UK Edition
'I hate being skinny': How supermodel Joan Smalls has become an industry trailblazer
There's been a lot of talk about diversity in fashion this year. But for all the small steps magazines have taken ( there has been a 7% rise in non-white women fronting magazine covers) and older women we've seen on the catwalk in 2016, it's hardly progress the industry should be proud of.
Which is why the impeccable CV of supermodel Joan Smalls - Puerto Rican, glossy-haired and impeccably cheek-boned - seems even more remarkable, in context. Smalls has become one of the most recognisable models in the world since she made her debut on the Givenchy catwalk in 2010. She has gone on to walk for everyone from Chanel to Burberry and appear in campaigns for Stella McCartney, Balmain and Versace. And as if you needed further proof of her fashion kudos, she's appeared in every Victoria's Secret show since 2011 and was the first Latina woman to be given a contract by Estee Lauder.
Joan Smalls on set with Replay
Perhaps inadvertently, Smalls has also become something of a spokeswoman for diversity, with her fashion clout now giving her the power to take a stand. "I feel like it has its cycles and it has its moments where you see a lot of diversity which is amazing, and I think that's how it should be because that's the world we live in, right?" she tells The Telegraph from the set of the new campaign she is starring in for denim brand Replay. "And then there are moments where you see a lack of it and I feel that sometimes people don't think about it, or it's not at the forefront. You know beauty's everywhere."
For Smalls, who has spoken before about how an early love of Victoria's Secret catalogues inspired her ambition to move to New York to become a model, it all comes back to the everyday girls who will be influenced by pictures from fashion shows. "I mean sometimes I see shows and all the cast are one skin tone. You want to feel that every race is represented or every beauty and that it's inclusive to everyone. A girl from India should be able to see the show and see someone that represents her - her skin tone, her height or whatever it is."
At 28, Small is a smidge older than the likes of Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner - often touted as the Insta-girls thanks to the huge number of social media fans they've amassed. While her following is a very healthy 1.9m, it's good old fashioned hard work which has made her so successful (in 2015, she was ranked 5th on Forbes list of the world's highest paid supermodels). "My career has always thrived on hard work and good relationships with people I work with and just continuing grinding," she laughs.
Social media does have its upsides though. "I feel like it has given everyone a platform. Before people only knew what they knew from interviews or magazines so they develop a persona that wasn't real - it was just from images. When you're just glammed up or looking bitchy, or mean or hungry. People have a conceived notion of what you are and now you can be more expressive of your personality."
For the Replay campaign which is being shot by fashion photographers Mert and Marcus, Smalls is posing in the skinniest of jeans. They are part of the new Touch collection which promises super-smooth styles which suck you in, shave off a dress size and, crucially, don't sag at the knees after you've been wearing them for five minutes. "It's like a second skin," is how Smalls describes them.
In the shots, she wears the jeans and nothing else. It's a not-so-subtle reminder that she is part of the gang of models who show the hard work they put into ensuring their bodies are honed to perfection. "I hate being skinny, and being a little weakling thing. I want to be able to take a punch and give a punch and feel empowered," says Smalls of her regular gym visits. "I knew I'd be showing my abs and butt for this so I made sure everything was tight," she adds of her preparations for today's shoot.
After months on the road hopping from city to city, Smalls is now heading back to Puerto Rico for Christmas. "It always just feels good going back home. It feels like nothing has changed. Seeing my room, the views. It like grounds you."
Joan Smalls' supermodel style tips...
On the beauty products she can't live without
"I use Estee Lauder Advance Night Repair in the morning and in the evening I mix it with moisturiser. I always use eyelash curlers - always makes you look extra 'woken'."
On living out of a suitcase
"I try to keep it light. I hate checking in bags. If I can squeeze as much as I can into a little carry on, I will do it- we are always changing and naked when we're shooting so it doesn't make a difference! You just need a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and then bring different shirts that you can pair with the pants or shorts. And then always have a pair of heels, either black or nude just in case I go out."
On what she wears off-duty
"I love wearing men's boxer shorts. So I will buy them and wear them to just curl them up on the sofa or around the house. If I have to actually go outside, I choose something slouchy. It could be cashmere slouchy pants, with Nike sliders."
On why everyone needs a great pair of jeans
"I feel denim is universal. You can wear it with whatever. You can dress jeans up, you can dress them down and it still looks amazing. I like skinny jeans. Especially if they come by my ankle because I'm so tall and it's hard to find long ones. But then I also like slouchy, baggy ones that are a little bit more boyish, because it just looks a bit cooler and easy going. Add a pair of heels to slouchy jeans, it gives you a better posture and takes the look to another level."
On the make-up look she's been doing since she was a teenager
"I've been doing the cat-eye look since I was 13/14. I would steal my sister's eye-liner and do a little baby kitten eye. So I love how that looks on women and on myself. It looks sophisticated and mysterious but polished at the same time. Being in this industry your meant to be creative and fun. It's a form of expression you know to do things differently and you know why not. We have so much access to inspiration that it's nice to try it on yourself, on your days off, or when your doing a red carpet."
On her fitness routine
"I have a gym where I live so I make sure I see it 4/5 times a week if I can. If I'm really good I will see it every day. I do interval training. So from weights, using my body weight. And it's usually just core because I have scoliosis so I have to make sure that I stay in shape so that I don't have pain and it doesn't put much pressure to the lower back. I stretch a lot, do glutes, do legs. It's always about strength and core."