On October 10 and 11, Vogue hosted its 3rd annual Forces of Fashion conference in New York City. The theme of this year’s conference was “Forces of the Future,” and the two days were filled with conversations on where all aspects of the fashion industry are today and what’s next in the future.
There were 20 speakers present at the conference, and they were interviewed on a number of topics within the fashion industry. Some of this year’s speakers included Cardi B, Tom Ford, Tory Burch, Prabal Gurung and Donatella Versace, accompanied by Anna Wintour herself.
One of the most notable sessions took place on the first day of the conference. Cindy Crawford and Kaia Gerber were interviewed by Tonne Goodman in their session titled, “Their Lives in Pictures.” They discussed a range of topics, from their different experiences in the industry to how it has brought them closer.
The session began with photos from the past — from a shot of a young Gerber and Crawford in 2003, to Crawford’s first Vogue cover in 1986. Goodman then displayed a picture from Gerber’s recent shoot for Vogue’s 2019 November issue.
The two discussed their different experiences upon entering the modeling industry at a young age. Crawford entered the modeling world at 16 and moved to New York City at 20, and says that everything was new — from the modeling industry to moving to a city that she knew nothing about.
As the daughter of a supermodel, Gerber’s experience entering the industry was different, but she says there was still a lot of things she had to learn, such as social media. One thing that models now deal with is constant coverage of their lives from social media, Gerber shared.
“As models now, you see us from the second we wake up until we go to sleep, and not just seeing us all done up, which I think is really nice to realize you’re not always looking like how you look on the cover of Vogue, but it also takes away a bit of that kind of magic and almost suspense for what’s going to come next,” she says.
Another main topic of discussion in the session was how the modeling industry is changing in a positive way. With movements such as #MeToo and Time’s Up and models finally speaking up about their experiences, Gerber says she has seen positive changes in the industry.
Crawford expanded on the subject with her own experience of saying no to certain things that she didn’t feel comfortable with during shoots.
“Sometimes they don’t like that you say no … but now models feel more empowered to say no,” she says.
The concluding discussion of the session was about how the mother and daughter pair has become closer through the modeling industry. They reminisced on the moments they’ve gotten to spend together in the field, from the 2017 Versace tribute show that the pair walked in, to just being able to do interviews together.
“It’s definitely brought us closer and for that, you know, I’m eternally grateful for this industry for doing that,” Gerber says.
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