THE 90'S – ERA OF THE SUPERMODELS
The 1990s was the era of the supermodel, a term coined in the late 1980s to describe a group of high-profile, highly-paid models who dominated the fashion industry during the 1990s. The supermodels were not just models; they were celebrities in their own right, with their images plastered on billboards, magazine covers, and television screens all over the world. The role of magazine editors, such as Diana Vreeland, was crucial in bringing the work of photographers and models to the public’s attention.
The impact of these photographers and their images was felt not just in the fashion industry but in popular culture as well. The supermodels of the 1990s were more than just pretty faces. One of the most iconic expressions of this spirit was the music video for George Michael's "Freedom! '90," which featured a cast of supermodels lip-syncing to the song while wearing designer clothes.The "Freedom! '90" video celebrated the supermodels and their role in defining the fashion industry during the 1990s. The video featured some of the era's most famous faces, including Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, and Tatjana Patitz. The supermodels became the epitome of beauty and glamour, and their images helped to define an era and a style that still resonates today.
Photographers like Jacques Olivar epitomized the edginess and glamour of models with his highly stylized photographs of supermodels such as Esther Canadas and Georgina Grenville. His photographs have a gritty feel, there is a balance between looseness and precision, and the clothes and the settings are stripped back, allowing the persona of the models to shine through.
At the same time, Antoine Verglas' portraits of supermodels such as Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, Tatjiana Patziz, and Claudia Schiffer capture the models in the intimacy of their homes, presenting a version of the models stripped back from the usual highly stylized presentation of them on billboards and in magazines, and also serving as a testament to how compelling supermodels were. Suddenly, models were more than living mannequins; they were public figures, and people were interested in their lives outside of photoshoots and magazines.
