In Conversation with

Rebecca Donaldson

Rebecca Donaldson arrives for our interview in London’s Soho with two sizable steel suitcases in tow. The following day, she explains, she’ll be off to “Paris with Chanel”; then, after a weekend at home, she’ll be flying to Bahrain, before she jets over to “Kyoto with Dior.” After that she’ll be briefly touching down in Jeddah for the Formula 1 Grand Prix where her boyfriend, the F1 driver Carlos Sainz, will be competing.

It’s a dizzying, not to mention incredibly glamorous, schedule—yet Donaldson is relaxed, warm, and chatty on the day we meet. As she points out, her real personality often doesn’t come across very well on social media, where she posts shoots and campaigns that might make her seem “a bit cold.” In fact, she says, she’s far more “goofy” than people think.

Maison Ë First off, where did you get your start in modeling? What was your first big break?

Rebecca Donaldson I started when I was 17. I was in this local competition while I was still at school. It was super fun, we had weeks of practice, we put on a show, and I ended up winning it. One of the judges was a makeup artist, so after the show she suggested we do some shoots together. An agency saw the images and signed me off the back of that.

M.Ë Were your family and friends surprised or had you always been someone who was interested in fashion, who liked having your photo taken?

R.D. I was always a busy kid. I was super into sports, I had quite a competitive spirit, and I was outgoing. I look back at photos of me and my siblings when we were younger and my sister is standing there very calm and nice, and I’m pulling some crazy face. I’ve always had this energy. So, they probably weren’t that surprised.

M.Ë Talk us through what happened next in your career.

R.D. When models sign at a young age, they’re often thrown in at the deep end—look at runways and the girls who are walking are super young. I had a different route. I chose to go to university—I studied for four years and have an honours degree in international fashion branding. Modeling was a part-time thing for me. I was actually more interested in the fashion side of things—I was a fashion stylist, which meant I got an understanding of the full concept of a shoot.

M.Ë Do you think that will help you in your career?

R.D. Yeah, for sure. I have a degree to fall back on. Everyone always says there’s a shelf life for models. When I finish my modeling career, I can use my degree to go into different aspects of the industry.

M.Ë People tend to see the glamorous side of a model’s life but I’m sure the reality is different. Can you give us a more honest picture?

R.D. You’re traveling a lot and as much as I feel lucky, it’s very tiring. You’re also meeting a lot of people but you’re meeting them for maybe 24 hours and then you’re on to the next thing. So, it can be quite lonely. It can also involve long hours and lots of waiting around. But if you’ve got a good team, it’s a nice working experience.

M.Ë What do you do to recharge your batteries?

R.D. Because I travel so much, I just want to be home in my own bed, with my friends and family and my boyfriend, not doing much, just having an easy time.

M.Ë Are there any things that didn’t come particularly naturally to you, that you’ve had to work on?

R.D. Accepting rejection. You hear a lot of no’s. It brings on a lot of self doubt and you ask yourself why you weren’t good enough, why they didn’t pick you. Over the years, I’ve become more understanding, accepting that my appearance might not be right for that job but it might be right for another. One face and one beauty can’t fit all.

M.Ë You’ve got these wonderfully engaged followings on Instagram and TikTok but you use those platforms in different ways. Talk us through your approach.

R.D. Instagram is more of a promotion platform for your work and it’s more aesthetic. TikTok is different, it’s more authentic. It’s weird for me, because in modeling you have to be very put together. I’m still getting comfortable with TikTok. People are surprised by my personality because on Instagram I just look a bit cold, no? Whereas actually my personality is quite goofy.

M.Ë Finally, let’s look at the fashion industry more broadly. What are you most excited about when you look at the future?

R.D. I’m definitely seeing a shift in less fast fashion, and I hope the trend is going towards people investing in quality pieces and investing in a good staple wardrobe. With social media, there’s this pressure that you can’t wear the same outfit twice. Fast fashion brands are being more conscious and I hope consumers are trying to be more conscious themselves.