Natasja Vermeer – Barefoot, Bare Souled in Ibiza

It was an article about hippy chic that inspired former Dutch model Natasja Vermeer to visit and ultimately move to Ibiza. Everyone dancing, flip-flops, barefoot, hippy chic. This was her first impression 22 years ago. She remembers it as a period of enjoying the island for parties, big name DJs, music, daytime gatherings on the beach. She came for a party and stayed 7 weeks. A few years later, ready to leave modeling and big city life behind, Natasja made ‘the island of 130 beaches and hidden coves’ her new home.

As a girl, Natasja Vermeer enjoyed studying science at school in the east of Holland. She learned to do fashion shows with friends through an agency. She finds it amusing how she went from laboratory work to the Milan runway. At a svelte 52 kg the 178 cm tall Natasja was considered ‘not quite thin enough’ for the runway, which she found too intense anyway, preferring instead to focus on photo shoots for magazines and ads. Her modeling days began in Milan where she escaped to the mountains, to nature, as much as possible. Natasja joined Elite Model Agency in Miami where one of her first big shoots was for a German catalog alongside Heidi Klum. She remembers it was difficult keeping her eyes open in the bright sunshine so those first photos were never used. Fortunately, she shined in editorial style shoots and her career took off. A cover of French Vogue by photographer David La Chapelle (in which she was made to appear bald) was a turning point followed by sessions with Ellen von Unwerth, Raphael Mazucco. Among many modeling memories stand outs are being one of 6 supermodels in red dresses on a beach in the Hamptons, shooting with Australian Vogue on Ayers Rock with aboriginal people and watching out for kangaroos jumping in front of their vehicle, a baby lamb falling asleep in her lap. Shooting with animals was always a highlight for Natasja, who rescues animals and birds whenever possible. She is a passionate defender of and fundraiser for animal rights. Alongside Pamela Anderson and good friend Naomi Campbell, Natasja posed naked for PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals) in their 2008 campaign against use of fur in fashion.

Somehow Natasja recalls things snowballed- one thing led to another, people saw potential and believed in her. Without any formal acting training, she was scouted to play the lead role in a remake of 1973’s iconic Emmanuele film into a series of 7 films, Emmanuelle: The Private Collection between 2004 and 2006. The original hit film, starring Dutch actress Sylvia Cristel, had changed the film industry, breaking barriers and interpretations of women and female empowerment. Natasja had only had a few small roles on Dutch TV as a teenager so says she just tried to be herself, grateful for ‘an amazing director who inspired her to be confident, wanting the films to be sensual, not vulgar’. She appeared in several more films including Private Moments which premiered at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival. Also a songwriter and singer, Natasja recorded songs and music videos for the soundtrack of the Emmanuele films in 2003 with Claude Challe, creator of early music compilations Les Bains Douche and Buddha Bar. Soon after she met Mick Jagger at New York City’s Lotus Club and they became instant friends. Natasja headed into the recording studio with Mick who complimented her lyrics, even borrowing her lyric books. Natasja explains she always wrote songs, had poems in her head and so the creative process of jamming the dozen or so songs she ultimately recorded probably somewhat resembled the way The Doors adapted Jim Morrison’s poems into music. When she was in the studio creating music she says she almost felt on another planet, the time flew and she had no idea where the ideas came from…

Natasja spent 15 happy years living in the US, in Miami and later New York… until Sept 11, 2001. She then spent a few years between London and Paris until tired of constant jet lag, traveling, and the tough business of modeling, Natasja decided it was better to leave celebrity life at a high. She says she didn’t especially care to do more acting, wanting to get out of that superficial life in which she always had to look perfect, feeling it was time to learn other things. She chose instead internal work, more time in nature, studying psychology and nutrition, and a little house in Ibiza by the sea.

Natasja embraces Buddhist philosophies. Reflection, compassion, retreats. Living by the sea has helped her to find herself again. People don’t know who they are anymore, she believes, or what they want, many living in a constant void, which she labels the biggest problem in the world. This last year she went within, living in intention, focusing on ‘shadow work’ such as breathwork and meditation. She underwent a life changing, week long silent meditation, from which she emerged feeling like a new person, ready to come out of hermit mode. ‘You look internally, start to fish, lots of emotions come up. You become aware of them, name them, ask yourself questions, peel the onion to get to the cure, down to the inner child’. Not always pleasant she readily admits. Being authentic is the most attractive thing she finds in others.

Originally, Natasja hoped to open a beach bar in Ibiza, something small with a guitar player. She loved that Ibiza was a hangout for the music industry. She coaxed close friends like Guy Laliberte, founder of Cirque de Soleil, and Giuseppe Cipriani to come visit the music island. Today Natasja manages Ibiza Small World together with her 30 years long time friend and business partner, selling and renting high end real estate on the island, an agency which she says focuses more on quality over quantity. As much as she still loves it, she admits it’s harder and harder to find Ibiza’s old spirit. Her life revolves around her spiritual beliefs, her 2 dogs, her beloved Ibizan farm ‘in the middle of nowhere’. Natasja is studying guitar, writing songs to express herself again, hopes to get back into the music studio. Recently, she contributed to production of a biography on Dutch television, ‘The Prettiest Girl in the Class’. She sometimes looks back and marvels, ‘Did I really do all that? Where did I get the courage?’.