Why original supermodels like Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer and Helena Christensen are having a renaissance decades after their debuts
- Kendall Jenner, Bella and Gigi Hadid owe their fame to reality TV, whereas 1990s supermodels were stars of popular culture and still appeal to women in midlife
- That’s why Kate Moss, 48, and Naomi Campbell, 52, fronted the biggest shows in Milan and Paris this season, and Helena Christensen, 53, is modelling underwear
Fashion is no stranger to recycling past hits. But when it comes to people, youth traditionally trumps age in an industry that deifies the new.
This is particularly true in the world of modelling, where women were once deemed past it at 25 – and, until regulation against it came in, brands were regularly working with girls as young as 14.
And yet one look at the most recent fashion shows proves that the cohort of 1980s and ’90s supermodels not only still have it, but are undeniably leading the pack 30 years on. In Milan and Paris this season, Kate Moss, 48, and Naomi Campbell, 52, opened and closed some of the biggest shows of the month.
Meanwhile, Helena Christensen, 53, is fronting an underwear campaign for Coco de Mer; Claudia Schiffer, 52, designed a collection for Frame; Linda Evangelista, 57, was on a recent cover of British Vogue; and Christy Turlington, 53, has been the face of Calvin Klein fragrance Eternity since she was a 19-year-old breakout talent in 1988.
