1990. Picture it. TLC are dominating the charts and Pretty Woman is gripping the nation. In January 1990, British Vogue placed five models on its era-defining cover: Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbell, Tatjana Patitz, Linda Evangelista and Cindy Crawford. The cover was titled, “The 1990s: What next?” and in the coming months, the answer was evident. Labelled by tabloids as ‘The Big Five’, these iconic women would go on to become household names, following a decade of unfiltered and controversial fashion. With this, the supermodel was born.
“We don’t wake up for less than $10,000 a day”, boasted Evangelista on the 1990 cover of Vogue, marking the glory days of the 90’s for the ‘Big Five’ supermodels. The world went wild for these women, who completely transformed what it meant to be a model, becoming true celebrities and soon, the personification of fashion universally. The world was hooked on the supermodel craze. As potent icons of glamour and fame, their presence was undeniable during the 1990s – plastered across the hottest catwalks, dating the elite, representing the worlds most exclusive brands and even breaking into the film industry. The media didn’t know what had hit them, and the dominating force of the elite club, that was the ‘Big Five’, was soon to be augmented.
So, how did the ‘Big Five’ become the ‘Big Six’? The answer was a young and wild-spirited Kate Moss. Discovered for her unique beauty at the tender age of 14, Moss re-invented the definition of modelling in the mid-90s Labelled as an ‘anti-supermodel’, she became synonymous with the new age of fashion: heroin chic. Known for her waifish figure and androgynous features; Kate Moss sparked interest in a new fashion industry, celebrating unconventional beauty and breaking down the parameters of fashion that were so widely recognised in models such as Cindy Crawford and Claudia Schiffer. But what did the controversial obsession with ‘Heroin Chic’ do for the fashion movement in the 90s?
At the peak of Moss’ career, her influence on international style and perception of beauty was evident; dark undereyes, desperately skinny frames and pale skin became the rage, with the 1993 advertising campaign for the Calvin Klein perfume, ‘Obsession’ solidifying the grasp of Heroin Chic on fashion. The promotional video for ‘Obsession’ featured an emaciated-looking Kate Moss, baring raw-boned skin and sullen features. The reception of the popularised ‘Heroin Chic’ era of fashion was quickly slammed by the media, with a 1996 article in the Los Angeles Times, stating that it promoted “a nihilistic vision of beauty”. The era of well-received supermodels was disintegrating, and with a contentious approach to fashion infiltrating the media, the general public soon reverted to their traditionalistic ideas of beauty.
Despite many of the ‘Big Six’ supermodels maintaining their fame after a decade of irrefutable dedication to fashion, the declining influence of the 90s supermodel was increasingly evident by 1999. Vogue had dubbed Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bündchen as the ‘Return of the Sexy Model’ and by the turn of the century, models like Tyra Banks and Heidi Klum gained popularity, distinguishing the re-emergence of the previously glamourised beauty of the 70s and 80s.