With bombshell blond hair, crystal blue eyes, and a winning smile, Candice Swanepoel embodies a physical representation of angelic beauty, wings included. The supermodel is best known for her work as a Victoria’s Secret Angel, a тιтle that she earned in 2010 (via Vogue). What many fans may not realize about Swanepoel, however, is that her glamorous life as an international supermodel is something that she could have never imagined from her humble beginnings as a child growing up on a dairy farm in South Africa (via CandiceSwanepoel.com).
Though a chance encounter led to Swanepoel entering the world of high fashion, her dedication to her craft demonstrated the supermodel’s unimpeachable work ethic and pᴀssion. Through maintaining a vigilant fitness routine and crafting a sustainable diet for herself, Swanepoel continues to dominate the runway as one of Victoria’s Secret’s most iconic Angels of all time. Here is the stunning transformation of Candice Swanepoel and the journey that led her to finding and owning her wings.
Candice Swanepoel grew up in a farm in South Africa
Far removed from any bustling city life, Candice Swanepoel spent her earliest years in Mooi River, a small farming town in South Africa (via CandiceSwanepoel.com). For the first 13 years of her life, Swanepoel grew up on a meat and dairy farm with very little knowledge of the fashion industry. In an interview with Elle, Swanepoel opened up about how her hometown had caused confusion in the past when introducing herself to new people. “You know that ‘Mean Girls’ quote? It happens to me a lot in real life,” she told the magazine. “‘So if you’re from Africa, why are you white?!'”
Swanepoel remembers her childhood spent on the farm with fondness. “I was very wild,” she said in an interview with Fashionista. Though growing up on a farm in South Africa is a fairly unconventional childhood, Swanepoel insists that it was a pretty typical rural upbringing. “People think I have lions in my backyard. I mean, I grew up on a farm,” the supermodel told Elle. “I didn’t have lions in the garden but I did go on safari for holiday, and we had animals on our farm,” she explained.
She spent her adolescence at an all-girls boarding school
At age 13, Candice Swanepoel made the move from her family’s meat and dairy farm to an all-girls boarding school in South Africa. “My parents were humble. They’re farmers, but they worked really hard to send us to good schools,” she told Elle in an interview. According to IOL, Swanepoel attended St. Anne’s Diocesan College, which served as the sister insтιтution to the all-boys boarding school her older brother attended.
The model became a mother in 2016
Victoria’s Secret Angels have a reputation for being strong and powerful women, and motherhood has never been an obstacle for the international stars. Candice Swanepoel joined some of her fellow Angels in motherhood when she gave birth to her first son, Anacã, in 2016 (via People). The supermodel returned to the runway just 8 months after her son’s birth, and has since given birth to her second child, Ariel, in 2018.
In 2012, W magazine asked Swanepoel if she had ever considered starting a family during her modeling career. “I think about the girls taking care of their business and their children and everything. It’s a lot,” she said. “But you make it work, and at a certain point you long for your own family, something more than just work.” Since bringing Anacã into the world, however, Swanepoel seems to be crushing it. The supermodel is a natural birth enthusiast, and made a stunning recovery to the runway before a year had pᴀssed since her son’s birth. “I was actually surprised how quickly the body can go back. We’re amazing creatures,” she told People.
Swanepoel continued to dominate her career even after her second son was born. “It’s pretty intense, but it’s amazing,” she told People in 2018. In 2019, Swanepoel revealed that she was single in an Instagram Stories Q&A, but little else is known about her split with her ex-fiancé and father of her children (via Elle Australia).
Candice Swanepoel started her own swimwear brand in 2018
Candice Swanepoel is known for being an international supermodel and supermom, but in 2018, she became an entrepreneur too. Swanepoel created her own swimwear line that sought to bring fashion and sustainability to the beach. Her brand, Tropic of C, creates timeless swimwear pieces that can survive the dreaded trend cycle and avoid the wastefulness of fast-fashion. “I wanted the line to be something I could be proud of from all angles, not just adding to the problem. I want to leave the world a better place, not worse,” she told Fashion Week Daily.
Tropic of C has allowed Swanepoel to push herself for the better. “When I started this company I knew nothing about business. I’ve enjoyed stepping into my entrepreneurial power,” she told Fashion Week Daily in an interview in 2021. The young brand managed to survive the initial setbacks of the pandemic in 2020, and continues to thrive. As Swanepoel continues to lend her talents to the development and longevity of the brand, she says the key to her success is living in the moment. “Life is all about learning and evolving, so I’m looking forward to what lessons 2022 has in store for me, both professionally and personally,” she said.