How Lily Cole Swapped Modelling For Social Activism

One of the top 30 models of the 2000's, Lily Cole, apparently does not fit most people's expectations of a supermodel, BBC reported on Monday.

Starting her career as a model for fashion photographers when she was only 13, she has indeed lived a very lucrative life in front of the lens. From the catwalks of the fashion world's most prominent and main fashion events, Cole has enjoyed a jet-set lifestyle and as earned an estimated fortune of $12 million. She has worked with the likes of Chanel, Luis Vuitton, Jean Paul Gaultier and Versace.

Now 28-years-old, she took the time off her lavish modelling career to attend Cambridge, which she graduated from with a double first in the history of art. She has also engaged into acting and today has decided to leave her career and shifted her consciousness and attention in running a social enterprise called Impossible and acting from time to time.

A website that can arrange to do a job for someone else for free, Impossible allows users to request for something to be done like finding someone to walk their dog and offer services such as guitar lessons. Cole revealed that she had been thinking of the concept for a long time now and only finally started the London-based website after her friends told her that it was a brilliant idea. When the site was finally launched, a number of critics accused the model of being too idealistic or even naïve.

"I wouldn't even bother giving them my opinion. You can be business minded and still be socially responsible. Social business has been tried and tested, and even though it is not the norm, there are lots of examples of it working that you can point to," Cole said.

Cole shares that her working life puts her in two different worlds. She also takes her time to attend events where she can promote her enterprise. According to the managing direct of Chivas, Sophie Gallois, Cole is dedicated to her current endeavour. "Social enterprise is a subject that Lily is clearly very passionate about," Gallois said.

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