Considering Katryn has been in South Africa
for all three weeks this year, a new relationship must be difficult to
maintain, but she says they have made it work. ‘He’s really supportive of my
career and he understands when I’m travelling. He’s also really busy – always
studying! Right now, he’s at my house studying while I’m working.’ She glances
at her phone again and asks what the name of the road is that the studio is in.
‘I’m trying to get his mom to come visit. She works just down the road.’ When
Santie Kies finally slips away from work, she has nothing but praise for the
young model she has known for years. ‘She is still the same Katryn,’ she says.
‘She has a soft heart and is definitely unspoilt. She’s got class and that’s
not something you can buy.’
model
Katryn Kruger in South African
Despite having cemented herself on its radar,
Katryn still seems fascinated by the fashion world. ‘I know a lot of girls say
that they were tomboys growing up, but I really had no idea about fashion,’ she
says. ‘Growing up, we would visit my grandfather’s farm and my brother and I
would spend hours running around outside, barefoot among the cows. I just
wasn’t really interestes in very girly things. When I started working, I knew
nothing about fashion.’
Her naivety is disarming and her honesty is
endearing as she giggles her way through an account of an embarrassing fashion
moment as an industry newbie. ‘One of my first jobs in America was a Donna
Karan show. I got there and saw this beautiful Italian woman, all dressed up
and glamorous. I thought, “Oh that must be the designer.” Then this other
woman, barefoot and wearing baggy clothes, started adjusting our clothes,
telling us what to do, where to go and how to walk. At first I wondered, ‘Who
is this woman telling us what to do? Shouldn’t that be the designer’s job?” It
turned out the beautiful Italian woman was just the stylist. The barefoot woman
was Donna Karan! I started Googling designers as soon as i got home so I’d know
who’s who.’
It’s just as well she did, because since then
she has graced the runways of Givenchy, walking exclusively alongside Gisele
Bündchen; opened and closed for Valentino haute couture, and featured in the
headline-making Louis Vuitton show that became the toast of Paris Fashion Week,
thanks to its working stream train.
Katryn
Kruger in Paris
From designers to models, Katryn is no
stranger to celebrity. She’s worked with the likes of Russian supermodel
Natasha Poly and Black Swan star Mila Kunis, and has South Africa
Victoria’s Secret model Candice swanepoel’s number on her phone, but she
quickly adds, ‘We’ve more acquaintances than friends, really,’ careful no to
sound presumptuous.
But although she is still completely grounded,
there are some changes that she has been forced to make, like leaving Tygerberg
High School to complete Grade 11 and matric via online schooling. It was
getting near impossible to work and maintain normal school demands. ‘I was
studying for my final exams when I was shooting the Prada lookbook. So I was
sitting next to Steven Meisel doing economics homework!’ she says, laughing at
the thought.
Having lived and worked in all four of the
fashion capitals of the world, Katryn is keen to bring work home in the future.
She has yet to feature in a South African fashion week. She says that if she
did, she would like to walk in a KLûk CGDT show. ‘I really liked their clothing
from the ‘First Dance’ shoot [which appeared in the December issue of ELLE].’
Katryn
Kruger By Justin Polkey for Elle South Africa July 2012
Although most of her work so far has been on
the runway, Katryn confesses she enjoys editorial work more, ‘I love them both,
but with shoots you can give more of your personality to the image.’ Her
favourite thing about being on set, then? ‘If the team is fun, I don’t mind
being on set all day. It can get tiring, but if there is a good energy it’s not
so bad.’ With a cheeky grin she adds, ‘And the ELLE team is always awesome to
work with!’
