OG Supermodel Claudia Schiffer Reflects on Her Career of Over Three Decades (2024)

Reveling in her enduring reign as one of the original supermodels, timeless beauty Claudia Schiffer is a woman who wears many hats. And she is just getting started.

In the world of fashion reporting, one thing is a given: There’s a lot of waiting. Waiting for the runway show to start, waiting for the new season to arrive in stores, waiting for the celebrity you are interviewing to show up… However, that is not the case when you make an appointment with one of the most beloved models of our era – and, shall we say, probably the most punctual. At exactly the expected time, not one minute before, not one minute after, “Hi, I’m Claudia,” salutes a glorious Claudia Schiffer, looking as striking as you would imagine her to be. She is wearing a simple white tank top and high-waisted jeans, accessorized with an XL purple Stanley cup that I guess is filled with green tea. Slender, blonde, glowing, and 54… Does Schiffer also have the power to stop time?

On this rainy July morning, she hasn’t shown up alone, being accompanied by a small army of fantastically attired collaborators, brought in to oversee and support our cover shoot. They are with Claudia Schiffer backstage and also spread across the studio. As I peek over their shoulders, one is editing pictures of, potentially, an interior design project, while others are on the phone coordinating upcoming meetings for what sounds like a very busy week. A woman who can wear many hats, Claudia Schiffer’s career has bloomed beyond the runway, with the serial entrepreneur being invested in the creation of fashion and home lines and in film production too. This explains why the supermodelis selective about the magazine covers she does,and it did indeed take some timeto get thisVogueArabia September issue cover confirmed.

Although she is one of the most visible modeling icons, gracing more than 1,000 magazine covers (including 65 for Vogue), Claudia Schiffer never dreamed of fame or fashion. Her talent was not obvious to all, especially in her native Germany. “My career started by accident when I was discovered in a Düsseldorf discotheque in the late 80s. And I never spent any time reflecting on whether I was going to be famous,” she says. “All I could think of was that I was from a small town and was very, very, shy. When I left Germany and told my friends and family that I was leaving to do some modeling, most were skeptical and worried. Would I be able to do it considering how sensitive, innocent, and shy I was? This is when I focused on being disciplined, working as late as I was asked to, ideally never taking a day off, and never complaining. My goal was to succeed and come back to my friends and family and prove them wrong.”

And prove them wrong she did. As soon as she arrived in Paris, Claudia Schiffer booked her first cover for French Elle. She was 17 years old. “I remember walking down the Champs-Élysées and seeing my face staring back at me from all the kiosks!” she laughs. “Up to this point, I’d always thought that perhaps the Paris agency had made a mistake and I was going to be sent back to Germany. When this cover was blown up in poster size all over town, I realized this must be the sign that I was staying.”

After that, the work – the outstanding work – didn’t stop. When I ask Claudia Schiffer to point to some of her most important career moments, she shows no hesitation. She starts by recalling an encounter in New York City when she was stopped while coming out of the elevator in her apartment building. “‘Aren’t you the Guess girl?’ someone asked me; that’s when I realized my life would change forever, and the first time fame entered my mind.” She also mentions her first cover for British Vogue in 1989, wearing haute couture, shot in Paris by Herb Ritts. “It brought me to Karl Lagerfeld’s attention, and I learned so much from Herb about how to work with the camera and light to get the best shots,” she recalls. Then, “of all the 16 American Vogue covers I shot,” the standout is Peter Lindbergh’s “Wild at Heart” editorial styled by Grace Coddington for the 1991 September issue. “It was an epic group shot with the other supermodels wearing Chanel biker boots and leathers, which is definitely glamorous and projects female resilience and strength.”

The French maison pops up recurrently during our conversation, specifically the period led by the late designer Lagerfeld, aka the Kaiser of Fashion, who was also German. Although Claudia Schiffer tenderly names other industry giants including Ritts, Ellen von Unwerth, Richard Avedon, and Arthur Elgort, Lagerfeld seems to have been her most protective mentor. “Karl taught me about fashion, style, and survival in the fashion business,” she says. “We collaborated for over 30 years on Chanel campaigns, editorial and book projects, as well as for his brand and others. He was one of the few designers who loved working with muses that inspired him. He invested in them and built a longstanding ‘family,’” she says. “One of my favorite memories of Karl is when we were in Vienna, and I remember him dancing the waltz in front of the crew, laughing.”

Even in 2024, you don’t need Google or a dictionary to instantly associate Claudia Schiffer with the word supermodel. The term was created in the 90s and applied to a small collective of women who dominated the runways, including Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, and Linda Evangelista. Personally, I consider that time to be one of the most exciting in fashion, and flashbacks of Claudia Schiffer strutting the Versace runway during Gianni Versace’s reign – bold fashion, big hair, fearless attitude – are still fresh in my mind, bringing me back to my teenage years. Naturally, I want to know how it really, really was to live during this era of glamour and, some might say, excess. “The 90s saw the rise of style, culture, the supermodel, and fearless creativity; a wave of young new talent emerged and fundamentally changed the way we viewed fashion and design,” she explains, adding, “Previously models had been categorized as ‘runway,’ ‘commercial,’ or ‘editorial,’ but as supermodels, we traversed those boundaries, becoming household names that represented self-made success. We were at the forefront of everything and whatever we wanted, we made happen, which was revolutionary for the industry. I barely took a day off, traveling constantly across the world, but it was huge fun too.” The decade she is describing sounds more like some type of decadent Matrix, where the sense of time and place feels different from what common mortals experience. “I never looked back and, once I was in the middle of it, I was too consumed with competing to be at the top, 24 hours a day, plus working nearly every day, traveling around the world. And by traveling, I mean being two days in Australia then one day in New York, and after, three days in Paris. There was no time to stop, relax, and reflect,” she says. “It’s only once I got married and got pregnant – and therefore took a slower pace – that I was able to look back and realize how special the 90s were and different to any other decade. I’m very proud today that I was able and lucky enough to be part of this very special moment in fashion.”

As fashion constantly changes, it is also reshaping the role of the model. Looking back, there was no Photoshop and no digital cameras, obliging models to always be in top shape. Today, social media is another novelty that can serve as an important tool in building a model’s career, but at times can present downsides too. “In the 90s it took a lot longer to get across who you were or what you stood for by doing endless chat shows, interviews, and public appearances. Now, you can do that much quicker by accessing the digital world and being authentically yourself,” Claudia Schiffer says. “Models can also maximize social media’s global exposure to build multi-track careers, and there’s greater diversity, be it with age, sexuality, size, or ethnicity. When I started, a model’s career would rarely go past her 30s and there was a constant turnover of faces. That’s been such a positive change and allows for a much broader, healthier scope of education and representation.” However, not every aspect of these platforms is beneficial, and the supermodel underlines the dangers of being exposed to the internet: “Social media has led to new challenges and concerns, especially with issues like online trolling and cyberbullying, so it’s important to be aware of the potential risks and to navigate the online world with caution,” she warns. “It starts with promoting a healthy and positive mindset and encouraging young models to prioritize their well-being and self-esteem.”

Coming back to the studio, the concept of the editorial is inspired by images of Claudia Schiffer that are more than 20 years old, in which she is wearing the Yves Saint Laurent Le Smoking tuxedo on the runway. As our photoshoot progressed, I was surprised by how fast we got the right shots. Schiffer is in full command of the set, looking powerful yet feminine while wearing only tuxedos, giving us a real-life masterclass on fabulous modeling. It’s barely past lunchtime and we are almost done, with the process moving even faster because she prefers not to pause for lunch. Being efficient might be a cultural German trait, but it is also an advantage when you are a busy mother of three.

When the topic shifts to family life, Claudia Schiffer reaffirms that motherhood changed her priorities, giving her a deeper sense of perspective. After marrying film director Matthew Vaughn, with whom she shares three children, traveling became limited to essential trips, “and if it doesn’t work for us as a family, I don’t do it.” This allowed the supermodel to be very present in the education of her children, now young adults with “down-to-earth personalities and lack of arrogance.” She goes on: “My husband and I were strict in giving our kids a normal childhood, which meant we kept them out of the limelight for a very long time. So no modeling or high-profile events,” she says. “The oldest two grew up in London, where the paparazzi followed us to school every day. When one morning our youngest, at the time six years old, confessed that she was famous, we knew it was time to move to the countryside.”

Claudia Schiffer discloses that, at the moment, she resides in a triangle between London, Suffolk, and Oxfordshire. “I love living in the English countryside amid rolling hills, fields, and farmland. The calmness and being surrounded by nature and wildlife is wonderful. Even when it’s raining, just watching the formation of the clouds feels meditative and relaxing,” she remarks. However, this doesn’t mean she is less busy, working from home in the same room as Vaughn – who operates a film studio out of their house – and even collaborating on projects. “Matthew and I work very well together and love learning from each other’s skill sets. In our office our desks literally face each other,” Schiffer confides. “Argylle was the latest global release from Marv, our film studio. I was an executive producer, so I use my expertise in make-up, hair, and wardrobe to connect the fashion and film worlds.” Claudia Schiffer was also responsible for partnerships created for other movies with brands such as Mr Porter, Jaeger-LeCoultre, and Montblanc. “It’s led by Matthew’s vision, and then I help make it all happen. It’s a lot of fun.”

Solidifying Claudia Schiffer’s status as an all-around pop culture phenomenon, last year Mattel launched the third iteration of a Barbie doll in her name, which sold out in minutes. Claudia Schiffer also plans to continue in her role as Unicef ambassador, a position she has held since 1997. One of her most personal projects might perhaps be her third ceramics and porcelain collection for Portugal’s Vista Alegre and Bordallo Pinheiro, called Gudrun. “My creative concept pays homage to my late mother, Gudrun Schiffer – who was a passionate gardener – and my love of nature, which I inherited from her,” she says. “I grew up surrounded by a large garden full of amazing flowers and plants, and I looked forward to autumn, watching the acorns fall and leaping into piles of leaves she would gather. Gudrun will be globally available this Fall, featuring foxes and woodpeckers, which I see daily in the countryside.”

Before we part ways, I ask Claudia Schiffer if there’s anything she regrets in her incredible career, which extends over four decades. “I can’t think of any major disappointments or regrets,” she answers. “I made lots of mistakes, like turning down an Hermès bag being named after me, or silly things like forgetting to cut off the washing instructions on the amazing semi-transparent Versace dress I wore to a Venice film festival,” she laughs. “Every decision I’ve made, right or wrong, has led me to where I am right now,” she firmly concludes in a more serious tone. In the case of Schiffer, we agree that seems to be exactly where she should be. And naturally, right on time.

Originally published in the September 2024 issue of Vogue Arabia

Style: Barbara Baumel
Hair: Stephen Beaver
Makeup: Lisa Eldridge
Creative producer: Beya Bou-Harb
Executive producer: Kerry Danson
Producer: Morgan Eve Russell
Nail tech: Robbie Tomkins
Light tech: Freddie Stisted