Ah, the supermodel.  That elusive, otherworldly being that contributes so much to the world of fashion.  I’ve always had huge respect for fashion models and could talk about them forever, but today I want to focus on the most pivotal timeframe for models in fashion history – the mid-1980s to mid-1990s.

Why Was This Time so Pivotal for Models?

First, the mid-1980s birthed several big changes that shifted the way we consume fashion.  First, manufacturing moved overseas, marking the beginning of fast fashion.

Second, Bernard Arnault created the first fashion conglomerate in the late 80s.  Up until this point, luxury brands stood on their own.  Now they had major financial backing, R&D, multi-level product categories and revenue streams.

Third, the 80s were an age of excess.  Wealth and exuberance weren’t hidden – they were front and center.

These shifts widened the gap between luxury and high street AND made it okay – commonplace, even – to promote exclusivity and materialism.  With new lines of business thanks to licensing, the need for advertising grew exponentially.  And every new ad campaign needs a face…

The Key Players

With the state of the world in the dawn of a new era, it was only fitting this era have a face.  Or faces.  Three beautiful ones to be exact.

There are four people we can largely credit with the advent of the supermodel.  The term “supermodel” dates back as far as the 1940’s, but it didn’t become a household term until Christy, Linda and Naomi.

Steven Meisel was one of the first to cast models en masse – not one girl booked his jobs; several did.  Repeatedly casting the Trinity and other giants (Claudia Schiffer, Cindy Crawford, Stephanie Seymour), a cadence emerged.  There was strength in numbers.

Gerald Marie, then President of Elite Model Management, also latched on to the idea of strength in numbers.  Repping each member of Trinity, he began to market them as a package deal.  If you wanted one, you had to book them all.  This tripled rates and sent a frenzy through the world of fashion – everyone wanted a piece of this exclusive group.

Perhaps the final nail in the fashion coffin, cementing the supermodel as an A-list celebrity, was Gianni Versace.  Versace was one of the first to sit celebrities front row and bridged pop culture with fashion.  He also paid huge bonuses to models for exclusivity rights – they walked his show and no one else’s – sending bidding wars through the fashion community.  Four-figure day rates became high five-figure day rates.  The supermodel’s status only grew.

All of these moments gave way to a perfect storm.  The supermodel of the mid-80s to mid-90s was unstoppable.  Lina Evangelista, the Chameleon, could rock any look or style.  Christy Turlington had an exotic yet ethnically ambiguous look that transcended genres.  Naomi Campbell was flawless in every way and could move – her walk is the most heralded in the industry. Cindy Crawford personified a healthy image – glowing, friendly, girl next door, that was perfect for commercial ad campaigns.

But the excess of the 80s gave way to minimalism and paring down in the 90s.  Thus marked the birth of the anti-model.

Kate Moss

Kate walked her first runway in 1990 for Gianni Versace.  Her short, ultra-thin frame and childlike features were in stark contrast to the likes of the Trinity.

The most beautiful moments for me are those years in which the Trinity and Kate intersect. There will never be another moment like it.  It’s irreplicable.  They were, in fact, all close friends and seeing footage of Kate, Naomi and Christy at one of John Galliano’s first shows is so moving.  Haunting really.

As I said in the beginning of this post, I could talk forever about supermodels.  But I’ll leave you with this.  Check out the documentary Catwalk for a trip down the most pivotal era in supermodel history.