Supermodel Adriana Lima reflects on her 25 years in the industry in conversation with New York designer Anna Sui for L'OFFICIEL's Spring 2022 digital cover.

Photography Marcus Cooper Styling by Luca Falcioni

The &lsquo;<a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/90s-outfits-celebrity-fashion-making-comeback" target="_blank" rel="noopener">90s</a> and early aughts have proven to be an inspiration for the <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/spring-summer-2022-runway-fashion-trends" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spring/Summer 2022 runway collections</a> and exuberant <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/highest-paid-tiktok-stars-charli-damelio-addison-rae" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TikTokers</a> alike. Though that remarkable period of time in fashion history will often be referenced, it is never to be recreated. The &lsquo;90s and aughts are seen today as a simpler, less anxious time (although pre-<a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/ready-to-wear-again" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Y2K</a> jitters and the shared trauma of 9/11 loomed over the zeitgeist)&mdash;it&rsquo;s no wonder today&rsquo;s fashion and pop culture are looking backward. And nowhere was the fresh energy of the &lsquo;<a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/claudia-schiffer-90s-supermodel-photography-captivate-exhibition" target="_blank" rel="noopener">90s</a> and aughts more in full swing than New York City.
It was here, <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/adriana-lima-best-career-moments-anna-sui-victoria-secret-angel" target="_blank" rel="noopener">25 years ago</a>, that a rather-unknown Brazilian-born model named <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/adriana-lima-fun-facts-victorias-secret-angel-1999" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adriana Lima</a> landed, called Eileen Ford&rsquo;s apartment home, and went on go-sees galore via the city&rsquo;s famous (or infamous) subway. The year was 1997, and the close-knit New York fashion scene sizzled with organic energy, helmed by familiar names like <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/naomi-campbell-most-iconic-90s-catwalk-moments" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Naomi</a>, <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/linda-evangelista-best-runway-moments-age-90s-supermodel" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Linda</a>, photographer Steven Meisel, and innovative designers <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/marc-jacobs-famous-friendships" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Marc Jacobs</a> and <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/adriana-lima-young-modeling-photos" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Anna Sui</a>.
Beloved for her youthful, nostalgic, &lsquo;60s and &lsquo;70s-inspired collections, Sui was already an icon of New York fashion. The Chinese-American designer was one of a bold few who had rejected the notions of &lsquo;80s power dressing and ushered in a new vision of American style, inspired by the indie music and culture movements of the day.
Sui had a penchant for casting top models and even rock stars for her runway shows (Jane&rsquo;s Addiction and occasional Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Dave Navarro made his runway debut during the designer&rsquo;s Spring/Summer 1997 show). Though the single-moniker supermodel craze soon bled into the rise of heroin-chic, androgynous waifs, by the late &lsquo;90s, the tide turned again, and the Brazilian invasion was on. &ldquo;Quickly, it started shifting,&rdquo; Sui recalls during a recent Zoom call with L&rsquo;OFFICIEL. &ldquo;Suddenly, there were these beautiful Brazilians coming in who were ultra-sexy and womanly. Adriana came up right at that moment.&rdquo; Famed hairstylist Garren&rsquo;s shears snipped Lima&rsquo;s hair surprisingly&nbsp;short&mdash;in a move that would prove fateful&mdash;and soon Sui decided to cast Lima for her Americana surf-inspired Spring/Summer 1998 runway show, a first for the newbie model.

Though fashion trends move remarkably fast, from the &lsquo;90s to noughties to <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/what-is-twee-tiktok-aesthetic-zoey-deschanel-style-2010s" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2010s twee</a>, both Lima and Sui have had remarkable success and staying power in an industry that over-prioritizes the new. For this special conversation, the two have come together 25 years after Lima&rsquo;s fashion week debut to reflect on her meteoric rise, and that heady time in New York.
ANNA SUI: I remember you came to my studio. You had that adorable haircut. And were you like 15 or 16 then? You were very young, I think.
ADRIANA LIMA: Yes, I think I was about 16 years old. I remember that haircut, I think I kept it for four years. I remember meeting Steven Meisel and he wanted to cut my hair. I really liked that idea. I wanted to see how I would look with super short hair. And we went for it.
AS: It looked so good! It&rsquo;s something different, because naturally you would have long curly hair or something, and this gave you an edge. I think that that was something that really helped launch you. You had that beautiful face with this edgy haircut.
CAROLINE GROSSO: What was model casting like around that time?
AL: When I moved to New York, it was 1997 and I stayed at Eileen Ford&rsquo;s home in New York City. I wasn&rsquo;t in a model apartment because I was so young. I started doing castings right away. I remember my first week having castings all day, from 9 in the morning to 7 or 8 at night, running around&nbsp;with my book&mdash;these days we don&rsquo;t carry that anymore. And that thing is heavy! I saw basically all the magazines, all the photographers; and I met you at that time. Your campaign and your fashion show were the biggest moments for me at that point. That opened so many doors for my career.
AS: Your career took off so fast. I mean, you became a <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/young-claudia-schiffer-90s-supermodel-karl-lagerfeld" target="_blank" rel="noopener">supermodel</a>. Like, right away.
AL: I wasn&rsquo;t expecting it. I was happy, and I was very lucky to be working with you and such amazing talent.

"It was almost like a party...It was a much smaller world back then, and everyone kind of knew everyone."

CG: What did New York feel like in the &lsquo;90s?
AS: There was so much energy. The people coming to the shows were genuinely there because either they worked for press or were buyers, and the audience was a lot of friends of friends. All the supermodels were dating all the movie stars. We&rsquo;d have very glamorous front rows with the boyfriends, or rock stars backstage. It was almost like a party because every model wanted to bring her boyfriend. It felt much more intimate. It was a much smaller world back then, and everyone kind of knew everyone. The &lsquo;<a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/it-girls-90s-y2k-2000s-fashion-style-trending-today-instagram" target="_blank" rel="noopener">90s</a> in New York were a much more romantic, real time.
There was all this excitement going on; New York became very international and there were all these up-and-coming models and photographers. I think people now are still looking for that, especially these days when things are a little more difficult. Everything&rsquo;s a little more harsh, and everything is a little bit more corporate, less organic than it was back then.
AL: I believe that the fashion world has changed. As much as we try to bring back the energy of the &lsquo;90s, it won&rsquo;t be the same. I don&rsquo;t feel it. As Anna says, I really miss the more organic side of fashion. Everything is very corporate right now. I also miss shooting with film cameras. I can&rsquo;t stand digital!
AS: Digital is just too harsh. It doesn&rsquo;t have that magic that film used to give.

AL: It gives the picture personality; its own texture. Do you know how long it took for photographers in the &lsquo;<a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/90s-minimalist-jewelry-trend-fall-2021" target="_blank" rel="noopener">90s</a> to prepare for photoshoots? They would be working for two days in the studio to set up the lights, and then you would come in on the third day and do test shots on polaroids, and then they would shoot. These days, they&rsquo;re setting up as you arrive, it&rsquo;s crazy!
CG: From when you started in your career to now, do you feel like the perception of women in the industry has changed? Do you feel like you have more power now than perhaps you did earlier in your career?
AL: I&rsquo;ve seen a lot of changes. Fashion is more diverse and women with different shapes are being accepted. That&rsquo;s something that is totally different from back in the day. Being a model you are still a woman; you&rsquo;re still going to go through those stages in life where your face and body will change. I believe that those stages should be shown and celebrated. I always used the platform that I had. I was the longest running model for <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/victorias-secret-first-black-transgender-model-emira-dspain" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Victoria&rsquo;s Secret</a>, and for Maybelline New York too. Models do not usually last, so my goal was to have a very long career. That way, the other girls who were coming up could also have that opportunity. I&rsquo;m not doing as much now as I was before, but I&rsquo;m still here. I have plans for other projects I&rsquo;d like to take on in the future, which are probably acting and having my own brand, which I am working on right now.
As a model in the stage that I am, as a more mature woman and a mother, I want to continue taking pictures in my different body. Because I&rsquo;ll tell you, I do not look how I did in my 20s and teens. But I want to be celebrated as I am today, as every woman should be celebrated as she is.
CG: You have two young daughters. Is that something that you&rsquo;ve been thinking about as you raise them?
AL: Yes, Valentina is 12 years old and is about my height right now. And then I have a nine year old, Sienna. I don&rsquo;t want them to feel like there is a certain stereotype that they need to follow. Everyone has their uniqueness and I want them to be able to embrace that without trying to be someone else. One of my daughters actually wants to be a model. She saw runway images of me, but I never asked her or talked much about it. She came to me and told me straight in my face, &ldquo;I want to be a model.&rdquo; And like, okay, if that&rsquo;s what you want, I&rsquo;ll support you. I think in a few years, once she is ready, you guys will see her. 
HAIR Andrew Fitzsimons MAKEUP Adam Burrell PHOTO ASSISTANT Nelson Castillo STYLIST ASSISTANT Hannah Chung HAIR ASSISTANT Jose Fernandez PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Oly Innes

Supermodel Adriana Lima and Designer Anna Sui Reminisce on New York in the '90s

L'OFFICIEL USA December 2024 - Julianne Moore Cover

Supermodel Adriana Lima and Designer Anna Sui Reminisce on New York in the '90s

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