Naomi, Christy, Linda and Cindy are back, recounting how they revolutionized fashion as the first supermodels in the 1990s in a new series for Apple TV. “The Super Models”, which launches on the streaming platform on Wednesday, looks back on the four women who created a template for today’s uber-influencers by injecting an element of personality into the job of modeling. Britain’s Naomi Campbell, 53, Canada’s Linda Evangelista, 58 and the two Americans, Cindy Crawford, 57, and Christy Turlington, 54, dominated the fashion scene during one of its most explosive periods.

They worked with the top designers and photographers, though it was a music video, George Michael’s “Freedom”, which helped cement their status in the public consciousness as the first “supermodels”. “(The 1990s) was a very unique time historically, where everything was converging—fashion, music, you had MTV just starting -- ...right before the brink of the internet,” said co-director Larissa Bills.

US model Christy Turlington arrives for the Kering Foundation's second annual Caring for Women Dinner at The Pool in New York City.

Canadian model Linda Evangelista arrives for the Kering Foundation's second annual Caring for Women Dinner at The Pool in New York City.

English model Naomi Campbell attends the Victoria's Secret New York Fashion Week kickoff event celebrating Victoria's Secret The Tour '23, at the Manhattan Center in New York City.

“These women were like the original influencers. Prior to the internet, prior to social media, they were able to bring a whole world to the public in a way that hadn’t been done before.” It is the first time they have shared their story together. “The fact that they’re all in their 50s now... it was the right time. They’re in a more reflective space in their lives,” said Bills. All from modest backgrounds, the foursome made millions of dollars and reveled in their stardom.

But they also faced many of the horrific aspects of the fashion industry—addiction, eating disorders, sexual harassment. Evangelista faced perhaps the most challenging moments, with a husband accused of rape by other women (the case was finally dropped in early 2023), breast cancer and a botched cosmetic surgery which she says left her “disfigured”.

Age is an under-current of their discussions, and was underlined again in recent days after the foursome featured on the cover of Vogue in the United States and Britain. The distinct lack of wrinkles led many to accuse the magazine of doctoring the images. For Bills, though, the series is a celebration. “They shouldered such a giant responsibility—to be 16 years old and the face of a brand. The industry was not regulated at the time and they really did it on their own. Well done to them,” she said. — AFP