Supermodel Christie Brinkley was discovered in Paris in 1973 by photographer Errol Sawyer. She began modeling, but didn’t gain worldwide fame and recognition until 1979—when she appeared on the cover of three consecutive Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues. It wasn’t long before she was signing contracts with major brands and appearing on hundreds of magazine covers.
Although Christie Brinkley is remembered predominantly as a supermodel, she’s also worked as an actress, illustrator, writer, designer, activist, and more. She still graces the covers of magazines and appears on TV. In 2019, she was set to compete on Dancing with the Stars but had to withdraw. She broke her arm prior to competing, so her daughter Sailor took her place.
Kathy Ireland was discovered when she was just 16 years old. It didn’t take long for her to blow up as a supermodel. Now, she’s best known for appearing on 13 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues. In fact, her 1989 cover was awarded “The Greatest Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Cover of All Time.”
Kathy Ireland does a lot more than model nowadays. In 2015, Forbes named her one of America’s 50 most successful self-made women. In 1993, she started her own line of clothing. Then in 2003, she founded kathy ireland Worldwide to sell home furnishings and home products. By 2012, her products generated $2 billion in annual retail sales.
Elle Macpherson is best known for her five cover appearances for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Thanks to that, she gained the nickname "The Body," coined by Time in 1989. She was discovered when she visited the United States. Macpherson models to earn money to pay for her law books but was soon signed with a model agency to begin her career. Following that, she began appearing in magazines like Elle, Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, Vogue, Cosmo, and Allure.
Macpherson doesn't model as much anymore, although she still graces the runway from time to time. Now, she spends much of her time working on her various business ventures including Elle Macpherson Intimates, a lingerie line, and her skincare product line The Body. While she enjoys acting, she spends some time behind the camera as an executive producer for shows like Fashion Star.
Helena Christensen won Miss Universe Denmark in 1986 when she was just 17, and she would later represent Denmark in the Miss Universe 1986 pageant. After these ventures, Christensen had the urge to become a model, so she moved to Paris. The rest is history! She became a supermodel in the 1990s, famously starring in Chris Isaak's “Wicked Game” music video.
In 1999, Christensen co-founded Nylon magazine and would go on to create her own clothing line Christensen & Sigerson with her lifelong friend, Leif Sigerson. In 2012, she was able to start her own lingerie collection called Helena Christensen for Triumph. Aside from that, she works as a photographer, taking shots of everything from up-and-coming models to educational programs.
Stephanie Seymour began modeling for local newspapers and department stores in her hometown of San Diego when she was 16, but her career began a year before that when she was a finalist in the Elite Model Management Look of the Year contest. In the '80s and '90s, Seymour appeared in several Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues and would later become a lingerie and hosiery model for Victoria's Secret.
Seymour would continue her supermodel career, but she enjoyed other projects, like appearing in the Guns N' Roses music video “November Rain.” In 1998, she became an author after writing Stephanie Seymour's Beauty Secrets for Dummies. Now, she's a global spokesperson for Estee Lauder and spends much of her time working on her own lingerie line, Raven & Sparrow.
Discovered by chance, supermodel Cindy Crawford had no intentions of pursuing a career in modeling until she was unexpectedly photographed by a passing newspaper photographer. The photo of her pollinating corn on a farm in Illinois received so much feedback that her career was launched.
Cindy Crawford’s ageless beauty has remained. Although she only occasionally appears in magazines and on the runway, her two children—Kaia and Presley Gerber—both entered the modeling business. There’s no denying that they’re a photogenic family.
Naomi Campbell continues to be remembered as one of the most iconic faces of the ‘90s. The international supermodel wasn’t afraid to hustle. She embraced her work and became a trailblazer for models of color. She was known for her ballerina-esque poise, renowned runway walk, and joyful energy.
In 2018, supermodel and philanthropist Naomi Campbell was named a ‘Fashion Icon’ at the CFDA ceremony. This came as no surprise—being as she’s the embodiment of a supermodel. And in 2019, she received her first ever beauty contract with NARS cosmetics!
In 1987, Claudia Schiffer was discovered in a German nightclub—she was only 17 at the time. She quickly began modeling for Chanel after being handpicked by Karl Lagerfeld. And as one of Karl Lagerfeld’s “darlings,” she became an established supermodel. She covered many magazines and starred in countless campaigns.
It’s no surprise that supermodel Claudia Schiffer still models part time. She continues to work with Chanel, Ferragamo, Yves St. Laurent, and other brands. She currently lives in England with her husband, director Matthew Vaughn, and their three children. She still enjoys all things fashion and beauty!
The Daily Express actually named Twiggy “The Face of 1966,” and she was voted British Woman of the Year at the same time. Twiggy landed on the cover Vogue and Tatler, as well as many other magazines. Basically, the '60s weren't the '60s without this supermodel. Twiggy, aka Lesley Hornby, started her career when she was 16 as a hair model. After photos were taken, her career quickly took off.
Twiggy has acted here and there, appearing in series like The Nanny, but that career really hasn’t gone anywhere. Along with that, she’s also written several albums. More recently, Twiggy has spent time modeling while promoting her own fashion line, Twiggy London. Because of her role in fashion, she’s been appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2019.
Kate Moss rose to fame when supermodels were huge, although she was considered an anti-model in many ways. Despite this, she was still very much a supermodel. She was part of the 1990s fashion movement referred to as heroin chic, where women were extremely thin with sharp features. Many of her collaborations with Calvin Klein brought her to fashion icon status.
Kate Moss received a lot of backlash due to her party lifestyle and drug use, which didn't get better as time went on. In late 2005, she was dropped from fashion campaigns. She was cleared from the charges and began modeling again for campaigns like Chanel, Burberry, Versace, and many other big names. Kate Moss has had many relationships over the years, although she only married once. She has one daughter, Lila Grace Moss-Hack, who was born in 2002.
Tyra Banks began her modeling career when she was just 15 years old. She was the first African American woman to appear on the covers of GQ and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, where she appeared three times total. From 1997 to 2005, she was also a Victoria's Secret Angel. By 2000, Banks was one of the most famous models in the world and had one of the highest salaries.
Tyra Banks has done a lot. She began acting in 1993 on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. While she moved away from acting, reality TV was her calling. She was the host and executive producer of America's Next Top Model. While she's no longer the host, she's still an executive producer. Banks has also spent time creating her own cosmetics brand, Tyra Beauty, and her own interactive cosmetics e-commerce site, “tyra.com.”
German model Tatjana Patitz stepped into the modeling scene in the ‘80s, and by the ‘90s, she had expanded the ideals of feminine beauty. At almost six feet tall, she was slender, tall, and beautiful. She dominated photoshoots with her versatility and creativity.
Because Patitz is regarded as one of the “Original Supermodels,” she’s still asked periodically to make appearances in commercials, photoshoots, and fashion shows. When she’s not working, she’s spending time on her ranch in Malibu, California. She lives there with her son, Jonah, and their plethora of dogs, cats, and horses.
It was nearly impossible not to obsess over Christy Turlington during the 1990s. In addition to her supermodel beauty, she had impeccable style. She allowed herself to be experimental with her wardrobe, which gained her attention. She looked as glam on the streets as she did on the covers of magazines.
Since her supermodel days, Turlington has changed her focus. She’s established two activewear brands and a skincare line. She’s also the mother to two children and the founder of Every Mother Counts, a non-profit dedicated to maternal health and wellness—inspired by the postpartum complications she experienced in 2003.
Janice Dickinson is known as the model who coined the term "supermodel" in 1979, although supermodels have been well known as far back as the 1940s. Her career started in the ‘70s when she won “Miss High Fashion Model” in New York City. Dickinson was turned down several times as the fashion industry focused on women who were blonde with blue eyes. It wasn’t until 1978 that she began working steadily, and in the 1980s, she became a household name due to her supermodel status.
Dickinson has been pretty busy over the years. She's been married four times and has a son, Nathan, and a daughter, Savannah. Dickinson has spent much of her time appearing on reality TV shows like I'm a Celebrity...Get Me out of Here! and Celebrity Big Brother. She's also set to appear in season 24 of The Bachelor.
Known for her loud fashion statement, Linda Evangelista was aware of her talent and beauty. She was discovered in the’80s by a model scout and immediately moved to New York City. She became a muse for some of the most famous photographers in the world, and by the end of her modeling days, she’d been on more than 700 magazine covers.
Like the majority of the ‘90s supermodels, Linda Evangelista is now in her 50s. She often talks about the beauty of aging, especially now that she has a son and looks forward to what’s to come. She continues to be featured in beauty and fashion campaigns and is proud to be the creative director of the Erasa Skin Care brand.
Iman was discovered while she was studying at her university. Soon after, she moved to the United States and began her modeling career. At first, she was with Vogue, but it quickly turned into many magazine covers at several notable publications. Yves Saint-Laurent once described her as his "dream woman," but humble Iman states that her looks are typical for Somalians.
Iman famously married David Bowie in 1992. She has two kids, one from David Bowie (Alexandria Zahra Jones), and another from a previous marriage with Spencer Haywood (Zulekha Haywood). Iman spent two decades modeling before starting her own cosmetics firm in 1994. Iman Cosmetics is now a $25-million-a-year business.
Herzigova began modeling after she won a beauty contest in Prague in 1989 when she was just 16 years old. She signed to a modeling agency and moved to Paris, where her popularity quickly increased. By 1994, she began working on several campaigns including Sara Lee's "Hello Boys" Wonderbra campaign. The campaign was considered ground-breaking albeit controversial, but it certainly helped her career.
Herzigova has continued to model, including appearing in campaigns for Giorgio Armani and Dior Beauty. She also has three children with her fiance Gregorio Marsiaj, George, Edward, and Philipe. Herzigova has claimed that her children keep her in shape, especially since running after them is enough of a workout. Currently, she lives a quiet life in Italy with her fiance.
