The 1990s are known for several things, including the development of the internet, the appeal of comedies like “Friends” and “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” and a distinctive fashion trend that became recognizable once more. We must keep in mind, too, that the 1990s also saw a return of the supermodel period. Models established themselves at that period in a variety of methods. These strong women weren’t just used as mannequins to display luxury clothing on catwalks; they also gained notoriety by appearing in television programs, advertising, and even music videos.
In the 1990s, models rose to fame on their own. The “Big Six,” also known as Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, Kate Moss, and Claudia Schiffer, were well-known figures in the fashion industry. They ruled the runway and practically every magazine cover in addition to the red carpet. When describing the lifestyle of a supermodel in the 1990s, Evangelista stated it best: “We don’t wake up for less than $10,000 a day.”
Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid are among the most beautiful models of today, but the styles of the 1990s had a special something. Many of these women are still employed in the sector today, while others have turned to activism and philanthropy with the millions they’ve amassed. One well-known model even wed a former president. So let’s look at what happened to the gorgeous models of the ’90s.
Carla Bruni
In the late 1980s, Carla Bruni established herself in the modeling industry by appearing in Karl Lagerfeld’s Chanel show and landing a campaign for Guess. She rose to prominence as a model in the 1990s, working for prestigious fashion houses like Versace, Yves Saint Laurent, and Christian Dior.
In 1997, Bruni gave up modeling to concentrate on a music career. She reflected on some of her career’s most pivotal moments in a Vogue interview, including the creation of her first album cover. Bruni appeared on the 2002 album “Quelqu’un m’a dit” with her guitar and was wearing a T-shirt. It was distinct from the model walking down the runways wearing designer clothing. “I created this image from my album as far away from the sophisticated world as I could because I wanted to deliver another message, and that message was that this was all going to be about the music,” the author said. As of this writing, Bruni has six albums to her credit, the most recent of which is “Carla Bruni” from 2020.
After Nicolas Sarkozy, the former president of France, departed power in 2012, Bruni reportedly turned her attention more toward her music and away from politics. Bruni wed Sarkozy in 2008. She reportedly made a comeback to the runway in 2017 to honor the late Gianni Versace for the brand’s Spring 2018 collection, according to Harper’s Bazaar.
Christy Turlington
In the 1990s, Christy Turlington was one of the “Big Six” supermodels. According to British Vogue, Turlington’s career highlights included appearing in music videos for George Michael and Duran Duran as well as becoming the face of Clavin Klein’s Eternity fragrance, a role she later reprised in 2014 with her husband Ed Burns. She has also appeared on 74 Vogue covers worldwide and walked countless runways for prominent fashion companies including Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, and Valentino.
When Turlington decided to advocate for maternal health globally, she shifted her direction. She founded the non-profit organization Every Mother Counts in 2010, which aids moms all over the world in receiving the maternity care they require, after her documentary “No Woman, No Cry” made its debut. She released the book “Arrival Stories” in 2022, which contains birth narratives from well-known women in the entertainment sector. After undergoing a “After giving birth to her daughter, Grace, Turlington told Today that her experience with a post-partum problem “exposed my eyes to a worldwide tragedy that people don’t talk about. We presume that becoming a mother just happens and is simple, yet nothing could be further from the truth.”
When she met up with Helena Christensen and Cindy Crawford in December 2022, she reconnected with her old modeling friends. “And nothing gets me in the holiday mood more than meeting up with family and friends,” Crawford said beside a photo of the women she posted on Instagram.
Cindy Crawford
Cindy Crawford signed with Elite Model Management, one of the best modeling agencies in the world, in the 1980s, but according to her biography, it was during her tenure as the host of MTV’s “House of Style” in the 1990s that she rose to fame. Early on in the 1990s, Crawford was pretty much everywhere. In 1990, she appeared on the cover of British Vogue alongside models Tatjana Patitz, Lina Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, and Christy Turlington. The same year, these legendary women also appeared in George Michael’s “Freedom! ’90” music video. Crawford’s 1992 Super Bowl Pepsi commercial would go down in history as one of the most memorable, and from 1991 to 1995, during which time she was married to actor Richard Gere, Crawford’s fame increased.
Since the debut of her beauty line, Meaningful Beauty, in 2004, Crawford has concentrated on it. The collection includes anti-aging products created with the assistance of renowned dermatologist Jean-Louis Sebagh. According to People, the model added hair care products to the popular line in 2021. She has entered the home furnishings market, where her range is sold in a number of American retailers.
Crawford has kept up with modeling. In 2016, she appeared on the cover of Vogue Paris alongside her model daughter Kaia Gerber, whom she and her husband Rande Gerber share. According to Grazia, mother and daughter also shared the runway in 2022 for the Off-White collection by the late designer Virgil Abloh.
Claudia Schiffer
In the 1990s, Claudia Schiffer could be seen almost anywhere. She became the face of Guess Jeans and Chanel, and she was the first model to appear on the covers of People, Rolling Stone, and Vanity Fair. These achievements were among her defining moments. She has starred in numerous ad campaigns, walked innumerable runways for prestigious fashion houses, and has been an L’Oreal spokesperson since 1997. She said, “When the other girls and I were on the covers of every magazine and in every ad,” when asked how she realized she was one of the original 1990s models.
Shiffer, who has been on more than 1,000 magazine covers, is the holder of the Guinness World Record for most magazine covers. She was meant to make her final runway appearance for Yves Saint Laurent in 2002, according to Vogue, but she came back in 2017 to walk for Versace alongside her former model friends Carla Bruni and Helena Christensen.
In 2022, Frame and Schiffer worked together to create a collection of clothes that was influenced by the 1990s.
She is still modeling; in 2020, she appeared on the cover of Elle France and participated in a fun Halloween photo session for Harper’s Bazaar UK. She received the GQ Women of the Year Award in 2020.
Eva Herzigova
In the 1990s, Eva Herzigova was compared to Marilyn Monroe. Herzigova’s modeling career took off after she appeared in the first Wonderbra commercial, which featured her in a black Wonderbra with the caption “Hello Boys,” in 1994. She then appeared in Guess advertisements, participated in Victoria’s Secret fashion presentations, and appeared on the covers of numerous foreign Vogue publications.
The model business still sees a lot of Herzigova. In 2017, she starred in advertisements for Roberto Cavalli and Bottega Veneta. She has since continued to grace the covers of other publications, including the January 2019 covers of Vogue Czechoslovakia and Elle Spain. She also appeared in the Dolce & Gabbana Spring 2019 campaign alongside the original ’90s models and walked the Schiaparelli Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2022 runway. The model’s Instagram account demonstrates that she is not stopping.
Herzigova explained to Elle in 2010 how she’s been able to maintain a lucrative modeling career “Despite doing it for 20 years, I never would have predicted it. The supermodels from the 1990s are making a comeback, and I believe this is because they have a compelling narrative to share.”
Helena Christensen
Although Helena Christensen was not a member of the original supermodel posse, she shared a first name with them. Christensen, along with Tyra Banks and Stephanie Seymour, was one of the original Victoria’s Secret Angels and commanded the modeling world in the 1990s. She was well-known for her advertisements for Prada and Revlon, and she was the famous star of Chris Isaack’s “Wicked Games” music video.
Christensen, along with Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, and Claudia Schiffer, all icons of the 1990s, closed the Versace Spring 2018 fashion show in 2017. The model also participated in Dolce & Gabbana’s Spring/Summer 2019 advertising campaign and walked in Off White’s Fall 2022 Paris fashion show in February 2022, which honored the late designer Virgil Abloh, who passed away from cancer in November 2021.
In addition to modeling, Forbes said that Christensen was appointed Creative Director of the 2014-founded fragrance company Strangelove. She has a distinguished portfolio as a professional photographer, having captured images of The Weeknd for Notion Magazine and Gigi Hadid for Vogue. Christensen has served as a Goodwill ambassador since 2019.
Kate Moss
Kate Moss stood out from supermodels Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell in the modeling industry. Moss, a native of Britain, stood out from the crowd due to her small stature and big eyes. According to her biography, Moss’ partying and drug usage attracted a lot of attention, but so did her grunge fashion and rebellious attitude, which landed her on numerous magazine covers and commercials.
Moss was embroiled in a drug controversy in 2005 that almost ended her modeling career. She was fired by H&M, which would no longer employ the model in their marketing campaigns, with Chanel and Burberry following, according to The Telegraph. According to The Guardian, Moss was exonerated of all drug-related allegations, and her work has since restarted.
In the course of her contentious love life, Moss dated “bad guys” like Johnny Depp and Pete Doherty. She also caused controversy with her well-known remark, “Nothing tastes as nice as slim feels.” But her rebellious behavior has made her a modeling legend. Since then, Moss has assumed the position of designer, creating collections for numerous companies including Topshop and Longchamp. In addition, she established the Kate Moss Agency, a talent agency in London, in 2016. She is, of course, still modeling and, according to The Sun, appeared in the Marc Jacobs Resort 2022/2023 collection.
Kristen McMenamy
Due to her androgynous appearance, Kristen McMenamy stood out among the first supermodels of the 1990s. When McMenamy started her career, she was a natural redhead, but once she cut off her locks and dyed them black, people started to notice. She began modeling for Versace, Calvin Klein, and Versace in 1993 and was Karl Lagerfield’s muse for Chanel.
McMenamy has continued to work well into the 2000s after going gray-hair stylish. She shared the runway with Naomi Campbell at Chanel’s Spring 2004 presentation, and in 2007, she walked for Givenchy. McMenamy was the star of a fashion show in 2010 by designers Viktor & Rolf in which the model’s layers of clothing were peeled off. She launched the Valentino Spring/Summer 2019 show in 2018 and the Fendi and Versace collaborative show called “Fendance” in 2021. The 58-year-old model walked for Jean Paul Gaultier in 2022, but made news for falling on the runway, according to People.
McMenamy flaunts her style on social media when she’s not posing for photographs in front of a crowd. On her Instagram, the model can be seen making her best poses while wearing brilliantly colored clothing.
Linda Evangelista
One of the “Big Six” supermodels of the 1990s was Linda Evangelista. When renowned fashion photographer Peter Lindbergh advised she chop her hair off and adopt a pixie cut, her career took off. Having divulged to Harper’s Bazaar “That lovely Italian hair was grabbed by Julien D’Ys, who immediately cut it off. For two hours, she sobbed. The day after the photograph of her wearing a white shirt was shot, a new woman emerged. She was a competent model who ended up being the model.”
Along with the original supermodels, Evangelista once more sat for Lindbergh for the fabled British Vogue cover from the 1990s, which was seen as the beginning of the supermodel era. Due to her frequent hair color changes, the model was also given the nickname “chameleon,” according to Vogue. She served as a model for designer Karl Lagerfield, walking in her debut Chanel show in 1985 and appearing again in 2003, closing the show in a stunning Chanel wedding gown.
According to People, Evangelista departed the spotlight after declaring that she underwent many CoolSclupting fat-freezing procedures between 2015 and 2016 and as a result was “permanently disfigured.” She sued the cosmetic business Zeltiq Aesthetics, seeking $50 million in damages, and according to CNN, the case was resolved in June 2022. Evangelista, despite what had happened, made a comeback to the catwalk in September 2022 to close the Fendi show and posed for British Vogue in the same month.
Naomi Campbell
Supermodel is often used to refer to Naomi Campbell. She was the first Black woman to appear on the covers of both French and British Vogue, as noted in her biography, shattering barriers in the field. She rose to fame as one of the “Big Six” and ruled every runway. The New York Times reports that although Campbell had a reputation for being difficult to deal with and was engaged in a few high-profile incidents, it didn’t detract from her long and successful career as a top model.
Campbell keeps modeling. She closed Tod’s Spring/Summer 2023 fashion show in September 2022, sharing the runway with seasoned model Carla Bruni. According to her modeling resume, Campbell walked for Hugo Boss, Messika High Jewelry, and Burberry in the same month. The next month, she walked for Alexander McQueen. She also secured the covers of Vogue Arabia in November 2022 and British Vogue in March. The legendary model is obviously unable to stop herself from excelling at what she does.
Along with modeling, Campbell’s life was dramatically altered in 2021 when she became a mother at the age of 50. The model, who hasn’t revealed the name of her kid, shocked the globe when she revealed to British Vogue, “The number of people who knew I was having her I can count on one hand. But she is the greatest gift I could ever hope for. It was my best action to date.”
Shalom Harlow
When Shalom Harlow was 16 years old in 1989, she was found at a Cure performance. From that point on, her life altered irrevocably as she walked the runways for Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, and Valentino, posed for Vogue, and appeared in numerous advertisements for Versace and Christian Dior, according to FMD. She replaced Cindy Crawford as host of MTV’s “House of Style” in 1996, and in 1997, she made her acting debut in the movie “In & Out.” Her most memorable performance was in “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,” which she co-starred in with Kate Hudson, in 2003.
Despite having a long modeling career, Harlow had to take a break from it in the 2000s when her health started to deteriorate. She admitted to once using a wheelchair to go around at InStyle in 2020. She had parasites from her many travels, black mold toxicity, and Lyme disease. “Due to the severity of my bodily diseases, I did have complex PTSD. I had finally succumbed to my unhealed physical, mental, and emotional scars “Harlow remarked.
In 2019, Harlow eventually made a comeback to the runway as she walked the Versace Spring 2019 collection. In October 2022, she continued to flaunt her modeling skills for Ralph Lauren’s Spring 2023 collection. She continues to model for upscale clothing companies like Mugler and Moschino and has appeared on the covers of Vogue Poland and Japan.
Stephanie Seymour
When Stephanie Seymour appeared in the 1990s Victoria’s Secret collections and posed for Playboy and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, she caused a stir. Along with Tyra Banks and Helena Christensen, she was one of the first Victoria’s Secret Angels, earning her the title of one of the decade’s “original supermodels,” according to Vogue.
Seymour gained notoriety for her relationships in addition to her modeling profession. She dated John Casablancas, the founder of Elite Model Management, who was married and 26 years older than her. She dated Charlie Sheen, Warren Beatty, and Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose before marrying and divorcing guitarist Tommy Andrews. She appeared in the band’s “Don’t Cry” and “November Rain” music videos. According to Page Six, the two had a contentious breakup in 1993 that resulted in both stars filing lawsuits against one another and ultimately settling.
According to Vogue, Seymour, who is still modeling, posed for Salvatore Ferragamo with 1990s supermodel Claudia Schiffer for the company’s 2007/2008 campaign. In 2018, she posed for Vogue France, in 2019, she was the cover girl for Vogue Italia, and in 2019, she closed the Versace Fall 2019 catwalk show wearing a gorgeous black gown. When she’s not working as a model, Seymour manages Raven & Sparrow, a lingerie business she started in 2017.
Tatjana Patitz
One of Tatjana Patitz’s professional highlights was modeling alongside original supermodels Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford, and Linda Evangelista for the British Vogue cover in January 1990. She also appeared in George Michael’s “Freedom! ’90” music video as one of the stunning women, and she has graced the covers of more than 200 magazines worldwide.
Patitz occasionally works as a model, but she has just discovered a new love for animal rights. She revealed to Kendall Conrad that preserving African wildlife has really impressed her. I am proud to be The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust’s foster parent to eight baby elephants, she declared. In addition, Patitz, who keeps two horses on a ranch in Malibu, California, became a spokesperson for the American Wild Horse Sanctuary, according to Vogue.
When asked about her life away from modeling by Prestige, Patitz said that she feels most at ease at home. “I dress comfortably because I’m a mom and wear jeans, T-shirts, and dresses. I have always adored Tom Ford, Chanel, and Dior. However, if you live in semi-nature like I do, you just don’t run around in high heels and fashionable attire. More riding boots and denim are in style.”
Tyra Banks
The “smize” queen Tyra Banks must be mentioned in this list of models from the 1990s. According to her biography, she joined Elite Model Management in 1990, and her career as a runway model took off. She did, however, achieve great success as a Victoria’s Secret lingerie model. In the late 1990s, she broke barriers by being the first Black woman to appear on the covers of GQ and Sports Illustrated.
When she served as the host of the reality competition program “America’s Next Top Model” in 2003, Banks established herself as a regular on our television screens. From 2005 to 2011, she presented her own talk show, “The Tyra Banks Show.” One of the most memorable scenes from the series occurred in 2007, when Banks appeared on television in the same bikini and ordered people who made fun of her body to “Kiss my fat a**!” Banks received two Daytime Emmy Awards for her performance on the program. The supermodel has also hosted “America’s Got Talent” on its 12th and 13th seasons, as well as “Dancing With the Stars” from season 29.
Banks’ primary goal is to promote body positivity, especially after she received flak for not being the stereotypically stick-thin model. “I’m trying to convey to people that beauty comes in various ages, sizes, and shapes. I have to back up what I say with deeds. I must ensure that my message is sincere “To Sports Illustrated, she spoke
