New York Living

After hearing about it a few weeks ago in the interview below, we now have official confirmation that Freja has moved to New York.

@ 1:10

Here is the direct quote from her official site:

She has moved to NY earlier this week and hasn't got any Internet connection up running yet, so unfortunately she can't monitor this board right now.

When I first heard about it in the interview, I thought maybe Freja was talking about getting a second apartment. You know, a place to land whenever she's in the city for work, which has been quite often of late. After all, she's made no secret of her love for Denmark and her satisfaction living there. So it's a little surprising to me that she would make this move now.

For the past five years Freja has successfully managed to do her job very well, all while maintaining a home base in Copenhagen. Her career is totally established and she's well known and (I'm assuming) well paid enough to live wherever she wants to. So why would she choose to make this move now?

Only Freja can answer that question, but that's not going to stop me from mulling it over and coming up with some reasons as to why I think she moved now.

1. We've seen a very steady uptick recently in the amount of work Freja has put out. Perhaps things reached a fever-pitch and the move was a necessary, common sense response for her heath and sanity's sake. Constantly traveling across the globe definitely takes it's toll on the body and it's circadian rhythms.

2. In addition to dressing the part now, Freja is finally committing to the fashion industry and fully accepting her role within it. This move is just the last piece of the puzzle. Most girls move within a few months after starting their career so Freja's situation is definitely an anomaly. She stayed true to her "rebel" reputation and did things her own way. Simultaneously, this move could also be seen as a sign of maturity in that she's growing out of this rebel phase and into adulthood. Which brings me to....

3. Freja's reached that point in her life where she wants more independence and freedom. She wants to live completely on her own terms, to see if she's strong enough to survive in a new city. She has matured into young adulthood and moving away from home is the most tangible expression of that. I think we all feel something similar when we transition from our teens into our twenties, so maybe it's no coincidence that this move coincides with her 22nd birthday. It also helps that...

4. All her model friends live in NY and hang out together. Maybe Freja just didn't want to be apart from that any more. Yes, she has her family and childhood friends in Denmark, but there comes a point in one's life when you just want to strike out on your own. And friend geography helps you determine where that should happen. I know that I'm living where I am because of my friends.

5. The lure of the city that never sleeps was just too strong to deny any longer.

6. Her motivations are none of the above and not professionally related at all. If this is the case, then it's none of our business. :)

Do you think I'm missing anything? Even though I can't figure out why Freja moved now, this is exciting for us fans because of it's implications. New York is one of the centers of the fashion industry, so Freja's move to it implies that we'll be seeing even more work from her. It also implies that she'll be sticking around a lot longer than any of us thought.

Proof positive that things can and do change for the better. If you told me one year ago that Freja was going to start an official site, have one of her best campaign seasons ever and move to NY I would have called you crazy. Knowing that all this has actually happened in the past year, I'm excited and a little scared to see where we'll be one year from now.

BTW, thanks everyone for the wonderful comments yesterday about the anniversary of this blog and Freja's b-day. You would think a few words from people you don't know wouldn't make a difference, but they do. They make all the difference in the world.

London Debut?

Was I on to something when I wrote this post back in June? Freja posted a new blog entry on her official site:

... here we go again! Fashion week in new york, where ill do my little turn on the catwalk, on the catwalk. Been here, at my home away from home, for a few days to catch up with friends and check out sweet jewelry at maria tash (broadway/bleeker i believe for those who might be interested in some nice piercing jewelry), after having been in europe, mainly Denmark all summer. Pretty sweet to get started again and lulled into it here in new york, before london, milan and paris gets it turn. Ill try to sneak a few pictures for you guys with some blackberry action and post them here during all of this!
Hope everyone had a great summer, i sure did! Back to "work"/play
- Freja

Perhaps we'll be seeing her in London for the first time! I won't actually believe it until I see it, but things are looking good. She's had a steady stream of work, which I hope will translate into a lot of bookings. And since Burberry Prorsum, Pringle of Scotland and Jonathan Saunders have all moved their shows to London this season, there is no better time for Freja's to make her catwalk debut over there.

The only down side is that us fans won't get those few days in between New York and Milan as a breather. :)

Official Blog

Yes it's official. There is a blog up at frejabeha.com and two entries have been posted so far. If you haven't seen it already, you should definitely go check it out. Freja is writing a bit (quite well I might add) and posting pictures as well. I never thought this would actually happen, but I think it's wonderful that she's reaching out to fans. Perhaps a turning point and the beginnings of a changed role for Freja as a model? Will we see her hamming it up in more backstage pictures? Will we get more interview clips and sound bytes?

Maybe this has been a gross misconception on my part, but Freja always seemed to shy away from any media attention. At least when we compared her to other models who attained the same stature and level of success. We rarely saw her at fashion week parties and events. She always stayed true to her casual, laid-back personal style. She's never once attended the Met Gala. And her backstage candids are decidedly boring in their normalcy, for we rarely saw dramatic posing from her. Don't get me wrong, I don't see any of these things as a bad things; rather, I see them as the things that made me so intrigued by Freja in the first place.

I know two posts on this official blog does not necessarily mean that all these aspects of Freja have changed or will change, but I can't help but get the feeling that they're the first step. Freja seems to be embracing her role as a model much more openly. Nowadays, that role comes with a certain level of expected fan interaction and she is indulging that as well. Especially in this age of instant communication that the internet has afforded us, niche cultivations proliferate when you can instantly see the latest editorials, ads and runway shots with the click of a mouse. You can easily find forums populated by lots of other fans and together you can build and increase your love over a favorite model, musician or actor. Pretty soon, you expect your "celebrities" to love you back by providing inside glimpses into their lives. You want to feel special and you want to feel like your admiration is not all for naught. You want your celebrity to appreciate you as much as you appreciate them. It's a pretty ridiculous and self-entitled conceit when you step back and really think about it.

Once again, you've caught me on a day where I'm just a jumble of thoughts and this blog has become my outlet, so thank you for indulging me if you've read this far. To sum up, I love that Freja is making the effort to connect with her fans and I love that her blog posts show off her humor and sarcastic wit. I'm confused as to what this all means for her role within fashion, because as I saw it, she played her part as the rebel girl quite well. Being a rebel means going against the norms set by others, so now that this seems to be changing I don't know what to think.

We'll have to just wait and see what happens with the SS shows and if there are any noticeable changes. And for your time, the newest picture from the official site:

Any comments or thoughts appreciated. Even if you just want to tell me to shut the hell up.

Official Site?

Word of an official site for Freja appeared today on various fashion forums. The URL frejabeha.com was a non-functional site the last time I visited it a few months ago, but now it's up and running with a gallery and forum. It appears to be legitimate and to be monitored by Freja's father, Ingmar. Freja herself is apparently registered there and already has a few posts answering questions from fans. Also, if you glance through the photo albums, some never before seen photos have been uploaded.

Which leads to the following question: Is this for real? I want to think it is, but my jaded self has learned that things can rarely be believed on the internet. So I really don't know. I guess we shall see with time. BUT if this is legitimate, what a nice way to reach out to fans! Marks a surprising change in Freja's fan interaction thus far. Maybe she's realized the size and fervor of her fan base? After all, she is consistently the most viewed model on tFS besides Kate Moss. And this past month, thanks to the amazing and dedicated work of tFS member candlebougie, we found out she overtook the #1 spot from Kate, who is arguably one of the most famous models in recent history. This is quite the accomplishment for someone who doesn't receive nearly the same amount of exposure and press.

Let's face it, we all know Freja isn't a Coco Rocha in terms of letting us fans know what she's been up to. Up until now with this official site, she has been pretty mysterious, which maybe explains why her fans are so enthralled with her. We really don't know much about her! We're lucky to even get a few street style shots per season, and the last FTV interview on record was from 2006 I think. But as a model, Freja really has no obligation to provide anything beyond what is presented through her work. And the fact that we as fans have come to expect more really speaks to the changing landscape of communication these days. With applications like facebook, twitter and blogger we have become used to (and we unfairly demand) a level of accessibility that has never existed before.

I doubt Freja will read this, but for those who do, what are your thoughts on this new official site? Real? Fake? Who cares as long as we get new pictures? Shut up and don't ruin this because you're making a fool of yourself with your analysis? :) Comments and thoughts appreciated.

And for your time, the new pictures from the site: