Marpessa was the name of a nymph abducted by a warrior named Idas. The god Apollo fell in love with her and if the disputes with Idas. This "brawl" Zeus forced to intervene and ask Marpessa to choose between the two. Marpessa, fearing the fickleness of the beautiful god Apollo, he opted for Idas. Its name is taken from the greek word "marpto" - kidnap and thus means "the abducted"
Then the Boiardo drew inspiration for the name of "Marfisa", a pagan warrior who appears in "The Love Orlando" and "Orlando Furioso"
And the nymph Marpessa Hennik, Dutch model immortalized by early campaign for Dolce & Gabbana in the shots of Ferdinando Scianna, probably has the same charming, irresistible beauty, fashion and so it was that kidnapped her.
Women from the physical as thin as a reed, the perfect breasts and the face of an atypical beauty associated with a little cliché, with amber skin and eyes the color of the desert and a vaguely intellectual, represented both the androgynous woman, when wearing vests, pants and cap, and both the woman from the South, the Sicilian woman, so mysterious and sexy, skinny dresses in blacks punished o voluptuously transparent, always with his magnetic face, like a "gypsy".
Marpessa has passed through the cutting edge of fashion, one of the top models, one of the great Italian fashion of the 90s and top designers. What still makes a lot of nostalgia in those who lived it. Today Marpy, as friends call him, lives in Amsterdam and Ibiza (worshiping place), with her child, is still dealing with fashion and has still maintained many friendships in this environment.
I have known long ago by the photographer Mario Gomez, a dear mutual friend. Marpessa addition to having maintained a natural beauty and charm intact, is a person of unusual simplicity and sincerity, I would say unique.
I remember a few years ago that I would share with you. It must have been 2006 and I was in my city, in Milan during fashion week. I was sitting while waiting for the parade started by Francesco Scognamiglio. The people he was just sit down and there was quite a ferment, when it came in the room to sit Marpessa, the photographers who take and take care of all the outputs of the parade began to scream and howl calling "The Marpessa" to be photographed. For five minutes I seemed to be at a rock concert. And she with her usual humble attitude and a bit 'timid smiled, he is granted a little' to his "fans" and then he settled down to enjoy the parade. This scene impressed me so far and for a moment I "lived" a small fragment of what must have been the parades of those years. Enthusiasm, sincerity, love, devotion and creative capacity that still not too crushed by the business and the speed morbid and neurotic of today, to allow artists, designers, models and photographers to emerge in the most exuberant possible creating icons immortal and incorruptible image of the time.
Marpessa, I met him again recently at a fashion show, and was then sent for his column for the fashion magazine "Friend", was granted to an interview for my blog and I'm happy to share this wonderful "chat" with all of you.

Marpessa and I

Hello Marpessa, tell us your name. And very beautiful and unique?
My parents have called Marpessa in honor of the actress Marpessa Dawn who was the protagonist of the film "Black Orpheus" by Marcel Camus, a masterpiece won an Oscar in '59, and that tells the classic Orpheus and Eurydice, staged during the carnival in Rio de Janeiro. For years we thought it was a Brazilian name but then I discovered that Marpessa was a figure of Greek mythology, as you wrote in your introduction. It was not an easy name to bear when she was little but I think it gave me character and determination .... Then in Italy is sometimes mistaken for Malpensa!

Tell us about yourself. Where are you from? Your parents? And how did you decide to pursue a modeling career. How did it go?
I was born in Amsterdam by a Dutch mother and a father bi-racial, having a Dutch mother and a father of Suriname, Dutch colony at the time and country that Italy is best known for being home to players like Clarence Seedorf, Kluivert and Gullit. His mother was a housewife very creative in the kitchen mixing with the more exotic flavors and basic Dutch in the way of things to dress "vintage" of the markets and made clothes from her, even teaching me to sew. My father was fashion designers, DJs, visual designer and now writer. So I lived in a creative environment, and since childhood I had a great interest in fashion, design, cuisine and music. The foreign fashion magazines that were scattered around the house when I was little doubt helped awaken in me the desire of becoming a model, looking at photos of Pat Cleveland and Janice Dickinson had a reference in the Netherlands was not very common at the time!
At 16, a scout suggested I go to an agency and began working almost immediately, leaving the high school where I was distracted and fannullona. After six months was the High Priestess agent Eileen Ford in Amsterdam to find new faces, but when I saw advised me to make a presentation to the eye, for the teeth and for protruding ears. Offesissima and already a little overbearing, this verdict led me to show her that I would be able to have a career despite these defects, and since not much considered the level of fashion (then) I went to Amsterdam to Milan, accompanied by my father, that having lived in Italy wanted to make sure I was not prey to some trap playboy-assed. At the first appointment by the agency already Beatrice wanted to escape the room where we waited was papered with covers of Jerry Hall, Janice Dickinson etc. and I thought of not being up: luckily a booker took my book before I could walk away and the lady Beatrice in person and immediately came to tell me that she would be happy to represent me. I was so happy and relieved that I'm not even gone to other agencies.

Marpessa in a pictorial artist Ivo Bisignano for the magazine "Friend"

As a model you were born and exploded during perhaps the brightest absolute fashion. In this exciting period in the late 80s and early 90s, who were born in TOP, icons of fashion, beauty and a certain degree of perfection was considered almost absolute. Goddesses of Olympus. Tell us a little 'this time? How was the sets, the shows as they were ...? And the designers?
Well, I think I had the good fortune of being in the right place at the right time. And I think that my "success" was just due to not owning a perfect beauty, but looks a little vague, exotic, bold ... Anyway it was a dream come true, my work with legends like Versace and Alaïa, Lagerfeld , Gian Paolo Barbieri, Helmut Newton, etc.., next to my idol Pat, Janice, Dalma! And being part of the creative process, for both photo and runway shows, traveling, meeting many extraordinary people, for me is equivalent to a university degree! A unique privilege! But I've come a long apprenticeship before you "get to Olympus"!

The images of young Scianna immortalize you in your extraordinary beauty, in the earliest campaigns for Dolce & Gabbana are unforgettable. What did you feel at that moment? You realized that you were helping to write an important part of fashion history and costume, or you lived lightly every day enjoying what was happening to you?
But no! The boys at the time had a small budget, it was just them, the photographer Ferdinando Scianna, who was a photojournalist agency Magnum, which he had never done before and not even fashion photography and the stylist had an assistant who helped me as well with hair. I truccai alone in the car and we went to Sicily prestataci's brother Dominic Scianna and shot me in the most surreal in his Sicily that I did not know .... When I saw the first catalog rimasianche some 'bad because I had dark circles in all the photos and I wanted to be perfect! But in the end those images have been crucial to accept my "flaws" and to propose another type of beauty.

What exactly is your idea of beauty and that of happiness?
The harmony of the remaining defects and made to feel curious.

What country or city you love most?
The Beautiful Country and Paris

Have you ever thought about becoming an entrepreneur too, or stylist or photographer, as they have done or tried to do some of your colleagues celebrate?
But they are .... my way. When I stopped being a model I needed to get some 'distance from the fashion spotlight, make the situation on my life and I wanted to "start a family." What then happened is that now when I was 40 years old, in the meantime I have made studies of restoration, I am dedicated to my passion for interior design, photography ... and I still have lots of ideas to realize!

What is the greatest figure of reference and a photo shoot. The one with the best as dialogues and that inspires you the most?
Obviously with the photographer and the stylist even though in my time the whole team was required to achieve a good result. I think that today with digital photography is more difficult to create a certain atmosphere and keep the concentration as every three shots all look at the computer screen to see the light, posing, makeup, hair ...

Now how is your life? I know you have a beautiful daughter that you love very much and live a little 'in Holland and a bit' in Ibiza, right?
We live in Ibiza and how the child entered primary school. Ibiza is a fantastic place to raise children, for freedom, tolerance, the nature of learning and growing a minimum of three languages.
Last year I turned my house into a furniture showroom, where customers call to be inspired. Rent this place for fashion and advertising productions as there is also a loft that is used as a photographic studio and sometimes even for yoga workshops when the weather is beautiful.

You, that today you are immortal icon, what you thought yesterday and today what the craft of modeling?
Well, surely you mean as a compliment and I thank Paola but I think I'm immortal icon! I think the big difference between yesterday and today is that yesterday before he became "Top" were working for several years, gaining experience and learning to use your body, face, moving around and being able to "take the light." And a career could last 15 years or more, but it took a lot of discipline, availability, endurance, energy, know how to live in solitude and the ability to collect waste, and make sacrifices. It is more difficult now because so many girls want to become top-model now, I think also due to the many reality TV show a reality from fiction! And it happens that a stranger after two seasons is "Top" but after a few years can be put aside ... those are a few that stand out and last time ...

There are still many controversies that accompany the fashion world and relevant for the anorexia. Vogue Italy has recently proposed a great number of models dedicated to the "curvy". What do you think, you who still six very thin and fit, the spectral thinness is often proposed on the catwalk?
Anorexia nervosa and bulimia are mental illnesses that lead to serious eating disorders and, unfortunately, are often confused with a natural thinness. I fought against my thin since the age of 12 years, trying to gain weight, eating like a trucker, but I had and I still greatly accelerated metabolism; is genetic!. But having done a lot of sport in childhood and adolescence, however, had a toned body and my breasts grew a little when they started taking the pill and then, while wearing a 38/40 I had the mini-curves. In fact, my mom said that I was not skinny, but thin! Obviously I have used a lot when I became a model, mainly because the picture tends to "give a few extra pounds" why it is necessary to bring a 40. Now it is true that for years we have seen skinny girls that I have never liked, but mainly because it did not look healthy, they had a bit of muscle, it seemed that they never ride a bike or skates! And do not forget that during the season of fashion week, including New York, London, Milan and Paris, also make the top 50 shows, more fitting, more tests and not always possible to eat well. In little more than you sleep! Perfect recipe for you to lose those five pounds, which, in my case, are sufficient to make me look anorexic! So it's not always easy to distinguish the natural thinness and a bit 'momentary stress, due to the kind of life we ​​lead, by a real disease that is detected and treated in appropriate medical facilities.

What advice would you give to young girls who want to pursue a career as a model and aspiring to become like you one day?
First of all, do not be fooled by "agencies" and "scout" that promise you a modeling career if you sign up for some courses for a model, and / or asking (sometimes many) money to take pictures for the portfolio. All agencies and renowned series, usually do not need more than a few photos from the natural level, some shots of the whole costume like the photos you are on vacation ... The truth then is that often the girls who have become top were "found" perhaps out of school, or on the street while they were shopping or out with friends. If then the agency he works for the scout sees a chance for the working girl is the same agency to organize the photo shoots anticipating expenses, which are then charged to the model once then she started to work.
Then as I said before, it takes much discipline, ambition, willingness, energy, ability to make sacrifices and be able to live alone. Unfortunately there are few Italian girls who have made a career at the top as Maria Carla Boscono, Bianca Balti or Monica Bellucci, because too often they can not stay away from family or from jealous boyfriend!

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