Rachel Ritfeld-Francis As one of the few, she has been allowed to walk international catwalks and fashion shows as a top model. A life full of glamour that many can only dream of. Now happily married and back in Suriname, she looks back on her super career, talks about motherhood and her choice for Suriname.
Rachel Ritfeld was born on January 16, 1984 in Paramaribo. As a little girl she wanted to be a singer, but after being discovered a few times by various model scouts in Brussels and London, she fell for the glitter and glamour of the fashion world. "My mother, Gisla Dwarkasing, worked at the Surinamese embassy in Brussels for eight years. That's where I started modeling and also had my first photo shoot for L'oreal in Brussels", says Rachel. When she moved to London at the age of seventeen to study Anthropology at the University of Sussex, she didn't want to give up modeling and went to almost all the top model agencies. "These agencies didn't want to work with me because I wasn't thin enough, but I was determined to make my dream come true, so I went to more commercial modeling agencies. These agencies did want to work with me and that's how it happened that I had a shoot or fashion show at least three days a week during my studies."
Rachel Ritfeld for Damon Dash's watch range 'Tiret'
Take a break
After her studies, Rachel went into modeling full-time and won several awards, including 'bikini model of the year' by Fashion TV and 'Fashion woman of the year' at the International Woman of Excellence Awards. "I traveled all over the world, it was really great! I also had the right people around me who gave me good advice and understood my vision." However, her career as a model was not always a walk in the park. "I was often lonely and had to work very hard. During fashion season, I sometimes didn't sleep for days and was on a plane every three or four days. If I had a big campaign, I didn't eat anything the week before." Rachel doesn't recommend that to anyone and she probably would have done it differently now. "I was always focused on the bigger picture, I always wanted to perform better. Looking back now, I should have taken a little break more often. Not to make plans for the next step, but to really realize how blessed I actually am."
With daughter Rosalie
Still, Rachel doesn't really regret anything. She can look back with pride on all the assignments she has ever done and finds it very difficult to choose a favorite. "I really enjoyed all my fashion shows. The power of the catwalk and the reaction of the audience is really priceless. The billboard campaign for Akademics in Miami was amazing, the fashion show for 'Catwalk the World' of the United Nations in Ghana was really fun and the video clip of 50 Cent's "Ayo Technologie" was super." Still, there is one assignment that was really special to her. "The photo shoots for my calendar were all very special, because this was really my own project. I wrote all the marketing plans myself, made deals with companies myself, I was a guest on radio shows and did signing sessions to make the calendar known." The proceeds of the calendar went to her own fund The Rachel Ritfeld Trust, which offers underprivileged children in Suriname free education.
Su is irreplaceable
Now that Rachel is no longer a top model after twelve years, she has focused entirely on motherhood. Seventeen months ago, she gave birth to her daughter Rosalia. The pregnancy and delivery were not at all easy times. “During my pregnancy I had a very difficult time. I had a tumor in my stomach and also a skin disease. After my delivery I had surgery to remove the tumor. Fortunately, that went well.” After her pregnancy and everything that happened around it, Rachel was so exhausted and she just wanted to leave. Together with her husband, ex-professional footballer Damien Francis, she moved from London to Suriname. “My husband is already retired, so we weren’t tied to London. We discussed where we would move to for a while, but Suriname has always felt like home to me. I have family living in Suriname and want my daughter to grow up around family. It’s not that I don’t like other countries. For example, I feel very comfortable in India and Australia and I hope to spend more time there in the future. But, Su is irreplaceable!”
Hope for the future
Rachel is proud of her roots and has always loved her curly hair. “I prefer to wear my hair down, my curls blowing in the wind,” says Rachel. However, she too has tried relaxers once. “Several modeling agencies didn’t like curly hair and tried to convince me that it would be very good for my career if I relaxed my hair. That’s why I relaxed it once, when I was sixteen. It was terribly painful and after four washes the curls were completely back. I was done with it and never did it again.” Rachel thinks it’s sad that people are ashamed of something that is a part of them. “Not everyone is always confident. I have my own insecurities. It’s hard to be proud of something that is always seen as negative. That’s why I’m glad there are so many movements like kroeshaar.com and going-natural.com, that give women the right information and help them love themselves. These sites give hope for the future.”
The future of the Francis-Ritfeld family is mainly focused on raising their daughter. “I want to support Rosalia in everything she wants to achieve in her life.” Even if Rosalia wants to become a model later, her mother will always be there for her. “I know the fashion world very well and also know what the pros and cons are. I do my best to teach my daughter good disciplines and morals and hope that she will also take that with her when she is an adult.” Furthermore, Rachel now mainly wants to focus on the here and now and enjoy. “I like to read books that tell me how to get the best out of myself as a person. I am no longer so concerned with my appearance, because I suffered from hunger for years during my modeling career. Now it is time to enjoy my favorite snack Baka Bana again and to enjoy my family.”
From top model to full-time mother. Rachel Ritfeld is enjoying her one-and-a-half-year-old daughter Rosalia immensely, even though her pregnancy period was not the easiest. "I am happy that I am still here". A tumor in her abdomen and a skin disease made her pregnancy an uncertain period. As a result, her focus is no longer so much on her appearance, which was so important when she was still a model, but on the here and now. "I suffered for so long during my career as a model, so now I am going to enjoy Baka Bana", Rachel says laughing.