Dissecting the Image of the Supermodel
The term supermodel entered the discourse in the 1980s, when the women most coveted by a certain designer became synonymous with the brand itself. However, the term had already appeared at the beginning of the 1950s in several, primarily American, magazines. L’OFFICIEL witnessed the supermodel’s rising profile in the second half of the 1950s, when Dovima, one of the most successful American models of the post-war period, post-war period, posed fiercely in a Manguin dress on the cover of our December 1957 issue, photographed by Philippe Pottier. Considered one of the first famous faces of the modeling world, Dovima’s impact was explicitly made through her appearance on every single cover of L’OFFICIEL that year, her lithe figure taking figurative ownership of the publication.
Toward the end of the 1960s, models began to sign exclusive contracts with fashion labels, a crucial moment that could change the trajectory of a career. Models began to dictate the success (or failure) of fashion brands, shifting the traditional power dynamics of the industry. Models transitioned from being mere vessels and developed a new, particular type of fame through partnerships with couture houses, magazines, and their respective photographers. Certain models had “the look,” embodying the design aesthetic of a specific label—there was Hiroko Matsumoto and Pierre Cardin; Mounia and Yves Saint Laurent; and Pat Cleveland and Halston, to name a few. These fashion houses saw increased attention thanks to these models-turned–household names, and models eventually attained their own agency as new types of fashion celebrities.
"Models dominated the realms of both fashion and celebrity."
In the 1990s, models like Claudia Schiffer, Linda Evangelista, and Naomi Campbell were everywhere, and their first names are still considered the ultimate incarnations of the capital-S supermodel. The elite club of models dominated the realms of both fashion and celebrity, appearing at every star-studded event in glimmering Versace mini dresses with blown-out coiffes and tiny Fendi baguette bags. Cast in movies and advertising campaigns, they were the poreless and perfect visages of multiple brands, from fashion to beverages, fragrances, cars, and more.
Ultimately, it’s a model’s indescribable panache that makes her a Super, and it’s this quality that has been demonstrated throughout the years on hundreds of covers of L’OFFICIEL. In our November 1984 issue, a glamorous, fur-clad Evangelista gazes into the camera, unaware that she would one day become one of the most recognizable faces in the world. On the cover of our February 1993 issue, Tyra Banks is featured in a classic blue and white Chanel tweed, a gold chain belt slung across her hips, years before she would host her own show to find the industry’s next great talent. In March 1996, a fresh-faced Carla Bruni, who would become the first lady of France from 2007 to 2012, covered L’OFFICIEL wearing a pastel-colored, youthful look from Christian Lacroix.
The Super crew developed strong bonds with specific fashion houses. Campbell shared a special relationship with famed designer Azzedine Alaïa after he allowed her to stay with him as a young model in Paris when her wallet and passport had been stolen. She’d later consider Alaïa a father figure, and he regarded her as his ultimate muse. Schiffer frequently elected to work with brands like Chanel and Versace. Although models are known for their chameleon-like qualities, blend-ing into ad campaigns and transforming their identities to fit a certain maison’s seasonal aesthetic, these women each developed a specific brand of her own.
While the runway is where fashion fantasies come to life, backstage is where the real magic happens. In 1992, L’OFFICIEL commissioned photographer Jonathan Lennard to capture the exclusive, behind-the-scenes moments at the shows, where the likes of Campbell, Christy Turlington, and Evangelista interacted with their creative crews, designers, hair and makeup artists, and other photographers. These backstage images reveal the charming, candid moments between the models, whose work exists in a unique field in which close bonds and camaraderie are an essential element of luxury, creativity, and fashion legend.
In the ‘90s, the Supers ruled the scene. In the naughties, it was unique faces like Devon Aoki and Gemma Ward that drew attention. Now, the close relationships between models such as Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner, and Joan Smalls are used as inspiration for fashion snapshots as well as tabloid fodder.
Brand-new faces are spotted every season, many of them the offspring of the previous generation of famous models—think “Nepo Babies” like Kaia Gerber and Lila Moss. The focus of the image-making industry has shifted somewhat toward actors, pop stars, and It girls who already have enough social currency to become the faces of brands. Our social feeds are dominated by the model-influencer-businesswoman.
As the role of the supermodel changes, so too does the way their images are mediated within a magazine. For L’OFFICIEL, the model is more than a face, but rather assumes a comprehensive, genre-spanning identity, giving a whole new meaning to the term Super.
