<text class="_textbox_1titd_17" direction="ltr" height="11.8829956054688" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="154.618347167969" x="724.825073242188" y="-663.20947265625" data-test="textbox">Over the past decades, L'OFFICIEL</text><text class="_textbox_1titd_17" direction="ltr" height="11.8829956054688" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="84.1278686523438" x="883.519470214844" y="-663.20947265625" data-test="textbox">&nbsp;</text><text class="_textbox_1titd_17" direction="ltr" height="11.8660278320312" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="149.584716796875" x="972.304443359375" y="-663.20947265625" data-test="textbox">has traced the journey </text><text class="_textbox_1titd_17" direction="ltr" height="11.8829956054688" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="87.772705078125" x="725.145446777344" y="-647.20947265625" data-test="textbox">of the simple </text><text class="_textbox_1titd_17" direction="ltr" height="11.322021484375" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="66.8541870117188" x="817.008605957031" y="-647.20947265625" data-test="textbox">mannequin </text><text class="_textbox_1titd_17" direction="ltr" height="11.8829956054688" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="156.614196777344" x="888.511169433594" y="-647.20947265625" data-test="textbox">into the larger-than-life </text><text class="_textbox_1titd_17" direction="ltr" height="11.8829956054688" lengthadjust="spacingAndGlyphs" textlength="70.6519775390625" x="1048.79797363281" y="-647.20947265625" data-test="textbox">supermodel.&nbsp;</text>

The term <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/supermodels-through-the-decades-runway-models-history" target="_blank" rel="noopener">supermodel</a> 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&rsquo;OFFICIEL witnessed the supermodel&rsquo;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&rsquo;s impact was explicitly made through her appearance on every single cover of L&rsquo;OFFICIEL that year, her lithe figure taking figurative ownership of the publication.&nbsp;
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 &ldquo;the look,&rdquo; embodying the design aesthetic of a specific label&mdash;there was <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/hiroko-koshino-whitebox-2018" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hiroko Matsumoto</a> and <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/remembering-pierre-cardin-designer-cosmic-wonder" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pierre Cardin</a>; <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/who-is-mounia-model-yves-saint-laurent-haute-couture" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mounia</a> and <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/men/saint-laurent-mens-spring-summer-2024-runway-collection-every-look" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Yves Saint Laurent</a>; and <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/pat-clevelend-model-archive-cover" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pat Cleveland</a> and <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/halston-designer-facts-70s-studio-54" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Halston</a>, to name a few. These fashion houses saw increased attention thanks to these models-turned&ndash;household names, and models eventually attained their own agency as new types of fashion celebrities.&nbsp;

"Models dominated the realms of both fashion and celebrity."

In the 1990s, models like <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/young-claudia-schiffer-90s-supermodel-karl-lagerfeld" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Claudia Schiffer</a>, <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/linda-evangelista-best-runway-moments-age-90s-supermodel" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Linda Evangelista</a>, and <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/naomi-campbell-most-iconic-90s-catwalk-moments" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Naomi Campbell</a> 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 <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/donatella-versace-fall-winter-2023-los-angeles-show-celebrities" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Versace</a> mini dresses with blown-out coiffes and tiny <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion-week/fendi-fall-winter-2023-haute-couture-show-paris-fashion-week-every-look" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fendi</a> baguette bags. Cast in movies and advertising campaigns, they were the <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/beauty/skincare-ingredients-you-should-mix-routine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">poreless</a> and perfect visages of multiple brands, from fashion to beverages, <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/beauty/best-perfume-for-your-zodiac-sign" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fragrances</a>, cars, and more.&nbsp;
Ultimately, it&rsquo;s a model&rsquo;s indescribable panache that makes her a Super, and it&rsquo;s this quality that has been demonstrated throughout the years on hundreds of covers of L&rsquo;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, <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/tyra-banks-best-runway-moments-young-model" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tyra Banks</a> is featured in a classic blue and white <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/coco-chanel-hidden-wertheimer-family-fashion-legacy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chanel</a> <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/need-for-tweed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweed</a>, a gold chain belt slung across her hips, years before she would host her own show to find the industry&rsquo;s next great talent. In March 1996, a fresh-faced <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/carla-bruni-best-runway-moments-young-90s" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Carla Bruni</a>, who would become the first lady of France from 2007 to 2012, covered L&rsquo;OFFICIEL wearing a pastel-colored, youthful look from Christian Lacroix.&nbsp;

The Super crew developed strong bonds with specific fashion houses. Campbell shared a special relationship with famed designer <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion-week/alaia-spring-summer-2022-pieter-mulier-photos" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Azzedine Ala&iuml;a</a> after he allowed her to stay with him as a young model in Paris when her wallet and passport had been stolen. She&rsquo;d later consider Ala&iuml;a 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&rsquo;s seasonal aesthetic, these women each developed a specific brand of her own.&nbsp;
While the runway is where fashion fantasies come to life, backstage is where the real magic happens. In 1992, L&rsquo;OFFICIEL commissioned photographer Jonathan Lennard to capture the exclusive, behind-the-scenes moments at the shows, where the likes of Campbell, <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/christy-turlington-age-young-fashion-moments" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Christy Turlington</a>, and Evangelista interacted with their creative crews, designers, <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion-week/hair-trends-spring-summer-2024-runways-hairstyles" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hair</a> and <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion-week/beauty-trends-spring-summer-2024-runways-fashion-week" target="_blank" rel="noopener">makeup artists</a>, 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.&nbsp;

In the &lsquo;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 <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/science-says-bella-hadid-most-beautiful-woman-in-world" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bella Hadid</a>, <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/kendall-jenner-best-bikini-pictures" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kendall Jenner</a>, 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&mdash;think &ldquo;<a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/nepo-baby-celebrity-response-nepotism" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nepo Babies</a>&rdquo; like <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/kaia-gerber-model-style-evolution-fashion" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kaia Gerber</a> and Lila Moss. The focus of the image-making industry has shifted somewhat toward actors, pop stars, and <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/fashion-it-girls-2022-julia-fox-naomi-biden-style-inspiration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">It girls</a> 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&rsquo;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.

Dissecting the Image of the Supermodel

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