Contrary to what everyone thinks, being a supermodel is not just about having a good look, perfect body and powerful steps on the stage. According to Marcela Monasterio, what makes a model unique is her ability to capture what the photographer sees. For this reason, among the millions of models in the fashion industry, only a few of them have made history. If you want to know the most famous supermodels in the world and the reasons for their popularity, don’t miss this article.
The world’s most famous supermodels in the history of the fashion industry
In this section, we introduce the best models in the history of fashion. Before we begin, keep in mind that the list of the world’s most famous supermodels in this article is ordered by the decade in which they became famous, not by how popular the models were. Stay with us.
1. Dorian Lee; 1940s
The 1940s was the beginning of the period of growth and prosperity of fashion magazines. In fact, from this era onwards, people who worked in the modeling profession became as famous as movie stars. Therefore, the 1940s can be considered as the solid foundations of today’s fashion industry.
One of the first models whose image was printed on the cover of fashion magazines was Dorian Leigh. Dorian’s first picture appeared on the cover of Vogue magazine in 1946, which made him famous worldwide and made him the star of major advertising campaigns.
2. Jean Shrimpton; 1960s
Jean Shrimpton is considered one of the first supermodels in the fashion industry. With her big eyes and beautiful lips, she earned the title of the most beautiful face in the world. Since he had a smooth body without many curves, he was called the “shrimp” of the fashion industry.
3. Tweety 1960
Twiggy, real name Leslie Hornby, was a British model. With his attractive appearance and androgynous body, he completely revolutionized women’s fashion. Her intense eye make-up and very long eyelashes redefined the standards of the 1960s and destroyed the fashion stereotypes of the years before her appearance. Her eccentric personality and boyish figure were a stark contrast to long-time fashion icons such as Marilyn Monroe and Ava Gardner, who sported hourglass silhouettes.
4. the faith; 1970s
The 1970s was the birthplace of the first black woman in the fashion world. Iman, real name Zara Muhammad Abdul Majeed, was a beautiful model from Somalia who was able to break the racial barriers of the fashion industry. Her picture was published in Vogue magazine at a time when no black women were modeling in the media. Iman was discovered by an American photographer in college, which opened her way to the world of modeling. Gianni Versace, Thierry Mugler, Calvin Klein and Donna Karan were great designers who worked with faith. Yves Saint Laurent described her as his dream girl. Iman, with her particular European charm and African pride, was the first model who did not allow others to shape her image; Rather, he himself decided how to appear on stage. She later launched her own line of cosmetics for dark-skinned women.
5. Lauren Hutton; 1970s
Lauren Hutton is another model of the 1980s who managed to maintain her unique image with her tenacity. When Lauren started her modeling career, she was told she had to cover up her gaps with wax because they were too far apart. Lauren realized that this was her point of difference from others and took advantage of this opportunity. He never allowed such a change. Years later, Lauren signed a contract for $250,000 (equivalent to more than a million dollars today) with the Rolon brand, and her image appeared on the cover of Vogue magazine 41 times.
Lauren proved that not all models should be the same and that you can shine with a unique and different beauty. He was the one who paved the way for models who looked different from others.
6. Cindy Crawford; 1980s
It is safe to say that Cindy Crawford has been one of the most attractive models in the history of the fashion industry with her voluminous and wavy hair, thick arched eyebrows, athletic body and most importantly, the unique mole above her lip. This American model turned the modeling world upside down with her fit and well-groomed body and her tall height. She dropped out of college to pursue a modeling career and soon became one of the most famous models of the 1980s.
Cindy has been making history in the fashion industry for years with her extraordinary intelligence and humble personality. She later continued her career by appearing in fitness videos, television commercials, and clothing lines.
7. Linda Evangelista; 1980s
Perhaps Linda Evangelista can be considered the only model who left a huge legacy in the world of modeling. Many of the current standards of the modeling profession have been set by Linda since the 1980s. He was known as the chameleon of the fashion world; Because she constantly and quickly changed her hair from short to long and vice versa, different makeup styles were compatible with her face, and she changed her poses in front of the camera in a way that maybe no one could manage. Among his other features were bold hats and stylish sunglasses.
Linda had big contracts with almost all the big fashion houses and top cosmetics brands. There is a famous saying:
We don’t wake up for less than $10,000 a day.
8. Naomi Campbell; 1990s
Naomi Campbell is one of the most famous supermodels of color in the world. He inherited his unique appearance from his African and Chinese-Jamaican ancestry. Her modeling talent was discovered at the age of 15, and since then, she has been the undisputed queen of fashion shows for three decades. Naomi’s image first appeared on French Vogue and Time magazine, and since then has graced the September issues of Vogue (which is considered the most important issue of any magazine) many times. Many great designers have collaborated with him, including Versace, Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga and Ezzedine Alaia.
Naomi raised significant funds for the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund and has been instrumental in advancing breast cancer awareness for women. She is also the founder of Fashion for Relief, a charity that raises funds to help victims of Hurricane Katrina. Campbell, along with Claudia Schiffer, Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista and Kate Moss, make up The Big Six.
9. Claudia Schiffer; 1990s
Claudia Schiffer is a very beautiful German model who started her modeling career with Guess jeans in the late 1980s. She can be considered the only model whose image has been published on the cover of 1000 fashion magazines, and therefore, no one has been able to stand on the top of this industry like her. Claudia worked with several major fashion houses, including Balmain, Chloe, Dolce & Gabbana, Yves Saint Laurent, and Fendi, until in 1995, Karl Lagerfeld announced her as the new face of Chanel.
Claudia continued her modeling career for thirty years. Eventually, he quit his career to spend more time with his family and published best-selling books about his career. She is the first model to be featured in several major non-fashion magazines, including Rolling Stone.
10. Christy Turlington; 1990s
Christy Turlington inherited her attractive face from her mother from El Salvador. From her prominent cheeks to her wide smile, every part of her face is beautiful. An American photographer discovered Christie’s talent at the age of 14. At the age of 18, he signed a contract with Calvin Klein and the Maybelline brand.
Christie has also worked with big and luxury brands like Chanel and Louis Vuitton. Christy, along with Linda and Naomi, formed the group of three elite supermodels called “Trinity”. She had a master’s degree and founded a charity to support maternal health.
11. Kate Moss; 1990s
In the 1990s, the world saw many legendary supermodels. One of them was Kate Moss. No one would have imagined that this girl, with her thin figure and different body type, would challenge the popular aesthetic of the time, i.e. hourglass bodies and curvy silhouettes. Kate looked small and unconventional; But his professional and extraordinary behavior attracted everyone to him. He was one of the highest paid models of his time.
In her stylish heroin poster, she presented an attractive but controversial image of herself. Despite all of this, Kate was always plagued by drug use and rumors about her anorexia and extreme thinness. Today Kate has a talent agency and continues to model.
12. L McPherson; 1990s
Elle Macpherson (Elle Macpherson) is a beautiful Australian model who started her modeling career originally to pay for her law studies. She had no idea that what she had started would turn her into one of Australia‘s most famous models. Louis Vuitton, Valentino, Dior, John Galliano and Ralph Lauren were some of the designers who worked with L.
Al McPherson holds the record for five appearances on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Edition, earning her the nickname “Buddy.” He was also successful in his acting career. Elle hosted Britain’s Next Top Model and launched a series of major ventures, including an underwear line. He is also an ambassador for RED, a company that raises funds for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
13. Carolyn Murphy; 1990s
In the late 1990s, Carolyn Murphy, a beautiful American model, started acting. With her blonde hair and attractive face, she quickly became one of the most prolific models in the profession. His sophisticated style for Chanel, Gucci, Prada and Versace has taken the runway by storm. Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and some others published her image on their covers many times. He also had a big contract with Estée Lauder, which was worth 20 million dollars and considering his era, it was considered a record.
14. Tyra Banks; 1990s
Another brilliant model of the 1990s is Tyra Banks. Tyra hosted America‘s Next Top Model for 23 seasons and gained lasting fame after becoming the first African-American model to appear on the cover of popular magazines such as GQ. She first became famous at the age of 15 as the first black woman on the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
Tyra soon continued her career as a Victoria’s Secret Angel. She broke barriers for African American and petite models in the fashion industry.
15. Heidi Klum; 1990s
Heidi Klum is one of the most famous supermodels in the world and a talented designer. Consolidation of her position happened after appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 1998.
Heidi was always admired for her friendly and professional demeanor. She worked with Victoria’s Secret for 13 years and after retiring from modeling, she became a host and producer of Project Runway. She launched her own brand as a fashion designer and television producer.
16. Gisele Bundchen; 2000s
Gisele Bundchen started her modeling career in 2004 and is still one of the highest paid models in the world. This Brazilian supermodel and actress brought the athletic aesthetic back to the fashion world and ended the era of skinny models forever. With her athletic body type, she quickly became one of the most popular models on the cover of Vogue and Victoria’s Secret magazines, and of course, she was also the face of brands such as Apple and Chanel.
Gisele is known for pioneering environmental awareness in the fashion world and currently focuses on philanthropic activities. He donates money to anti-poverty initiatives in Brazil and is a UN Goodwill Ambassador for the Environment. In 2009, the Independent called him the biggest star in the history of fashion.
17. Adriana Lima; 2000s
Adriana Lima is another Brazilian model. She did not intend to become a model at all and only participated in a modeling competition at the suggestion of one of her friends. However, she was immediately selected as a Brazilian supermodel for the Tom Ford brand and later joined the brand in 2017 as a Victoria’s Secret Angel. She worked as a Victoria’s Secret Angel for 19 years and earned the title of “Most Valuable Angel” as she had the longest tenure of any other Angel.
18. Natalia Vodianova; 2000s
The story of Natalia Vodianova, a Russian model whose talent was discovered at the age of 15, greatly influenced the fashion world. Natalia rose from extreme poverty in Russia to the fashion scene in Paris. Natalya’s transparent ceramic skin and versatile appearance with all kinds of makeup styles became the goddess of top fashion photographers. He raised millions of dollars for charitable causes for children in need. The grace and generosity of this model is exemplary.
The world’s most famous supermodels who still have a long way to go
The people we introduced were among the world’s most famous supermodels in the history of the fashion industry, whose names will forever remain in this profession. Among the new generation models, we have introduced three other models that have a long way to go, but it is already clear that if they continue with this trend, they will establish themselves in the fashion industry in the future.
19. Cara Delevingne; 2010s
Cara Delevingne is a young model and actress who started her career a little over a decade ago. She is shorter than other models, but she has proved that height doesn’t matter if you have talent. What sets Cara Delevingne apart from other models is her unique face and sense of humor when she walks the runway. Cara has the ability to adapt to the rapidly changing fashion industry. He has worked with prestigious designers such as Prada, Chanel and Burberry.
Cara Delevingne signed with Storm Management in 2009, but her major breakthrough didn’t come until 2012, when she walked 14 major fashion weeks in New York, London, Paris, and Milan. Since then, Cara became the face of the mascara brand and climbed the ladder of success. She has twice received the “Model of the Year” award at the British Fashion Awards event.
20. Kendall Jenner; 2010s
Kendall Jenner is one of the young models who managed to maintain herself well in this industry. With over 80 million followers, Kendall can create a great customer base for any brand. Of course, Kendall himself has taken a good approach with the right choices he has.
21. Gigi Hadid; 2010s
Another one of the most famous supermodels in the world, who has a longer history in modeling than her peers, is Gigi Hadid. Gigi was only 2 years old when she started working as a model for Baby GUESS. However, he took a break from it for school. After she finished her studies, she returned to modeling again in 2011.
After several advertising campaigns for major fashion houses and fashion magazines, Gigi Hadid has become one of the most famous models in the history of the fashion industry today. Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, Versace, Tom Ford and Tommy Hilfiger are among the designers who work with him, and he can be considered one of the most paid models in the fashion industry.
final word
In this article, we introduced some of the world’s most famous supermodels in the history of the fashion industry and three promising models of the modeling profession. We got acquainted with the short biography of each of them and the secrets of their success, and we saw how they all have one characteristic in common, which is that, along with their innate talent, they were hardworking people.
If you had to choose between all these models, which one would you choose? Please write us the reasons for your choice in the comments.
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