The topmodels of the nineties marked a before and after in the catwalk profession. Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawdford and a name that many seem to have forgotten: Karen Mulder.
The Dutch model who was part of the elite of supermodels in the frenetic 90s in New York, was lost track of after her golden years in the shows of Yves Saint Laurent, Versace, Valentino as well as her great rise to the covers of Vogue and other reputable newspapers, some of them even dedicated entire issues to him.
The Dutch woman arrived on the catwalks, like many others, as a result of chance. A friend sent some photographs of her, with orthodontics included, and her angelic face conquered the contest. She came first in the preliminary phase and second in the final.
When he came of age, Mulder had already appeared on the covers of the most reputable fashion magazines in the world: Vogue, Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Issue. She arrived at the doors of Victoria's Secret and the company did not hesitate to give her wings. There he forged a friendship with the most famous entourage on the catwalks.
He had the world at his feet, the companies paid more than 10,000 pounds for his walk on the catwalk and with all that he decided to retire. Mulder was in his thirties and the industry did not understand why he had decided to leave his golden career. He would later find out.
Married and later divorced from French photographer René Bosne, her brief history with businessman Jean Yves Le Fur made her see a world beyond business. He was the one who got the topmodel to have a Barbie doll inspired by her, a trail that many other of her colleagues followed years later.
A year later, in 2001, the long-legged Dutchwoman went to the program Tout le Monde en Parle to talk about her decision to move away from the catwalks. What she said there was not only not broadcast, but the producers decided to destroy the tape.
Mulder said that throughout her career, the ELite agency sexually exploited her among the French elite, politicians and members of the police, among others. She claimed that Albert of Monaco had raped her, as had many senior Elite officials and her father.
The network considered it mostly slander and decided to destroy the tape and never broadcast the interview. She, however, continued to denounce him publicly. “They raped me on several occasions and forced me to consume heroin and cocaine,” she explains in an interview. “You can't trust these scoundrels and scammers.” she adds, “those who smile the most are the worst, the most vicious.”
The top ended up being admitted to the Montsouris psychiatric hospital for depression and anxiety. The costs of this internment were assumed by Gerald Marie, president of Elite Model Management at the time. Mulder blamed his allegations of sexual harassment on drugs and her traumatic childhood.
