The Supers Still Got It

They were era-defining and so powerful that only their first names were required. Now, as the original supermodels — Cindy, Naomi, Claudia, Helena and Christy — hit midlife, they are, after three decades, still the industry’s most-wanted.

- Caroline Leaper

Every person in attendance at the Balmain show in February whipped out their smartphone as Helena Christensen, 51, took to the catwalk. The rare sight of a bona fide supermodel returning to her natural habitat prompts one of two reactions from even the most poised of fashion editor audiences — stunned silence or riotous applause. Always, these days, it’s an I-must-get-a-picture-of-this moment.

The last time the original, mononymous “Supers” — Naomi, Cindy, Claudia, Helena, Christy — were photographed in the same room together was at the Versace Spring/ Summer 2018 show, creating an image so powerful, it received a standing ovation, went viral and secured money-can’t-buy exposure for the brand. Have they still got it? For these women, it never went away.

Since the advent of fashion photography in the 1930s, when unnamed models first replaced illustrations on the cover of Vogue, modelling had been considered more like a performance-led sport than a strategy-led business. Its star players tended to bow out at around the age of 28, when their physique was considered “past it”. The fashion industry relentlessly championed the young — “hot new faces” were scouted as pre-teens, names would launch, dazzle for a few seasons, and then fizzle into obscurity. There was little work for an ageing model, no matter how in demand they had been at their peak.