MODEL / PSYCHOLOGIST / ECONOMIST

The multifaceted Renate Meyer is a London and New York based German model, economist and psychologist and a great example of the saying "beauty & brains".

She started modeling at the age of six and holds the titles Miss Planet, Miss Bulgaria, Best Child Model of the World and Face of OVS.

At the young age of thirteen, Renate became the youngest student in Germany by being invited by the University of Hamburg to start her bachelor degree in Economics. In that same year she also launched a project in school "Say NO to bullying", which got national recognition and was the first one of its kind at that time. Bullying is a topic Renate feels strongly about, she herself was a victim of bullying in school.

She finished her Economics degree at Harvard's Extension School and is currently in year three of her second degree - psychology.

Renate has always had a huge interest in all things fashion, which is why she has been attending London, New York and Milan Fashion Week each season for the last few years. After moving to the US, Renate quickly became part of New York's fashion and celebrity scene. She now spends her time between London, New York's Upper East Side and Hamburg, but considers New York her "home" and herself a "New Yorker at heart".

In the middle of the pandemic in 2021, she made her debut in the modeling world and has already been published by many international magazines and walked her first catwalk show for London Fashion Week last month.

For her diverse Instagram following of 14.6K, Renate's social media content is an interesting mix of all her interests - psychology, literature, politics and fashion. She recently launched a mental health platform on Instagram, called "The Elegant Warrior" (@elegant.warrior). The purpose of it is to create a safe space for people, educate them about all things mental health and open a discussion about a topic, which is still surrounded by a lot of stigma.

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Moevir Magazine April Issue 2022 featured edition

[Renate Meyer]

https://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/2199704

Model Renate Meyer @renatemeyer

Photographer Robert Altman @robertaltmanphoto

Makeup Artist Tiffany Anne @tiffanyannemua

Hair Stylist Sara Viklund @sara_viklund

Wardrobe Stylist Tiana Marcano @Undefined models @tiana_marcano

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Tell us something about you. Maybe your life, profession, habit, dream.

As, I think, we all do, I am, too, dreaming of finding happiness (the greatest success). I don't think there is one particular model of a happy life, although many movies and ads convince us of the exact opposite. I do believe that the lessons we learn from life's hardships are fundamental to our later successes. When I was younger I moved countries quite a bit and was faced (as many of us are) with bullying. 

That made me get to know myself better and understand and learn more about people's behavior. It made me stronger, more determined. It taught me to not just stand by, but to fight for a change. It showed me that even in a society where people have seemingly equal chances for success, the reality needs to change and it's our responsibility to fight for it.

Life's many difficulties, ironically, gave me the opportunity to succeed, no matter the circumstances. Moving to different countries taught me to adjust to new environments quickly, to work even harder. I learnt that a person is a "foreigner" only if he can't find meaning in the society he is living in.

I think that the hardships that I've faced, the lessons I've learned are my privilege, because they made me more responsible with myself, they changed me for the better and made me grow. And it is our own growth, I believe that we can help and inspire others to learn and heal, too. 

These experiences help us find happiness, which is connected to the unconditional love of our own life, ourselves, what we are and to the meaning we give to our existence.

From mathematics to psychology and now also modeling - how do you manage it?

By waking up at 5.30 every morning. Haha.

My ambition and work ethic, as well as gratitude, played a huge role. Eating healthy, being sober and just taking care of our body and mind is often underestimated.

I believe that we are all geniuses in our own way and we can achieve anything that we set our mind to. The trick is to work hard, be consistent and to also accept and learn from life's setbacks.

What made you pursue modeling?

I've always been interested in fashion and all things couture and have a big circle of friends in the industry. In the last few years I did a bit of modeling for designer friends, as a favor, looking at it as a fun thing to do. My friend, designer Kaushik Velendra, was my motivation and the person who pushed me to look into it. And here I am, one Fashion Week catwalk show and multiple editorials later… I am very much enjoying it, it's a great way to be creative and meet lots of interesting people.

Where does your inspiration come from?

I am very grateful for my upbringing, my parents and grandmother. I most certainly wouldn't be where I am today, if it wasn't for them. Life is never easy, but I choose to look at it as a series of lessons, which we can use to our advantage. 

My biggest source of support and inspiration is the person I am seeing. His name is Richard Hains and he is truly the most extraordinary human being I've ever met. He is a hedge fund manager and award-winning novelist  (author of "Chameleon"). 

Besides that, he is also a father, architect, petrol head, who plays polo, surfs, skies, snowboards, flies gliders and has the general knowledge of all of Wikipedia. He has the biggest heart and inspires me that we can go through a lot in life and still be so many things and remain humble. I grew a lot because of him. His wisdom, support and outlook on life inspires me daily and I'm hoping to keep growing and one day become more like him. 

I think the beauty of a healthy relationship is that the other person brings out the best in you, inspires and challenges you and is, ideally, before anything, your best friend, too.

If you had a superpower or talent, which one would you wish to have? Why?

The ability to heal all the hurt souls in this world and to keep everyone's conscience alive. Because the soul isn't like the conscience - the soul can feel pain. And the conscience is the "judge", who can help people handle the hatred, jealousy, anger, greed (as well as all the other bad) in the world.

If you could go back to the past, is there anything you would change?

There are definitely things I would have done differently if I had known what I know
now, but I believe that I had to go through those experiences to be where I am today.

What's your mantra?

"I want to beg you, as much as I can, dear sir, to be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves like locked rooms and like books that are written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.