Fine, it was more like brunch, but a long chat with Britain’s Next Top Model winner Tiffany Pisani belies the misconception that models only care about clothes. The model-turned-entrepreneur tells Ramona Depares all about her plans in the music, modelling and fitness industries.
She’s been the face of Schwarzkopf, Dove and Asos, among others, and a familiar face at all the fashion weeks from Paris to Hong Kong, London and Malta. But Tiffany Pisani’s biggest claim to fame is, perhaps, winning Britain’s Next Top Model in 2010, a victory that was to launch a modelling career spanning continents.
That career is still going strong but, as the maddeningly beautiful Tiffany tells me as soon as we meet up for the interview, there is now so much more going on in her life. Back in Malta after “living out of a suitcase” for an impressive decade, the model-turned-entrepreneur (more about that later) is now focusing on another passion – DJing.
“I’ve actually been doing this for about three years now,” she tells me with a laugh.
“But suddenly it’s really exploded. I have a summer lined up full of gigs, I’m releasing my debut single shortly and I’m just so excited about it all,” she tells me enthusiastically.
From Djing to modelling? My raised eyebrow requires an explanation. Turns out that Tiffany has always had aspirations in that direction; her family is musical and, she adds, that as a model international music events found themselves her way pretty regularly.
“Actually, I started Djing just for fun. I love it when people dance to my music, so I would always prepare sets for my friends’ parties. I’d been told that I should do this professionally more than once, but I never acted on the advice. Then, after another house party I was suddenly booked for a gig in Ibiza. And, from there, it just exploded.”
And explode it did, with residencies at Sketch and Koko in London, and regularl gigs in Morocco, Dubai, Ibiza and Belgium.
So what about this track – titled Out of Sight – that she’s releasing under the Knockout Artists label, then? She perks up even more, and tells me that it’s deep house – her preferred genre, along with tech house. For those who, like me, never get the subgenres right, deep house introduces elements of jazz and soul, while tech house combines techno with traditional house. So she’s quite into the underground scene, then?
“Yes, I suppose underground music is my first love. But I do play a lot of commercial events too. They are just as fun and, at the end of the day, that’s what matters. That people are having fun to your music,” she replies.
Her music is, in fact, also a good part of the reason why Tiffany is back in Malta. With her record label based here, she tells me, it made sense to relocate, especially since her co-manager DJ Ruby is based here too.
Most of my shoots are now commercial ones, I have stopped doing high fashion as I no longer have the size for that
“I’m still taking on international modelling jobs on a regular basis. I’m lucky to have succeeded on this front, enough that I get called for jobs directly. Most of my shoots are now commercial ones, I have stopped doing high fashion as I no longer have the size for that.”
This, from someone who is an incredibly tiny size – albeit definitely in a good way. So, what’s with this whole Size 0 thing in high fashion, and wasn’t it meant to be ditched as people started figuring out that pressuring 16-year-olds to fit into our equivalent of a Size 8 (UK) is not such a great idea?
“Well, it is changing slowly, yes. There is more awareness today. But reality is that most designer sample sizes come in Size 0 and the model just has to fit in that. That’s why the models doing high fashion tend to be younger – it’s easier to be that skinny. Today I’m a Size 2, and I have to say that I’d rather be a healthy size and fit.”
Because fitness is a big thing for Tiffany. She is, in fact, a qualified personal trainer with a steady stream of Malta-based clients.
“Modelling means that you’re constantly using the services of a fitness instructor. I’ve had fitness instructors accompanying me all through, until I reached a certain stage when I decided I wanted to be able to do it myself, for myself. So I went to school in London.”
Much like modelling, the whole fitness training thing worked extremely well for Tiffany; she worked at the super prestigious Harbour Club in Notting Hill, and has now moved on the holding health retreats in Malta and Gozo for foreigners.
“We stay at a farmhouse and I do personal training, yoga on the beach, healthy food, massages, sound healing...the whole package. It’s proven to be extremely popular, in fact I run these retreats about four times a year,” she says.
Now, Tiffany also plans to extend them to Maltese clients – she tells me how pleasantly surprised she is to find out that there is so much more health awareness in Malta, with health shops sprouting all over and being well-patronised too. How else has being back in Malta surprised her?
“Well, I have found it a bit overwhelming. For example, recently I went to Earth Garden Festival and I kept bumping into people I know. I couldn’t believe I was out and I wasn’t alone. When I was based abroad I’d always be alone – models come and go according to jobs, so you don’t really get anyone constant in your life.”
I ask here whether there is anything she misses from her previous globe-trotting life, and she shakes her head, telling me that she is just happy she achieved everything she set out to achieve. She pauses, and adds that in reality, those 10 years were lonely ones, albeit successful and busy ones.
“You’re never based anywhere for long and you’re living at the model’s flats, where people come and go. I was in Brussels, Hong Kong, Taipei, Gangouz, Nigeria, Paris, London, Australia... I’d go where the job at hand required. It’s not an easy life.”
The most challenging, she says, was the year she spent in China where 14-hour long working days are common for models and where accessing social media is a problem.
“I felt so cut off. Actually, it was a good thing I was working ridiculous hours, because otherwise it would have been even worse. The upside is that it was an amazing experience that taught me a lot,” she explains.
And what she has learnt, Tiffany is now getting ready to teach to others as she is finalising plans to open a modelling school in Malta – just another item on the long list of dreams that she’s ticking off.
“The idea is to offer courses both for those who want to take up modelling seriously, as well as for those who just want a taster to help them in their personal life, covering grooming, posture, walking, shoots and so forth.”
Before we finish off the interview, she also casually lets drop that she has designed her own line of swimwear. Do you ever sleep, I ask her jokingly.
I’m just happy that I managed to achieve most of my dreams. I didn’t get there overnight, of course, and it took a lot of hard work
“I’m just happy that I managed to achieve most of my dreams. I didn’t get there overnight, of course, and it took a lot of hard work. I even got to be part of a film, Ex Machina, as one of the AI women. Now I’m happy to be kicking off the next stage with these new projects – I’m especially looking forward to Djing with DJ Ruby this summer, I am so happy to be collaborating with someone of his experience. It is quite an inspiration. In the meantime, let’s party!”
Tiffany will be performing on the following dates: July 2 – La Grotta, Gozo; July 8 – The Playground; July 9 – Pearl Beach; July 23 – Sunscape Festival, Gozo; July 30 – Pearl Beach and Secret Saturdays; August 6 – Pearl Beach; August 7 – Café del Mar; August 27 – Pearl Beach; August 28 – The Playground; September 3 – La Grotta; September 17 – Numero Uno; September 25 – To be announced. If you happen to be holidaying in Ibiza, Spain, Italy, Belgium or Dubai this summer, check out Tiffany’s international dates online.
The article appeared in last Sunday's edition of The Circle.