There is a chameleonic dimension to this model’s look (at once a bashful Twiggy, an androgyne gallerina and a classic Parisienne), which might go some way towards explaining why taste-makers, like the stylist Carlos Nazario and Vogue’s own global director of talent and casting, Rosie Vogel-Eades, are placing bets on Nutter being a face of the future. “Like a lot of girls, I never felt pretty in school. I felt quite insecure. But looking back at pictures of myself when I was little, I always seemed into the idea of being a model,” she says. “My mum has photos of me when I was seven, posing in handmade dresses. I guess I was always into fashion but never realised?”
Here, Nutter reflects on her introduction to the fashion month circus, the realities of working as an emergent model, the designers on her bucket list, and her future plans to “bring the ladies together”.
Hey Freya! How would you like to introduce yourself?
“My name is Freya Nutter. I’m 19 and I was born in England but raised in the Humboldt County of California. I model and do lots of artwork and love the outdoors. Now that I live in a city, I feel really lucky to have grown up near the redwoods and the ocean. It taught me that connecting with nature is connecting with myself and I think that can sometimes get shut off when you live in chaos and sirens.”
How did you get your big break?
“My mum’s friend is a friend of a friend of the director of [talent agency] The Squad. I was finishing school, and wanted to make use of my British passport, so I moved to London and the ball started rolling from there.”
Did you ever consider modelling as a viable career?
“Like a lot of girls, I never felt pretty in school. I felt quite insecure, so modelling never even crossed my mind. But looking back at pictures of myself when I was little, I always seemed into the idea. My mum has pictures of me when I was seven, posing in handmade dresses. I guess I was always into fashion but never realised? I never had my own sense of style, though, and would wear whatever everyone else did. I’m from a small, hippyish town where everyone surfs and so I’d dress in boyish clothes like big jeans and Air Force trainers. Where I come from, nobody thinks about fashion. But now that I’ve gotten into it, I’ve realised I’m the luckiest girl in the world… There are superficial parts to the industry, of course, but it’s important to remember that models are all real people with their own opinions and hobbies. And, like, when would I ever meet so many people from all over the world? It’s just so special.”
How was your first experience of fashion month?
“So this was the first fashion season I’ve worked at, and it was the best month of my life. It went far beyond my expectations. I got busier and busier as the season went on and I could never predict what was going to happen from one day to the next. It’s so much fun to meet all the girls at the beginning, and then recognise them in castings, and travel to all these different cities together. It was my friend Gesa’s first season, too, and we really bonded over that. Oh, and our love of camping. It was just such great vibes. I think it taught me to push myself – to dress in weird things that I wouldn’t usually feel comfortable in. It’s being in the industry but it’s also getting to know myself better. I’ve started dressing how I want to dress, not for the male gaze or anyone else. These days, I just wear baggy nine-year-old boy’s clothes. I love a weird little pattern, too, or tying a ribbon somewhere for a bit of fun.”
