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Gisele Bündchenis having the rare Zoom meeting where her daughter Vivian doesn't make an unexpected cameo appearance. Usually, the supermodel laughs, "She's like, 'What am I going to have for dinner?' I'm like, 'Is this really what you need to ask?' Kids!" In case it wasn't obvious, the legend is in full Mom mode, especially with a one-year-old at home. Digital interruptions aside, she says, "Kids are just the best. I feel how blessed I am that I get to be a mom. I think I was born for that. It is just joy for me, their smiles; everything makes my day. It's very simple to make me happy; they just have to smile at me and I'm like, 'Oh, okay. It's perfect.'"
Today, Gisele is here to speak about her new campaign for the Chanel J12 watch, which was shot in the South of France and inspired by her love of the ocean—the images show her sailing and immersing herself in the waves. Here, the model talks environmental advocacy, her favorite Chanel memories, and whether we'll ever see her back on the catwalk.
When Iprofiled you in 2019, we talked about your environmental advocacy. I know you lived with an Indigenous tribe in the Amazon for a period of time.
[I lived] with the Kisêdjê, which is the tribe in the Xingu River in the area of the Amazon. I've always been deeply connected to nature because I grew up in a small village in the south of Brazil, picking up fruit from the trees and barefoot. But it wasn't until that trip that I was able to see the impact of what humans were doing with mining and pesticides, everything that was happening with the clear-cutting of the forest, how that was impacting the Indigenous people. I was always very connected to nature. But for them it was on a whole different level. Spending those 10 days there shifted my entire perspective.
That's when your environmental awakening really began.
I started theLuz Foundationin 2007. It was my way of saying, "I'm going to designate a percentage of what I make to different causes that I believe in." Because initially, I was just donating money to a bunch of stuff. And then my accountant said, "Gisele, you have to have a foundation!" Initially, I was just focused on environmental causes, and once I became a mom, I was like, "I need to help women and children."
I also became a board member ofLotus House, which is an amazing organization here in Miami. It is the largest women's shelter in America—they've taken over 15,000 women and children off the streets and gotten them back on their feet. And now they've opened a children's village.
You also recently joined theEarthshot Prizeas a council member.
I feel so blessed that I get the opportunity to be involved in this type of project. I don't even turn on the TV anymore because it's only gloom and doom, it's bad news, it's terrible. You feel so powerless with all the crazy things happening in the world. It's so wonderful to be a part of this council, because to be in this space with all these people who are coming up with solutions and putting all their energy into creating positive change in the world, it gives me a lot of hope.
You have a longstanding relationship with Chanel, going back to the Karl Lagerfeld era. What are some of your favorite memories over the years, given that you have such a history with the house?
[In 2014], I wasn't even really doing shows anymore. And he called and was like, "Gisele, I'm going to do this show, it's about women's empowerment. I'm going to give you a megaphone, and you're going to be a surprise in the middle of the show." And I'm like, "Okay."
I was actually at that show! I think it was my first Chanel show ever.
Another memory that was so fun for me: We were shooting a Chanel campaign in the middle of Paris, and I was barefoot. Imagine the streets of Paris—and I was barefoot!
What was it like shooting this new campaign?
Being in nature is the biggest blessing for me, because nature is my temple. It's where I reconnect with myself. So it didn't even feel like work. I was just meditating all day, relaxing, and being with the elements. It was awesome.
It feels like it very much suits your personality.
This woman [in the campaign] in the ocean, she's on her own sailing, and there's such peace. It is nourishment for the soul. It's [about] the importance of taking a pause and going inward and having this moment for yourself, this reflection.
When I was a kid, I used to write in my diary every day. It was a way of checking in with myself to reflect on what I did in my day. It was almost a gauge of where I was with myself. So I love, love, love that Chanel took this on and made it into a moment of reflection, a moment for the self. In sailing, you need to be paying attention because the winds can change. There is strength and power, but reflection and softness at the same time.
The watches that you're wearing from this collection have a sporty inspiration as well.
I got one and I was like, "Can I start wearing it already or is it going to be before it's out? Maybe I should wait until it comes out!"
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Traditionally, we think of the "watch guy," but there's been such asurge in female watch collectorslately. There are watches that cater more towards women in that they're jewelry-inspired or a bit smaller and more delicate. But you also have the oversized, sporty styles that women are really drawn to. There are just a lot more options now.
It's so funny you say that because I consider myself very sporty. I exercise pretty much every day; it's like brushing my teeth. I'm always finding ways to move my body, whether I'm taking a bike out or going paddleboarding in the ocean. I'm 45, so I'm starting to do weights. So I like a more sporty, bigger watch. I wear them all day and also at night, going out. Because I think when you wear the watch, you can even be a bit more dressed up, and that still looks chic. I don't think you need to necessarily change the watch.
But I think it's fun to change too. You don't have to have just one watch. I think it's nice to have different pieces. Why can only men have that? Excuse me!
You wrote about your wellness journey in your bookLessons. You had reached a point with the cigarettes and the late nights and all of those things that come with fashion week. How did that journey come about?
When you're in your 20s, you feel invincible, at least I did. And I started working at 14. By the time I got to my 20s, I was so conditioned because we are habitual beings. Once we get into the habit of doing certain things, we just continue them. But the things you do in your teens or in your 20s catch up to you. At that point, I was working every three days in a different country, just go, go, go. My nervous system freaked out.
Everyone was smoking and drinking and not sleeping because it was the way the fashion life was. I was getting signs: a little push, your body tells you. But sometimes you don't want to listen and you're like,okay, I'm just going to keep doing what I've always done. Until you get a punch. And then your body is not talking with you, it's screaming at you. And you're like, "Okay, I have to listen."
I would be having a mocha Frappuccino in the morning with cigarettes. Now I'm like, "What was I thinking?" I replaced those habits. I started doing breathwork every morning, yoga, I started running, I went on a diet; there was no sugar, only proteins and vegetables. To reset myself. And then everything changed. I became aware of my body in a way that I was never before because I had been on a hamster wheel, just going.
The last time you were on a catwalk was at the Olympics Opening Ceremony in Rio in 2016. Do you have any plans to return to the runway?
Every year I get this call. But I have no plans. The Olympics were such a moment; it was like a spiritual experience for me, having that runway where I was on my own. It was pretty powerful. I don't feel like I'm ever going to have a feeling like that again. I felt like,this is a great way to close this chapter. I will never say never, but I feel so fulfilled.
And the Olympics are a pretty good way to cap things off.
It was beautiful. I felt very honored to be able to do that for my country and be there at that moment. And I don't think anything is going to match that.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
J12 Caliber 12.1 38 mm watch
8350.00 at chanel.com
J12 Caliber 12.1 38 mm watch
8350.00 at chanel.com
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