Malibu Magazine - Fall 2009 issue

Tatjana is featured in the fall 2009 issue of Malibu Magazine with pictures by P.Dixon and an interview.








You know her face, and you know the song. The second you hear it, her timeless beauty comes to mind.


Tatjana Patitz helped make George Michael a household name appearing in his iconic noir-ish music video lip-syncing the words to his hit “Freedom” along with other supermodel luminaries of the ’90s: Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington. She was a powerhouse then and she is a powerhouse now.


Patitz has graced the covers of more than 160 magazines and modeled for some of the most important designers of an era including Chanel, Calvin Klein, Chloe, Ellen Tracy, Enka, Versace, Longines, Umberto — the list goes on forever — and she’s appeared in campaigns for Revlon and Ralph Lauren. She’s been in front of the lenses of photography’s masters including Herb Ritts and Peter Lindbergh, and has appeared in TV and film roles to round out a stellar career.
She was born in Germany, raised in Switzerland, but her heart is in Malibu, where she lives today. For Patitz, life after modeling has been equally as rewarding. She has matured into a loving mother, and a woman grounded in nature with a passion for the safety and well being of wild horses. She has come to embody on the inside what we see on the outside through charitable works on behalf these beautiful creatures.
Malibu Magazine had a chance to talk with her recently about her distinguished career and some of her ambitions beyond modeling, while being photographed by her favorite photographer, the always-amazing Philip Dixon.


Tell us a bit about your childhood?
I was born in Germany and moved to Sweden at the age of seven. Sweden was a great place for me to grow up. I started riding horses when I was five. I spent a lot of my time in stables, and later competing in hunter jumper. I was one of those girls [that is] totally horse-obsessed!
It was a great place to grow up, a very natural place, near the ocean and I spent summers at the beaches.

How did you get into modeling?
I was 15 when a photographer asked if he could take some pictures of me. Later, he sent the pictures in for the “Look of the Year” contest in Stockholm. I won third place and went to Paris when I was 17.
Over the years, which photographer/photographers has been your favorite to work with and why?
My favorite photographers are Peter Lindbergh, Bruce Weber, Philip Dixon and Herb Ritts, just to name a few. I loved working with them because it was always a very creative, fun experience, and wonderful friendships came out of it as well.
Was there a particular moment in your career that you will never forget?
I must say, when I first landed in Paris, I knew that my life would never be the same.

What is the best advice anyone has given you?
To stay true to yourself, treat others with kindness and respect, and have integrity be a part of you always.

Where is the most exciting place that your modeling career has taken you?
I would say Kenya; that was incredible!
Any particular career highlights?
When I got my first Vogue shoot with Peter Lindbergh.

Why do you choose to call Malibu home?
I moved to Malibu in 1988. I always found [it a] refuge from a hectic world. I could still be close to a major city and still be in nature and have horses, dogs and cats.

What is your favorite thing about Malibu?
It has changed a lot since I first moved here. I love the fact that you spend most of the year outdoors. And since being in nature is very important to me, it is ideal.

What makes you happy?
To know myself and consistently expand, and to always stay curious. I love learning new things and pushing myself out of comfort zones if I must.

Are you currently involved in any new business ventures?
I have always done a lot of charity work with different organizations. My passion is the ocean, dolphins, whales and horses. I am the spokesperson for Return to Freedom, a wild mustang sanctuary in Santa Barbara County. Being a lover of nature and the environment — all that I love, I will do anything for.

Are there any drawbacks to choosing a career like modeling?
Not for me.

In your experience, what is the best and worst thing about the fashion industry?
The way I see it, it is all great because you learn also from the so-called negative. All businesses have both good and bad, if you want to divide it. I feel grateful for all the experiences that I have had and continue to have. I have met some extraordinary people in this industry and have been on many adventures, traveled to amazing places and experienced a lot. For all that, I am grateful.

Would you advocate a life of modeling to a young girl?
If it is something that she wants to do, why not?

What is next for Tatjana Patitz?
I’ve been working on putting together a documentary on the wild horses and issues [surrounding that] in the U.S. That is ultimately what I am
striving to do — doing documentaries on wildlife issues, starting here in the U.S. n


How great to see that Tatjana is back She did a lot of appearances the last few months !!

http://www.malibumag.com/

OMG so many news and pictures lately, that's great of course!

nice Interview, she should have been on the cover, though

I personally love the she remembers Herb Ritts

thanks for posting Mathilde

yes it is a very nice editorial and interview, not really easy to find outside USA I think ....
She should have been in the cover that's sure !