"I think I have a certain ancestral resilience in me. "
This is what the book's protagonist said at the beginning of her collaboration with journalist Veronika Bednářová. And she was right. Her enthusiasm, curiosity and desire for new experiences run through this fast-paced travelogue, full of fascinating family and work photographs, like a common thread.
“It’s not a comprehensive autobiography, but an adventurous pilgrimage to freedom by one of the world's most famous top models. It culminates with the story of the foundation for abandoned and disadvantaged children that bears her name and celebrates its quarter-century anniversary this year. In addition, a number of her close friends and family, such as her mother Alena, husband Burak, Prince Albert, Prince Harry, Eva Herzigová, and Bryan Adams, also contributed to the book,” described Bednářová, who helped create this unique book.
Tereza Maxová is a multicultural and cosmopolitan person who brings the art of enjoying life to people all over the world, both personally and through her work. The art of building communities of inspiring people. The art of moving society as a whole towards values that are sometimes forgotten.
However, according to Tereza Maxová, putting a whole life into one book was not at all simple. “There was a lot of excitement at the beginning because I had no idea what it would entail to go through the entire photo archive and look back into the past. It was a kind of psychotherapy for me, and sometimes it was hard to put emotions on paper. And so, for the first time in twenty years, I opened my handwritten diaries, where I had diligently written down every day what I was doing, where I was, and how I was feeling – always very briefly and concisely, but without holding anything back.”
Thanks to this, she was able to step back into the shoes of that young, partly naive girl who went into everything headfirst and knew how to fully enjoy all her ups and downs. “I had no shortage of photographs. My mum had a huge supply of magazines and I had many photos from my travels taken with disposable cameras. It was a personal birthday present to myself.”
In the end, writing the book was not so demanding for the top model, as she was fortunate to work with an excellent journalist, Veronika Bednářová, who is the co-author of this unique book. “At our first meeting, which took place online, in face masks, when Veronika told me that she knew nothing about fashion and models, I immediately sensed that this was it. When Zuzka Lednická from Najbrt Studio then joined the team with her creativity, everything was clear.”
The book charts not only the professional but also the private life of our most successful top model. “I am glad that I can give readers a glimpse into the family history of my ancestors, my childhood in socialist Czechoslovakia, the golden era of supermodels of the 90s, the beginnings of the foundation, and the present day, all supplemented with photographs from my private archive that have never been published before. It is my view of the world and an insight into the world in which I grew up and where I live.”
TEREZA MAXOVÁ
She was born in 1971 and moved with her family to Ústí nad Labem at the age of four. She loved sports, so it was no wonder that in 1985 she finished primary school with a sports-athletics focus. Her path led her to grammar school and in 1989 she began studying law at Charles University. She left after two years, as the world of modelling was opening up to her. At the age of 17, she succeeded at a casting for a French modelling agency and her professional career began in 1989.
Shortly before the Velvet Revolution, she went to Paris with Eva Herzigová. Thanks to her unusual appearance, distinctive profile, and soulful beauty, which distinguished her from the crowds of interchangeable models, she immediately caught the eye of the VIVA agency and the famous designer Karl Lagerfeld. He chose her for his campaign and then worked with her for the next three years. It wasn't long before Maxová soon appeared on the covers of prestigious magazines and became the face of advertising campaigns for global brands such as Donna Karan, Hermés, Fendi, Kenzo, and L'Oreal. On the catwalks, she modelled collections for fashion houses like Gucci, Prada, Dior, Chanel, and Yves Saint Laurent, among others. She soon became not only famous and successful, but also financially independent.
The year 1996 became a fateful one for her. “I was living in the United States, doing very well, my life was about fashion, success, and travel, so I wanted to share it with someone who needed it. I contributed to various charitable projects, but I never knew specifically who I was helping. By a confluence of circumstances, I found myself in a Prague infant home. After this experience, I couldn't just walk away and pretend I hadn't seen anything.” In 1997, she founded the Tereza Maxová Foundation, which helps abandoned children and families in crisis. She herself is the chairwoman of the board of trustees, and the foundation's honorary committee includes Prince Albert II of Monaco and Canadian singer Bryan Adams.
In March 2000, she married tennis player Frederik Fetterlein in Denmark, and in September of the same year, their son Tobias Joshua (21) was born. She currently lives with her husband Burak Oymen, a Turkish businessman, with whom she has a daughter Mína (12) and a son Aiden (10). During her career, she has tasted the glamour and fame of the world's modelling elite, travelled the world, and gained public respect for her long-term charitable work, but she has never forgotten where she comes from and who she is.
