30 FRONTDOORS MEDIA | JUNE 2018 From the runway to the charity scene, Micheline Etkin's work spans the world.

JUNE 2018 | FRONTDOORS MEDIA 31 Tyler Butler | Fashion Writer In addition to her roles as wife, mother and grandmother, Micheline Etkin counts charity work among her top priorities. However, her journey to finding causes she cares about is not typical. In fact, a career that focused on her outer beauty enabled her to showcase her inner beauty. Born in Lebanon and raised in Brazil, Etkin was often told that she should model as a young girl. People would point out her unique features and height and fawn over her biological gifts. But it wasn’t until her late 20s that she ventured into the field. Married at 17, she lived in Paris with her first husband before coming to the United States. She led a full life before taking the plunge into the fashion industry. Etkin fell into modeling by accident. Her sister-in-law photographed her and, from there, other photographers started reaching out, asking to capture her distinctive look. Starting a modeling career when most women in the field were retiring set Etkin apart from her fellow models. Leveraging her loving heart, Etkin established a virtual family in the industry — some through the advice she provided to the younger, more impressionable models she worked with and some through her interactions as she worked in the industry. During this time, Etkin walked runways for Valentino, Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera, St. John, Badgley Mischka and all of the shows during that time for Escada. As she established herself as a force in fashion, she discovered opportunities to rebrand her modeling focus. From there, Etkin received GIVING IN STYLE {fashion in the philanthropy lane}