The story of Claudia Schiffer’s unique career begins in October 1987 in the Düsseldorf discotheque “Checkers”. There, the then 17-year-old was approached by a Parisian model scout. Schiffer is initially skeptical, but she goes to the agency the next day, accompanied by her mother.
Less than three months later, the Rhinelander received a contract with “Metropolitan Models” and found herself in the French capital. “I didn’t speak a word of French at the time, but I decided to pretend that I understood everything and just kept saying ‘oui’,” writes Schiffer in a , which shows the most beautiful pictures of the 53-year-old.
After starting out as a 17-year-old model, Schiffer was discovered by Ellen von Unwerth in 1989. The German photographer photographed Schiffer for the magazine “Elle” and an advertising campaign for the jeans brand “Guess”. “This shooting was the turning point in Claudia’s career and gave her access to what is probably the most fascinating and exclusive club of the following decade, the supermodels,” writes Ellen von Unwerth in the foreword to the illustrated book.
Claudia Schiffer owes her career to Karl Lagerfeld
At the end of the 1980s, fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld became aware of Claudia Schiffer and sent her onto the catwalk for Chanel. Schiffer is celebrated as the German Brigitte Bardot and Fräuleinwunder. For Lagerfeld, she has been his muse for years.
“I will forever be grateful to him,” Schiffer wrote in an Instagram post after Lagerfeld’s death in 2019. The fact that Lagerfeld publicly dismissed her as “yesterday’s appearance” in 1996 has long been forgiven. According to Schiffer, Lagerfeld taught her everything about fashion, style and how to survive in the fashion industry.
Privately, Claudia Schiffer has found happiness with director Matthew Vaughn. She has been married to the British man since May 2002. Their children Caspar, Clementine and Cosima are 20, 18 and 13 years old. The family lives in seclusion on a .
Looking back, Claudia Schiffer describes her career as a “fairy tale come true”. However, Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of American “Vogue” since 1988, gets to the point: “The wonderful thing about Claudia Schiffer is that she has always remained herself – more beautiful and more provocative than any of her pictures or one of her campaigns.”
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
