Original subtitles

[man] I think it's a bit-- We've got so many nods to Pepsi

that for you to have a Pepsi can

- is a bit of no-no. - I don't need it, no.

- But it's kind of, "what the fuck?" - And we know the environment.

- Yes, yeah. - Yes. Okay.

And... we'll just play around with that,

and then we'll do one different shot here.

But I just want to get something in the can straight away.

- Okay. Okay. - And I think it will work.

You haven't changed at all over 30 years, but you know that.

I redo this commercial every ten years just to make sure.

I'm very flattered that I'm the 2021 edition.

Just come a little bit more this way. Come forward.

[camera clicking]

A little bit more this-- That's it. That's it.

[Cindy] I never in a million years thought I would still be in front of the camera...

[chuckles] ...35 five years after I started modeling.

I mean, uh, no. Yeah, even more.

I started modeling when I was 17.

So, that's a long time. [chuckles]

[camera clicking]

I don't think there was a... like, a long-term plan

for most young women who started modeling.

Because we thought about maybe you'd have a five-year career.

[Younger Cindy] It would be silly for me to say

that physical beauty's not important for our job because it is.

But I think everyone knows it's-- It sounds such a cliché to say

that, you know, beauty's on the inside, but-- but it's really true.

- [camera clicking] - Great, that's good.

But there's a kind of physical beauty that's about...

...physically how you look, but I mean, that doesn't last very long.

Aging.

Your body changes and everything changes.

[breathing, murmuring to herself]

[people murmuring]

I just got into a furnace. No, I--

[man] Are you okay?

No, I think I'm going through menopause, it's pre-early menopause.

- Pre-menopause. - [man] You want a little bit of wind?

- There's nothing you can do. - [woman] We'll give you some wind.

It just happens. Shit, Lord.

- [man laughs] - One minute, I'm fine.

Next minute, just this furnace comes up.

- I got some wind for you. - Why do men not get menopause?

[Naomi] There have been times when I've said, "Okay, I'm gonna slow down,

I'm gonna pull out, I'm gonna go do other things."

But... my energy is still the same.

You hope that the way you are will sort of transcend your image.

I don't like just being, like, "I'm a model."

[laughs] "I'm a model, and that's all I am."

[younger Christy] So I've been doing a lot less... everything.

I just have a lot of interests in my life.

It's not that I'm stopping. I'm just being a lot more selective.

I just hope that when this is all over, that I take it well.

I put my whole heart into it.

Um...

I know it's gonna come to an end one day.

- [indistinct] - [laughs]

[Linda] So many barriers have been taken down since I started modeling.

And age was one of them. And...

you see Cindy...

and Christy...

...and Naomi.

They're flourishing and they're beautiful, and...

[breath shaking]

...they can work forever.

[Linda] I didn't sleep last night.

It's okay, as long as... as long as I'm gonna live it's okay.

I've just been dealt so many... blows...

...that I feel like this is just another one and I'll get over it, 'cause,

what am I gonna do, I have to get over it.

Being in the vain world that I was working in and living in,

there were all these tools we were presented with.

And, um, I used some of those tools.

[voice trembling] Because...

...I wanted to like what I saw in the mirror,

and the commercial said I would like myself better.

But what happened to my body after CoolSculpting...

...became my nightmare.

I can't like myself

with these hard masses and protrusions sticking out of my body.

I-- I just can't.

Had someone told me you're going to grow hard fat, that we can't remove,

maybe,

I would never have taken the risk.

I wish we could just really see ourselves...

...in the mirror.

Non-distorted.

Without ever having seen ourselves

with a filter or retouched.

[voice trembling] That is what has thrown me

into this deep depression that I'm in.

It's like a trap. You're trapped.

With yourself, that you hate.

It's been years since I worked.

And years of hiding.

I never went out the door unless it was maybe

a doctor's appointment that I had to go to.

[distant siren wailing]

[Linda] Let's go get that poison shot in me.

- [doctor] Tell us your name and birthday. - [machine beeping]

Five, ten, '65.

Linda Evangelista.

That's a beautiful name. So... might as well go with it.

Linda?

- Evangelista, there's something... - Evangelista is beautiful.

But Linda? I never liked that name.

[doctor] So one hour on this, one hour on the Cytoxan

and then one hour at night and 30 minutes on the... [indistinct]

So, it's three and a half.

[Linda] And I keep saying I'm not suffering.

[doctor] Yeah.

Just a little inconvenienced here.

I was approached to do this, and I will do anything that I can for breast cancer.

And for me, this is not work, this is pleasure.

And to do something for this cause that I'm very, very, um...

[Linda voiceover] It's always been a charity dear to my heart.

And ironic that I ended up with breast cancer myself.

A little over three years ago, I was diagnosed.

The decision was very easy to make

to have a double mastectomy.

But it came back.

[Dr. Shapiro] So right now,

the treatment seems to be going as planned, um...

It's really good that you brought it to everyone's attention

because it was a finding that I think would have been easily overlooked.

And you're very attuned to your body.

I mean, that's what you did to make your living.

And, you know, and so it all comes together

that someone with your life experience

would be attuned to something going on.

I was pushing on it, because I thought maybe it was, um,

because I'm told it was rib number four that I had sawn off

from one of my lung surgeries.

So I thought it was the... the nub that--

[Shapiro] I can see how you would think that.

And in fact, that is...

[Linda] I have a genetic mutation called Birt-Hogg-Dubé Syndrome,

where I had developed little weak spots and air would escape

and it would cause my lung to collapse.

I don't know how many surgeries I've had.

I've had so many.

Scars for me are trophies.

Like, I overcame something and I won.

I battled something. And I survived.

So, I could celebrate a scar.

But to be disfigured, is not a trophy.

I can't see how anybody would want to dress me.

I just can't. I can't.

Now... to lose my job...

that I love so much and... [inhales]

[crying] ...lose my livelihood.

My heart is broken.

I loved my job.

[people murmuring, indistinct]

- [man] This, um... - [woman] But this was more for Christy.

[man] And that-- Yeah. She wants to wear some, like...

- What's this one? Celine? - [man] That's Celine.

Oh, my God. This is the total of Naomi's rings. Five million.

I would show her. [chuckles]

[blow dryer whirring]

[Christy] I haven't really done that much over the years, 'cause I feel like--

I used to feel guilty to do, like, trips for myself.

- [Cindy] Yeah. - When I traveled a lot.

- Right. - So now that my kids are like...

- barely notice that I'm gone. - Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Actually, one of my other girlfriends, she would call home

and her daughters are like, "Where are you?"

- And she's like, "I'm out of the country." - And she's like, "You are?"

- 'Cause at a certain point, they don't-- - "Didn't you make my breakfast?"

Yeah, at a certain point they just don't even know.

...back in the UK. So, I'm trying to think.

Thursday, Friday, I'm in the UK.

Saturday, I'm in the UK, and Sunday I'm in the UK.

Is that okay? Would that work?

We all have so much history, and I think that's...

that's the fun thing of getting everyone together.

It's like a high school reunion.

I work Thursday, Friday, and...

Like, just, all of our lives have gotten so busy and complicated now too.

To get everyone in the same city at the same...

[make-up artist] Which is amazing.

It's the first time we're all together in our 50s, our collective 50s.

Um...

We're all mothers now.

Changed.

[Christy] In 1996...

I remember being in Paris for the couture and...

I-- I gained a little bit of weight because I'd quit smoking,

and... I got released from a show.

And I remember feeling like,

"Well, I'm not gonna let this, like, make me feel bad."

I just made a decision for myself,

which is probably one of the best decisions I've made.

"And so, you know, maybe now is the time.

Like, you know, I don't really want to...

I don't really want to subject myself to that anymore."

I'm happy to read that you've gone back to school.

- Yes. - Good for you.

- Thank you. - Where did you leave off

and where did you go back?

Well, I was never able to go beyond high school

because I started working at a really young age.

- Because you were a supermodel. - Exactly.

[Christy] I loved my time at NYU.

I just loved the routine of it.

I loved, like, walking through the park to get to school.

I loved having the excuse of like,

"No, I'm studying this weekend." [laughs] "I'm not going anywhere."

Um, really my concentration area

was comparative religion and Eastern philosophy.

But because it was liberal arts, I studied American literature,

psychology, I studied architecture.

Those were like, I think, some of the most important years of my life,

um, because that's where I was really able to, like,

make the investment in myself, and, like, who my future self was gonna be.

And I just found so much inspiration to do so many other things.

[faint cheering, applause]

So, yeah, it was such a incredible four years.

With the exception of my dad not being well in the middle of it.

My dad was diagnosed with lung cancer at 63.

His diagnosis was like, you know, six months, stage four.

And we pretty much lost him six months to the day.

After I lost my dad, I started to think, you know,

could I be... could I be helpful in some way?

In my life, there are two people in my family who have quit smoking:

me and my dad.

[Christy] I sort of saw the power of telling my story

and telling my dad's story and helping other people

to hopefully have a different kind of story for themselves.

Um, and then I did a lot of advocating in DC

and, you know, just do what I could.

I just wanted to briefly add that I'll do everything in my power,

um, as a representative of the fashion community

to, um, take responsibility in my actions

and to set the best possible example for those I may influence.

There are a lot of people in my industry that smoke

and that are photographed smoking and looking very glamorous in doing so...

My effort is to demystify those glamorous images

that have been so prevalent for so many years.

Thank you.

In that time, we had the first "Women and Tobacco" report created.

I was like, "What?" [laughs]

"There's not already a report about women's health and tobacco?"

Um, and that kind of pissed me off and also, I think, opened the door

for the kind of work that I do now with maternal health

and, you know, do more.

Do more than I ever imagined I would do.

I got married in 2003.

When we were pregnant, uh, we were super excited.

I had had such a full life before becoming pregnant

that I really felt, like, so ready

for this next adventure and phase of my life.

But after I delivered...

...I hemorrhaged.

It became, um, a complication that had to be managed.

Which was painful, and I lost a lot of blood.

But my child was born, she was healthy.

I felt like I was being cared for by the right people

and people that I trusted, so, you know, relatively speaking,

I felt, um, as good as I could in this situation.

But after that, I... you know,

I wanted to do something about it.

I felt like, you know, why, you know...

I was so informed and had so many resources.

Why didn't-- why did I not know this was possible?

And why did I not know that, like, so many women die

from similar complications around the world.

And I just sort of dove in and started this organization

called Every Mother Counts.

- Do you want to try? - [woman] Yes.

- [heartbeat pulsing] - [Christy laughs]

- It's a healthy girl! - [laughter]

[Christy] As a woman, just because of our reproductive systems,

we're more susceptible to a lot of different things,

but we're not studied as much.

And there's way, way less money invested in women's health,

um, in terms of research and studies.

And so I just try to use my voice and become a better advocate for people.

Every time I've come, it's grown, uh, exponentially.

This building didn't exist two years ago.

This, for anyone's standards, is incredible.

I would prefer to give birth here than where I gave birth.

My daughter loves Every Mother Counts because she's like,

"I'm the reason that you do this.

I'm the reason that this work even exists."

She knows that she really changed the course of my life

in more ways than just the obvious.

[blow dryer whirring]

'Cause I have not seen you all together for a while.

Yeah. Last time we did a thing with, um...

- But not with Cindy, right? No, no... - Not with Cindy.

But I see her, actually, probably the most.

- Oh, really? - Yeah.

Because, well, whenever she comes to New York

we go out for dinner or whatever.

- More socially... - Ah, yeah.

It's magic fabric, isn't it?

[woman] It's perfect, look. And the shining is perfect.

It's go time.

[man] Is this from 1986?

[Naomi] This one's vintage or this one's Peter's?

- No, this one is vintage. - [Naomi] Ah, vintage.

How much is that?

[man] Um, twenty-four thousand dollars.

- This dress? - [man] Yeah. That's why--

That's what they're charging now for Papa's vintage?

[Naomi] Azzedine was my papa.

With him, I learnt about chosen families.

The same for Gianni Versace.

He was very sensitive to feeling me, like, he pushed me.

He would push me, push me, push me

to step outside and go further

when I didn't think I had it within myself to do it.

So, when he died...

...my grief became very bad.

Grief has been a very strange thing in my life because it doesn't always...

I go into a shock and freak out when it actually happens,

and then later is when I break.

But I kept the sadness inside. I just dealt with it.

So, I guess when I started using...

...that was one of the things I tried to cover up, was grief.

Addiction is such...

[sighs] It's such a...

[clicks teeth]

It's just a bullshit thing. It really is.

You think, "Oh, it's gonna heal that wound."

It doesn't.

It can cause such huge fear and anxiety.

So, I got really angry.

There's a lot of issues that I have from childhood.

Tell me about those.

Well, for instance, not knowing-- not knowing your father,

not seeing your mother.

That brings up a lot of...

It manif-- manifests a lot of feelings.

- One of those feelings... - [Barbara Walters] Anger?

Absolutely anger. But I think that's a really normal thing.

And I mean, I've not always displayed my anger

in the appropriate, uh, time.

It's always been an unappropriate time.

But, um, it's a manifestation of a deeper issue, I think, anger.

And that, for me, I think is based on insecurity,

self-esteem and loneliness and, um...

Being abandoned?

Being abandoned. That's what I mean. That's what my core issues are,

abandonment and rejection and, um...

and that puts me in a real vulnerable space.

And everyone thinks, "Oh, Naomi's a really tough girl and really strong."

But that's what I want to appear to people to be like,

because I fear that if I don't,

they're gonna just walk all over me if they really knew.

When you try to cover something up, your feelings...

You spoke about abandonment. I tried to cover that with something.

You can't cover it.

I was killing myself.

It was very hurtful.

For my mistakes, I've always owned up to them.

I chose to go to rehab.

It was one of the best and only things I could have done for myself at that time.

It is scary to pick up the mirror and look into the mirror.

It is scary.

And it's taken me many years to work on and deal with.

And it does still come up sometimes.

But I just now have the tools how to deal with it now when it comes up.

And I have to think of something outside of myself.

Something greater than myself.

If I have people in my life that I love and I see that they need help,

of course I'm going to offer my help.

I'm there. I'm very loyal to the people that I love.

[Marc Jacobs] There was a time where I was partying,

um, maybe five or six years ago,

and Naomi would be ringing my phone and I would see on the screen, "Naomi."

I was like, "I don't know how she knows that I'm up to no good, but she does."

[John Galliano] She brought me joy, huge joy,

when I was in a place that was so dark.

Naomi did arrange for me to go to rehab in Arizona.

I mean, she's super in every way.

So, it's good that I tell this story because apart from work,

she's human too.

[Jacobs] Naomi is an extraordinary person,

who's super caring and loving,

especially to the next generation.

Which is... as personal...

and as, like, you know, disconnected from fashion as you can get.

Naomi is probably one of the hardest working people in the industry,

'cause she's doing other work as well.

When I started Fashion For Relief, it was just an idea.

[Fabien Baron] She's working on many, many humanitarian causes

that are really, very, very beautiful,

and I think it's amazing that she's that today.

Fashion For Relief only works because we all collaborate and come together.

Naomi always wanted to bring people with her, and now,

she has become... a stateswoman.

[Naomi] I just feel like I stuck to my integrity.

I'm coming from a place of authenticity, I think, because it's not just now.

That began for me in 1993,

when I went to South Africa with Nelson Mandela.

[Mandela speaking indistinctly]

Thank you. [laughs]

So, can I call you grandfather?

Absolutely. I told you that I've adopted you as my granddaughter.

[both laughing]

[Naomi] President Mandela made me his honorable granddaughter

and made me part of the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund.

[all singing]

[Naomi] I didn't really have any understanding.

I had no knowledge of what the word philanthropy meant.

[indistinct chatter]

I got to this hospital, I remember.

The children are all dying, pretty much, from leukemia

or some sort of blood disorder.

They had made cakes and singing.

[all singing]

And I just burst out crying.

[scattered clapping, chatter]

I had to learn as I went along.

[clapping fades]

Bye!

[Naomi] I started to like what I was doing.

Especially because I was doing it for Grandad.

Well, he taught me so much.

He taught me just not to be afraid to use my voice and help others.

It's a great honor to have such an outstanding model.

She is one of that generation...

...that has chosen the world as the theater of her operation.

I really love you. Thank you.

[applause, cheering]

[Naomi] Once I understood what I was able to do,

it was just one focus.

["Best of My Love" by The Emotions playing on stereo]

[Naomi] What an incredible view.

Look at that. Look at Africa.

Look how beautiful.

This is heaven.

It's like, it's the Indian Ocean.

Look how stunning.

Look at me.

[Naomi] People in Africa and the Middle East and India...

I just feel badly that...

I, too, with my industry, just ignored them.

And dis-- I guess you call it discrimination.

We just did not let them in.

I was a part of that, too. And I don't... I feel ashamed for that.

[photographer] Absolutely stunning.

[Naomi] So, when I work now,

I feel like I'm not working for me.

I feel like I am working for the culture.

[shutter firing rapidly]

[man] Wow. I love this.

Where I am in my life right now is really focusing on those emerging markets

that our industry has ignored,

that didn't let them in to our fashion shows, our fashion weeks.

J'adore, j'adore, j'adore!

[both laughing]

Those are the countries now that I want to help have the same.

Why not? They have talent there too.

[Naomi on PA] Arise Fashion Week has strived to showcase African fashion,

African designers and African style,

bringing them to the global stage,

shining a bright light on their creativity and excellence.

They are the future and the time is now.

[applause]

[Tinie Tempah] Though we've always had the best creativity in Nigeria,

I didn't really feel like this was a place

where that creativity would be embraced and celebrated in this modern times.

[Naomi] I want to use who I am

to change and to help young creatives

be where they should be and try to make up for lost time.

This is where I think I want to leave my legacy.

I stayed in Nigeria from December 4th, 2020,

till March 5th, '21. So I stayed there all that time.

'Cause I didn't see any point of going any-- I don't--

I just went to Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria.

I stayed there the whole-- the whole time on the continent.

And then I came back here.

So that I hadn't been back since then, so it had been a minute.

- [man] Wow. - Yeah.

I planned to take my daughter on this one, but I didn't work out.

- So, next time. - She's still young though...

- But I took her to Senegal. - Malaria and stuff...

My daughter, she's the love of my life,

she is everything to me,

and it's the best thing I've ever done in my whole life, is having my daughter.

[indistinct chatter]

[man] Cindy, how many hours have you been in hair and make-up your whole life?

[laughter]

I used to say if I had a-- like, a nickel for every...

for every hour I was in hair and makeup, and then I was like, "Oh wait, I do."

[laughing]

- A certain benchmark, things that... - Yes.

- ...you know, are always there. - Yeah, it's funny.

Mine, mostly, weren't really in fashion.

- Right. - Mine were fashion adjacent.

But you were, sort of, branding before branding was kind of...

- Yeah. - ...a thing, right? In a way.

[Cindy] I didn't really know to call it that, but yeah.

No, it wouldn't be called that yet, no because, God...

[Cindy] It was just like doing your own stuff, and...

- 'Cause I did my exercise video. - Yeah, yeah.

I did a calendar.

I did a little make-up book, actually.

Um, yeah, so...

But people always said about you, didn't they?

Like Cindy's-- you know, she's a businesswoman. She's got it.

Like, you know. And now it'd be like, "Oh, she's a brand."

[Cindy] I don't normally refer to myself in the third person,

but I'm a human being and my job is, like, being Cindy Crawford.

I've let my career

reflect what I'm going through in my life.

It's like, I'm not trying to be 55,

doing the same things I was when I was 25.

Back then I did Sports Illustrated,

which was not a good experience for me and...

...because I had an opinion [laughs]

and that was not well received.

So, then I was like, "You know what? I'm going to do my own swimsuit calendar."

Like, that was, like, my first foray into doing my own thing.

[applause, cheering]

And it was successful and I raised money for my charity, and it was great.

So then that emboldened me to do other things.

I'm like, "Okay, I've done that, now what?"

[overlapping chatter]

When I was 35 and my Revlon contract was up,

it was kind of like, "If I'm going to do my own thing,

this feels like the right time."

And I did not go forward with re-signing with Revlon.

I decided to do my own skincare line,

and Meaningful Beauty was born.

Instead of taking money up front,

which is kind of what models do,

it was like, I'm a partner, a full partner,

I have equity, I'm building a business. I sit on the board.

And then I also was asked to do a furniture line

because, you know, style is style, including how you live.

So, I started Cindy Crawford Home 15 years ago,

and I really like it because it's not so dependent on me

not having a wrinkle or not getting old.

It's just about me creating a sanctuary in my home for myself and my family.

And that's kind of timeless.

I always knew I wanted a family,

so I feel very blessed that...

...Rande and I have been married 23 years.

And have very similar ideas about parenting and how to live our life.

Our kids, when they were little,

it was really hard to explain to them, like,

what Mommy's work is, like, "What is a model?"

And "Why are those people taking your picture?"

"What is fame?"

I just remember coming home when they were little,

and especially my son would be like... [sharp inhale] "Wash your face."

They wanted, you know, Cindy.

And no make-up... [chuckles] ...hair pulled back and, um,

you know, sitting on the floor playing Play-Doh or cooking dinner,

whatever their version of Mom they needed in that moment was.

Obviously, kids become your main focus of life,

and then you work in the other things you are passionate about or want to do.

Ever since I started my career and was able to actually help raise awareness,

help raise money, meeting with families,

meeting with patients, doing whatever I can.

The type of leukemia that my brother was diagnosed with was a death sentence.

And it's not anymore and these kids are going on to have their own children.

My children, now that they're getting older...

It's been interesting

having Kaia and Presley both, kind of, dip their toes into the fashion world.

I can help guide them right now

and give them a little exposure to see if they really like it

or they just think they like it.

[Jacobs] I met Kaia... Cindy brought her to the-- to the studio we were shooting at

and Cindy said, like, "Okay, I'm gonna leave Kaia,

I'm not gonna be a stage mother and try to--"

But, you know, you could see she was proud and excited for Kaia.

And Kaia was the ultimate professional.

[Kaia] There wasn't much going through my mind.

I think once the music starts and they're like, "Go!"

you kind of just lose everything and it's like an instinct.

[woman] And I heard you were proud, watching on.

Oh, yeah, it was incredible.

She came to my first show, so I had to come to hers.

It was so fun.

[Cindy] When Kaia started modeling, people would say,

"You're gonna let her model?" I'm like,

"If you have a daughter over the age of eight, she is modeling,"

because modeling is now accessible to anyone.

Social media was the great equalizer.

Everybody can do it. Everybody can show whatever they want.

And it's changed the balance of the hierarchy.

Back then, you needed, sort of, the photographers,

the editors, the designers.

To be a model now, they are their own brands.

They get booked directly through Instagram.

That didn't exist before.

So the supermodel now has to have a big social media presence

to be able to reach the heights of what the girls did back in the day.

I realized things were changing when clients are asking your agent,

"Well, how many Instagram followers does she have?"

Before, like, the magazines could kind of dictate,

"This is what is fashion."

But when social media happened,

there's such an explosion of images that we see.

A lot of them are very different than we were used to seeing in magazines.

[Robin Givhan] Right now, there's greater diversity

in a lot of different categories.

They can speak up and be heard

and their voices can really be amplified in a way

that wasn't available to previous generations.

The question is, will it endure?

[Cindy] Maybe the idea of what a model is

and represents now has picked up steam,

and maybe that's a great thing.

You can find... You can find anything, you know,

and there's all these different ideas of beauty now.

And all of a sudden, that is creating its own stars,

its own momentum, its own energy and its own ideas.

There's some feeling that maybe we helped the train leave the station.

And, I mean, now I'm just Kaia's mom, by the way.

You know, my Instagram should probably just be "Kaia's mom,"

and I'd probably have more followers.

- [blow dryer whirring] - [people chattering]

I can't believe we're all, like, from small towns all over the world

and then we're like, "Wait, we're all here,"

- today shooting this thing, you know. - Exactly.

With Steven.

I just... I know we're gonna get it.

Like, there's no question when you're with Steven,

you're gonna get the shot. That's it.

Steven Meisel today, he's very private.

But I feel like for insurance purposes,

for what we're looking for in this group,

we'll all feel well looked-after,

and, like, the image will be something that will endure.

He has, sort of, the most consistent, holistic, beautiful...

And it's, like, it could be fast and simple.

it doesn't have to be...

We used to always call it giving birth.

Um, it doesn't have to be giving birth.

I think the story, the direction, the angle and the trust, really.

The image, if you look back over the time of any of our careers,

the ones that still hold up are those ones.

All the stars kind of aligned.

[Linda] They were all a character.

'Cause it certainly wasn't me.

That's why I love the fashion world so much.

It's, like, a way of getting to be who you want to be.

I wanted to be a model, but becoming a mom,

that's the most fulfilling thing that has ever happened to me.

My son...

He's fun...

he's easy...

kind...

We're a small family, it's just me and him.

He's been my rock. He's been so supportive.

[Kim Jones] I didn't really know Linda.

But, you know, I'd loved her as a fan,

and... and I wrote her a letter 'cause I'd seen the People magazine article

and I just saw her and she looked beautiful.

And I thought, you know, why don't I ask and see if she wants to do

a show for Fendi in New York.

So, it's a straight walk and then-- And we'll do it now.

Yeah, so what we'll do is, we'll look towards you,

start clapping and then you come towards us.

- [Linda] What-- Why are you clap--? - Because it's you.

- Not for me, no! - Don't be silly.

- I'm here for you! - We're celebrating you as well.

- [technician] Then pull it a bit longer. - We're here for you as well.

- [Linda] I'm here to support you. - And you.

[Jones] We really wanted to celebrate her.

And it was, like, a real, sort of safe space for her to be in,

and like, you know, her family, almost.

- [indistinct chatter] - I want a hug too!

[faint up-tempo music playing]

I haven't been in this situation in years.

Uh, I... I feel like that.

You know, and this is a celebration. So, let's do it.

[Linda] After all these years...

I just didn't want to hide anymore.

I didn't...

[voice shaking] I wanted to start living again.

So when I get in the middle of you, can you step forward?

[man speaking, indistinct]

Okay.

No one ever held my age against me, ever.

And I think our generation of models...

...made people's perceptions of what beauty is...

...change.

Beauty doesn't have to have an ending or a... expiry date.

They used to say beauty is not sustainable.

It's, like, youth is not sustainable.

Beauty is. There's a difference.

[applause, cheering]

[Jones] Watching her on a runway and just how she owns it and controls it

and knows how to play with an audience, it's almost like an actor.

And I think that's the kind of thing that's really fascinating to watch.

- [animated chatter] - [woman hums fanfare]

[people cheering, whistling]

[Jones] Backstage after the show, when Linda came out...

- Feel the bag. Feel it. - Oh, my God. Oh, my God.

...all the girls just freaked out, all the new--

You know, new generation of models was like, "Oh, my God. That's Linda."

You looked gorgeous.

[Jones] They were, like, just, like, all in shock.

And that was just really sweet because, you know, that's their idol.

And the one thing with supermodels is they still appeal to young people

because they, you know, that's what those girls want to-- wanted to be.

- [people calling out] - [cameras clicking]

[Linda] Oh...

[excited chatter]

- [man] Hey! - [Linda] Hey!

[all chattering]

- [Cindy] How are you? - [Linda] I'm here. [laughs]

- I know, I'm proud of you. - [Linda] It's gonna be fun.

- [Cindy] I know! - [Linda] This sounds like a reunion.

[Cindy] I know. I don't like that we're all split up.

[Christy] You wanted to separate? I was like, "Who asked for this?"

[laughs]

- Hi. - Hi.

- [Guido] Hi. - [Christy] Which one are you?

- [Linda] I don't know. - [woman] You're next door. Next door.

Oh, okay. You're right. We can open our curtain.

- [Linda] Oh, nice. Oh, okay. - [Christy] Okay.

[Linda] Okay, I'll see you in a minute.

- [Naomi] Good to see you. - [Linda] How are you?

- [Naomi] Good, thank you. - [Linda] Nice to see you.

- You too. - See you in a bit.

So... hair's done.

[man laughing]

The hair's done. Okay.

I would love to take my hat off but I'm not gonna take my hat off until...

[woman] Do you want me to grab Sandy and Guido?

No. Well, yeah, actually, they should go first.

- Sure. Yeah. - [Guido] Hi.

So, I always massage Linda first, she demands it.

Yeah. [laughs]

Who's your easiest client?

- You. - Of course.

- Of course. - Don't believe a word you've heard, right?

- Don't believe anything. - [laughing]

[stylist] Me or her? Okay.

[Christy] It feels, like, consistent with some of the things I sent.

- [stylist] Right. - But also...

- ...today, modern, but-- - Elevated. Yeah. Yeah.

- [Christy] Yeah. I like it. - It almost feels real.

- And not retro, it's... - I know from him, he wanted it to feel...

- Ourselves. - Yeah.

And he's like, "It's not a fashion shoot."

Meanwhile, we have a bunch of fashion stuff.

- Yeah. - But, this is...

- Yeah. - ...elevated. You know, it's not jeans

- but it feels... - No, especially if it's next to others...

- Exactly, yeah. Yeah. - ...who might have more going on.

- Levels. - Yeah.

Okay, I think we're done here.

[Cindy] I like the double look, don't you?

- More moda. - Yeah.

You guys always make it sound so chic. [laughs]

I'm like, "I like the bigger one."

[stylist laughs]

- [woman] I love it. - Yeah.

That's cool.

[Linda] Those Manolo are the ones he made for me a long time ago.

[stylist] Perfect shape, too.

[Linda] They used to be called Evangelista

and now they're just called...

Now they're called Gelista.

- Or now, yeah, they have the bow and... - Little bow on the front, yes.

[Linda] That's from the early '90s.

It's still good. It's timeless.

[Christy] Yeah. 'Cause, I mean, we're never really together like that.

[stylist] I know. When was the last time, do you guys know?

That-- With Steven, and a group, not in years, honestly.

[man] Last looks, last checks.

[Christy, whispers] Let's go. [chuckles]

[Cindy] Let's do one check in the mirror.

[Christy] How are we doing?

I think I need less hairspray. [laughs]

Oh, too late!

[Linda] I don't believe we got the four of us together.

- That's been a while. - [Naomi] I can't believe...

- [Christy] I still can't remember. - [Cindy] Vanity Fair, I was thinking.

- [Christy] Vanity Fair. You're right. - [Cindy] Okay, yes.

And it wasn't just the four of us.

- [Christy] With Stephanie and Claudia. - [Cindy] And Claudia.

[Linda] Claudia was there, yeah, Stephanie.

- They were our generation. - [Cindy] They were our generation.

[Christy] I mean, I think everything about us here today

is, sort of, the opposite of what I imagined

when I first came into the industry.

Like, I thought it was, like, gonna be a minute...

...and life would go on.

And life has gone on.

But it's been...

[echoing laughter]

...decades.

[Todd Oldham] Magic happens when the stars align.

When an exquisite model shows up with the right designer

and the right photographer in the right light and the right make-up.

You can do these transcendent things that...

[camera shutter clicks]

...last forever.

They were refining, you know, images to become very iconic.

[shutter click]

I-I'm just flattered. I'm glad I reached that level.

[Goodman] They brought their artistry...

[shutter clicks]

...to the image.

It's really phenomenal.

[Jeanne Beker] You can't say every model in the fashion business...

[shutter clicks]

...is an artist.

But some really are.

[shutter clicks]

Models still are glamorous because that's what we do.

Um, and that's what people...

They want to look at it and they want to see it.

[Emily Bierman] The photographs had such a huge impact

in the larger landscape of art

because they're endlessly intriguing to look at.

They're like when you look at Renaissance paintings.

The Mona Lisa was the face of her era.

[Bierman] Today, there's a strong market for fashion photography.

At auction, you might see prices that are a couple thousand dollars...

...to a million dollars or more because they're icons of a generation.

Those girls defined power for women.

It was women supporting each other.

And people listened to them.

They were the first influencers of fashion.

[Jacobs] Cindy, Linda, Christy, Naomi.

They're larger-than-life. They're names that everybody knows.

People who've never bought a designer dress know who those women are.

[Galliano] Those girls took it to a level of professionalism and perfection.

They're super in more ways than they're real.

[Suzy Menkes] I think the fact the super models are still around

proves that they really never went out of fashion.

[Enninful] Cindy, Linda, Christy and Naomi

are still redefining what it means to be a model.

- [Christy] I'm so happy to see you. - [man] Let's start it with Christy.

- [Naomi] So, that's a good thing, I guess. - [Linda] I know.

[Cindy laughs]

[Naomi] Can we go, like, straight?

[Cindy] We want to go, like, just more like...

["Freedom! '90" by George Michael playing]

[Linda] Oh, oh. Okay, get us in the mood! Get us in the mood.

[woman] Ready to go?

- [Linda] Ready! - Okay.

[Christy] There's been lots of phases, and we've all gone through

so many things in our own lives, personally, and professionally.

[younger Christy] I don't think I've changed that much.

The same people that I started to hang around with when I first started

are the same people that I'm with now.

[Naomi] I think when you come together with people

that have been part of your journey and you consider them chosen family,

- I think that's emotional. - [phone camera clicks]

Just take it day by day and what comes, comes.

And all the big girls are the nicest ones.

[Linda] I feel blessed that we're here today.

There's something about that shared history that we have.

We can never have it with anybody else.

[all singing] ♪...and make them true somehow ♪

♪ All we have to see ♪ [laughing]

♪ Is that I don't belong to you ♪

♪ And you don't belong to me ♪

♪ Yeah, yeah ♪

["Freedom! '90" continues]