  Daria Werbowy will be inducted to Canada's Walk of Fame. (Toronto Sun File)
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Shocked. Proud. Ambivalent.
That’s how Daria Werbowy describes her reaction
to learning that she will be the second model, after
Linda Evangelista, to be inducted to Canada’s Walk
of Fame.
“My first reaction was like: Why? What for?” she
says, kicking back on the couch in a bright and airy
NYC photo studio after FASHION’s cover shoot. “I
was really, really surprised.” And how does she feel
now? “Part of me feels like I don’t deserve it. But part
of me feels really proud that the time and effort I’ve put into modelling is being recognized. I’ve been really
touched by that.”
The news also stirred up Werbowy’s
ambivalence about the nature of her job. “I’ve had a
lot of mixed feelings about what I do,” she confesses.
“A lot of the time, I feel like I’m part of the problem
when it comes to all the superficiality and vanity that
impacts the way girls grow up.” But ultimately, the
induction has strengthened her desire to use her success
to effect positive change. “Being honoured for
what I do has given me the confidence to continue to
do other things,” she says.
One of those “other things” is the recently
launched Brazilian Earth Colours by Daria Werbowy
makeup collection that she created for Lancôme. A
portion of profits goes to Centro Espacial Vik Muniz
in Rio de Janeiro, a non-profit arts centre run by Brazilian
artist Muniz, which focuses on at-risk youth.
“It
helps kids enrol in a regular high school, and when
they do, they can enter an arts program and learn how
to dance, sing, paint or do the trapeze,” she explains.
“It gives them a chance to explore their creative minds.”
Werbowy was introduced to the centre when she was
working in the city.
“I went there to see a show that the
kids put on, and afterwards I immediately contacted
Lancôme and told them that this is exactly what I
want to be involved with,” she recalls.
The creative
aspect of the program is important to Werbowy.
“I
didn’t want to put my name on something that I didn’t
feel personally attached to,” she says. “I went to an art
school for four years in Canada, and I feel like it’s very
important for everyone to have a creative outlet.”
Art wasn’t the only thing that shaped her formative
years.
“Living in Canada really gave me my appreciation
for nature,” she says. And it’s still the place where
Werbowy feels most at home.
“Although I don’t think
I feel really at home anywhere. I’m a Ukrainian who
was born in Poland and raised in Canada and now
lives in New York. I have nostalgia for all those places.
But Canada is where I was raised.”
This shoot (which was in early summer) was Werbowy’s
last assignment before embarking on a grand
adventure.
For the next three months, she will sail
across the Atlantic and around the Mediterranean
with her family. To some people, being isolated with
your next of kin on a little boat in the middle of the
ocean may seem like the premise for a horror movie,
but Werbowy is excited at the prospect.
“This trip has
been my dad’s lifelong dream,” she says, beaming. “It’s
a beautiful experience and an amazing opportunity
for us to be able to do something like this.”
Werbowy
is scheduled to return a few days before the Walk of
Fame ceremony in Toronto on September 6.
“Hopefully,
I’ll make it on time,” she laughs. “Otherwise, I’ll
have to hire a body double!”
