave her strength and motivation to fight for her dreams. She also added that she not only promoted her faith in her spare time, but also practised the traditional door-to-door walking to promote religion.
The voice of the younger generation
Coco Rocha’s beauty and, above all, her naturalness and commitment made her increasingly successful.
In 2004 she signed with the New York agency SUPREME, and two years later she was already working with renowned photographer Steven Meisel and posing with models Gemma Ward and Amanda Moore. In 2006, she appeared on the cover of Italian Vogue. For the spring/summer 2006 New York City runways season, she posed on the catwalk for a handful of major creatives, most notably Anna Sui and Marc Jacobs. Interestingly, backstage at the Anna Sui show, she met model Naomi Campbell, who, shaking her hand, announced to Coco that she was “her new favourite model”. After attending New York Fashion Week, she soon struck out at Paris Fashion Week, where she posed for esteemed designers Stella McCartney, Shiatzy Chen, Christian Lacroix and Emanuel Ungaro. Interestingly, even Kanye West himself singled her out as one of the twelve models he named in his Christian Dior Denim Flow song.
The model has posed on the covers of international fashion magazines such as many editions of Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Flare, Numero, L’Officiel, W and Fashion. She has also had the pleasure of being the face of brands such as Versace, Balenciaga, Chanel, Dolce&Gabbana, Dior, Lanvin, Tommy Hilfigher, Yves Saint Laurent, Rimmel and Calvin Klein. It is worth remembering, however, that she did not want to collaborate with everyone. This was because she famously signed a contract with photographer Steven Meisel that listed the brands she wanted to and could not work with. The choice of brand was most influenced by her commitment to fighting for the environment and also her approach to the models themselves. The model did not want to work with brands that exploited women and forced them on morbid weight-loss diets as a way to establish a relationship.
Coco Rocha’s career is proof that it is not only the body that plays the most important role in the modelling world. The mind, commitment, views and approach to life also count. It is thanks to these factors that Coco has not only made a name for herself in the world of modelling but has also done so on her own terms.
