CANDICE SWANEPOEL says that being pretty just isn’t enough to succeed as a model. The South African Victoria’s Secret Angel – who is also a catwalk favourite of labels from Chanel and Jean Paul Gaultier to Stella McCartney and Donna Karan – said that models must embrace an awareness of business to guarantee longevity.
“Some of the smartest businesswomen I know are models,” Swanepoel told Huffington Post Live. “There are so many beautiful girls around that you need more than that. It’s really about being smart now and turning it into a business.”
Whatever Swanepoel does after modelling, she has plenty of examples of success stories to emulate. Elle Macpherson, Gisele Bündchen, Miranda Kerr, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Kate Moss, Heidi Klum and Tyra Banks, among others, have added beauty products, lingerie, television franchises, property and books to their brands. But the ultimate example of model-turned-mogul success must be Kathy Ireland – a former Sports Illustrated cover girl who now helms a company worth more than $2 billion.
And as for those who like to stereotype models as pretty but dim?
“We’ve grown a thick skin,” she laughed. “So it’s OK.”