Jodie Kidd is beyond busy. The supermodel, who has graced the covers of glossy magazines such as Elle, Tatler and Officiel, strutted the runway for fashion designers including Moschino and Jaeger, and now counts TV presenting, running her own pub and motherhood among her many roles, is planning a summer wedding and marketing her sustainable, ethical beauty brand Skin & Tonic.
‘It’s ridiculous, really,’ she admits when quizzed about her schedule and resulting plate-spinning. ‘I’m like: Dee-dee- diddle-iddle.’ She makes frantic-running around motions with her arms. It’s a lot but Jodie, 45, isn’t complaining.
As well as looking after Indio, her 13-year-old son who she calls Indie, Jodie also runs several businesses including an eco-conscious fashion line Manava, a food range and the organic skincare brand. She ‘blames’ it on her tween son, who has taught her to make the environment a priority.
‘I’ve learned so much from Indie,’ she says. ‘Schools are really on it now, they’re really teaching the younger generations to be aware and doing it in a non-terrifying way – just a very supportive, loving-the-planet-kind-of way.’
Becoming a parent has made Jodie ‘a million per cent’ more eco- conscious. ‘I know I fly a lot,’ she says,’ but I try and balance it with doing good things and planting trees. And with my family, it’s important that we just do little things every day, like using reusable glass bottles, recycling, not using plastic bags.’
Jodie recently teamed up with Kia to launch their new electric vehicle, the EV9, which involved a death- defying stunt wearing a protective suit while sitting on a coil emitting more than a million volts of electricity. ‘We obviously had mega health and safety on the shoot,’ she says, while insisting the element of danger made it ‘terrifying and fun.’
‘I had full-on lightning bolts coming out of my fingers,’ she explains. ‘It’s definitely something I will remember forever.’
Her business portfolio is her current focus which marks a new chapter since leaving behind what she’s previously described as a ‘chaotic’ lifestyle. After being spotted at 15 by fashion photographer Terry O’Neill, Jodie quickly became one of the world’ s most sought-after supermodels. But behind the scenes she experienced severe anxiety and panic attacks – one on the runway – which eventually led her to reassess her career.
‘Now,’ she says, ‘everything seems to be gelling, which is wonderful. Having a lot of new companies does take a lot of effort, but I love to be busy and create lovely, good things.’
Here, Jodie talks to The Ethicalist about beauty and business
The Ethicalist: You’ve been the face of many brands in your modelling career so why get involved with a beauty brand now and why this one?
Jodie: I reached a point where I wanted to be a lot more invested in something special. I came across Skin & Tonic years ago and I loved the brand and the results of the skincare products. I feel very lucky to be a shareholder and the Creative Director. I love working behind the scenes and not just being the face of the brand.
‘We are bamboozled by chemicals these days, whether you’re swimming in it or opting for toxic beauty products. Brands using organic ingredients are the way forward now’
TE: Tell us what is so special about Skin & Tonic?
The results are so visible. As a consumer, I loved what it did to my skin, and when I began to learn more about the brand’s ethos, the clean beauty, the simple but very active ingredients, I just loved it. We are in a world now where we have so many chemicals around us. Living in the countryside and eating food from my kitchen garden made me think twice about what I was putting on my skin, and then came Skin & Tonic!
TE: How hands on are you in the running of the business?
I am Creative Director, so I am as hands on as you could possibly be! I really have a lot of involvement with product development, marketing and decision-making for the brand.
TE: What are your favourite products from your own brand?
There are so many that I love! But I’d have to say the Plump Up Hydration Serum, Fresh Face Exfoliating Water and Calm Down Face Oil. It’s all cruelty-free, natural, with no nasty additives or toxins, and plastic-free packaging which is recycled and recyclable. We work with Orean as our manufacturing partner, which is one of the leading makers of skincare formulations in the world. Orean is a certified B Corporation which means they meet the highest standards of social and environmental impact.
TE: Which products would we find in your make up bag that you use all the time and really can’t live without?
I love a good mascara, a very light concealer and a highlighter, and I have a great love for Rose Inc and Chanel. I am never without a lip balm – Skin & Tonic, of course!
TE: Any beauty secrets and tips for women over 40?
Since I’ve been over 40, I have really seen that my skin likes much more simplistic products. There are so many products out there that are harsh on your skin, for example, a strong retinol, and I used to really react to these. I found that my skin much preferred clean, organic, non- chemical, all-natural ingredients. I think that when your skin gets a little bit more sensitive, especially in your 40s, try to simplify things.
TE: Why is a natural brand like this so important?
We are bamboozled by chemicals these days, whether you are swimming in it, using bleach in the sink, or opting for toxic beauty products. For the health of our skin, clean beauty brands that use all natural, organic ingredients are the way forward.
TE: We read that you quit your modelling career after suffering a panic attack on the catwalk. How did you cope with that?
This was a long time ago, but yes – I needed to get back to the English countryside in Sussex, riding horses again, taking long nature walks, and to be grounded. After a crazy 10 years in the modelling world, it was time to return home, and moving back really helped me to overcome my anxiety.
TE: Your beauty brand is organic and ethical, you say you care about the environment, but you love motor racing, and admit you fly a lot. How do you offset those two things?
I am very aware that I love both motor racing and clean beauty, and it’s a bit of a conundrum, but it’s all about balance. I try to offset my carbon footprint by planting trees and trying to be as conscious about things as I possibly can, especially around the house. As a household, we’re very into recycling and we’re really focused on minimalism. I am always looking for new ways to be as environmentally friendly as possible as a family.
TE: You were involved in launching an electric car for Kia – do you drive an electric car now?
I have an electric van from Ford – the E-Transit. We do all of our deliveries with it and try to use that as much as possible. Unfortunately, we live down a two mile long track which floods a lot, so we have to be quite conscious about not getting stranded!
TE: What do you do to help the environment in everyday life?
We grow our own vegetables, and we buy local produce wherever possible. If we have to pay slightly more for that, we will. We actively avoid buying food that has travelled long distances and we recycle as much as we can. We also plant trees every year.
TE: What’s your most important environmental message – is there anything we should all be doing to help the planet?
I think fashion is a massive one, and we have to be very conscious about not buying fast fashion. The dyes, the processes, the way that they are doing things in fast fashion now is simply terrible. We need to stop these online fast fashion retailers.
TE: How involved is your son Indie in your decisions about the environment? Does he get you out doing beach cleanups or waving a banner protesting?
He is very aware of the environmental plights we have around us. We don’t protest, but we have joined our local beach cleanups. The schools are also very good at teaching children about the environment. As a family, we want to be as aware and as proactive as we possibly can be. skinandtonic.uk
This article was originally published in the first print edition of The Ethicalist
