“Identity does not depend on the dress you are wearing”

The supermodel Dji Dieng arrived in Kyiv on invitation from the Ukrainian Fashion Week to take part in First Profession, a charity project. It’s only natural, since the Parisian model is famous in the world of vogue not only thanks to her legs (the longest among the world’s top models) and the impressive record of cooperation with famous brands and fashion media. She is also known as a charitable model, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador to Sri Lanka, the recipient of the Award for Humanity and the United Nations Volunteer Award. In her interview with The Day Dji relates that charity for her is a family tradition, and emphasizes that a stellar status does not exempt an individual from behaving as befits a human being.

You know, this morning I entered your MySpace page and I saw there the very nice words, “A Supermodel with a Heart.”

“Oh thank you (laughs).”

I want to talk with you about fashion and humanity, how they are connected. How would you describe the current atmosphere in the fashion world, after the crisis? Is fashion sensitive enough to respond to such catastrophes as the one that just hit Japan? How can it respond?

“I’m very sorry about what happened in Japan. I hope the fashion thing that’s starting now will help to create a site and collect money to help the Japanese.”

How close is the connection between fashion and charity?

“It all depends… It’s not tight, no, it is not. I think we can do more for humanitarian aid. It depends on the people who want to do it or not, but we have to. We must keep telling people, yeah, yeah, yeah, we have to do that, we have to do that, because it is very important.”

You do charity work on professional level, so to speak. What is the top priority for you, fashion or charity?

“Charity.”

Fashion for charity, right?

“It’s charity.”

How has your vision of charity changed with your development? I mean from the moment when you dreamed about the catwalk until now?

“I didn’t dream about the catwalk. I went to school like a normal girl, and these things happen. For me the main thing I needed was to help people, to help kids. We change the world. Maybe, even if I was not a model, I would also work for charity. I was born with that. I see my grandmother doing that, I see my mother doing that, so…”

It’s like a family tradition?

“Yeah.”

What are the challenges you think charity faces on the whole? What must it overcome?

“Oh, challenges… Well, you must change a lot of things. And I hope you can make it.”

What are those things we have to change, for example?

“The mind of people, you have to change the [situation of the] poor, because there are so many awful things. I mean, there are so many people who don’t live without money, they even cannot stay one minute without eating. And people have to change their minds, also because, you see, people go to a supermarket, they buy everything-everything-everything… And one week later they can throw it away. So the first thing to change is people, they have to change their minds, because it’s like if you can eat everything, somebody else cannot eat everything, and then later on you throw it away. This is a fashion. So people have to change their minds and think about other people who don’t even have one euro to live on for days.”

Is it easy or not to keep your identity – because you keep changing images all the time, from one show to another, you always have a different face, so to speak?

“This is just a show, but identity is something that you have by yourself. It is not just because you wear this dress, or you have this make-up, or other things… It isn’t as if with new make-up you can say, ok, I’m gonna be another girl… No, no! Your identity is you. It’s just work, it’s a part of your job, so… After the show you will be who you are again. You go home, you have to clean, cook — to be a normal girl!”

What is fashion for you now? Is it just a job, or is it a world in which you live, or what?

“It’s a job. I also have some engagements I live for — I live and die for. It’s a job, yes.”

Have you already met Ukrainian children?

“Yes.”

What are your impressions?

“Two days ago I went to an orphanage, it took one hour and a half to drive there. I was very surprised. They were very encouraging. They made a very nice dress for me, they spoke Spanish, English, everything… I said, wow, I was lucky. And they are very lucky because of where they are, it is very good. And also I met Christiana, who lives very far off and came by train, from some 700 kilometers, and we collected money, around 6,000 dollars, but next time we are going to do more. Also, we are going to build a line to have here, because it is very, very difficult.”

Where are you planning to go after Ukraine?

“After Ukraine I’m going to Dubai, and then I’m going to Senegal, in West Africa — my country.”

Could you say a couple of words about your life, where you were born...?

“I was born in Senegal, and I grew up in Paris. My family moved to Paris when I was 10. I’m Senegalese and French. My father was in the military, my mother, she works in a boulangerie, that’s a bakery in English. So I have a normal life, good education, [though] very strict…”

On education. I think that everyone asks you how you keep your body fit, but I also know that you can speak seven languages. Thus, how do you keep your mind fit? There is a danger of degradation in every profession, and I think it applies to models, too. So how do you keep your mind fit?

“To keep my mind fit, I always remember what my grandma told me.”

Which is?

“Be yourself. Respect people. If you don’t respect yourself, people cannot respect you. And always keep your feet on the ground. No matter who you are, no matter where you go, always remember that education matters. She started [to teach me this] when I was nine, and she taught me everything. So I always say, ‘Thank you for the education you gave me.’ Because without this, I would be lost. Without education we are lost. And it is very important to respect yourself, and not pretend... Just because you’re a superstar, or a star, or a model, do you have to act in an appalling way? No. You always have to remember where you come from. That’s why you should have respect.”

In Ukraine we have some problems with our identity, because our country was colonized by Russia, perhaps you know, and now we have problems because our sovereign state is only 20 years old. So now people are lost. People who come from one country, and then go to another — maybe you also have an identity crisis, or do you manage to keep it all together?

“Yes, it’s okay for me because we also were colonized by the French… And the identity — you cannot lose it, no.”

I want to ask you about Ukraine, about some interesting details which might have sprung to your attention and surprised you.

“It’s the first time that I’ve come to Ukraine. Of course I know about Ukraine, and I’ve heard about Ukraine because my best friends come from Ukraine…”

And who are they? Are they also models?

“Yes, they are models, and they are my best friends. And I know the food, I know about the way of life…”

I think we can say now that you’re a little bit Ukrainian, too.

“Yes.”