Arizona Muse declares herself an 'activist first and model second' but admits her outspoken beliefs about sustainable fashion have negatively 'affected her income'

Arizona Muse has declared herself to be an 'activist model' but says her outspoken beliefs about sustainability and environmental awareness have 'directly affected' her income within the fashion industry.

The American model, 36, revealed she is so strong in her concern for the planet that she turns down work from brand's that do not impact the environment positively. 

Arizona has even launched her own charity, Dirt, which helps create silk, wool and leather, for the fashion industry, without the use of harmful chemicals.

She told Elle Spain: 'I am no longer a model, I am an activist model and I take this to its ultimate conclusion. I have been afraid at times, because obviously this limits the number of brands and actions you can carry out and it also directly affects your income, and we all work for money, but I made a decision and I have stuck to it'. 

'I am proud of it, and I think it also brings me value, so I do not collaborate with brands whose impact is not positive'.

Arizona went on to explain how she only began her career as a model 'by chance' and the fashion industry was never something she 'fantasied about dedicating her life to'.

'Maybe that is the reason why I have felt a little lost on many occasions, but I am very grateful, because also, thanks to this world, I began my career as an activist, which has completely changed my life and professional trajectory, it has even had an impact on how I feel about myself, which makes me happy. It is a feeling of pride and empowerment that is difficult to describe.

Throughout her career she has modelled for the like Prada, YSL, Chanel and appeared in a 2013 Louis Vuitton add with the late great David Bowie. 

Arizona welcomed her first child Nikko, 14, with fashion stylist and former flame Manuel Quintana when she was 20.

The couple eventually split, and she then married Osteopath Boniface Verney-Carron three years ago, welcoming a daughter with him at the end of 2018.

Arizona announced the arrival of her baby daughter by sharing an adorable snap of her laying alongside the newborn in November 2018. 

Speaking to Town and Country magazine, the Arizona previously reflected on being a young parent. 

She said: 'I don’t know what it’s like to be a 20-year-old who didn’t have a child. I loved having Nikko.

'He was like a doll. I was a child myself and it was an "ignorance is bliss" situation.'

Arizona candidly admitted her reasoning for marriage being particularly meaningful to her, given that Nikko 'doesn't have a relationship' with her ex-fiancé Manuel.

She said: 'It meant a lot to me to get married. Especially because I already had a child who doesn’t have a relationship with his dad.'

Touching on how she burnt herself out by working and parenting in the early days, she told: 'By the time Nikko was three, I was totally exhausted.' 

Arizona battled on because she feared that if she took time off her career would disappear.

It caused her massive amounts of stress that she 'was under, every single day, for years'.

She added: 'I probably needed to take some time off, but I was stuck in this fear cycle.'