If there’s someone who’s been missed every year from Victoria’s Secrets runway then it is supermodel Gisele Bundchen. Gisele Bundchen is still credited and widely loved for bringing the supermodel look back and ending the heroin chic era. Pioneer of the “horse walk”, Bundchen has been accredited as the only remaining true supermodels by fellow supermodels Claudia Schiffer and Naomi Campbell.
Born as a Brazilian of German descent in Três de Maio, Gisele Bundchen was scouted by the Elite modeling agency at the age of 12. She was selected for the Elite Look of the Year securing the second position. Following this, she participated in the Elite Model Look world contest in Spain securing the fourth position. This is how Gisele’s modelling career kick-started when she moved to Sao Paulo at the age of 14.
Gisele Bundchen for Alexander McQueen's 1998 rain show. Source: DailyMail
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In 1997, came her big break that would eventually earn her “the Body” title. She was chosen Alexander McQueen’s spring 1998 “rain” ready-to-wear show for her ability to walk in towering heels on a slippery runway. After this Alexander McQueen stint, she became the most sought after model appearing on 10 magazine covers in a very short time. She landed campaigns for Missoni, Chloé, Dolce & Gabbana, Valentino, Gianfranco Ferré, Ralph Lauren, and Versace in 1998. According to this statement by The Vogue online encyclopedia of models, Gisele Bundchen was a whole new face to what the modelling world was exposed to earlier,
"As the year 2000 approached, Gisele Bündchen was the world's hottest model, opening up a new category in the popular imagination: the Brazilian bombshell."
Gisele Bundchen for Vogue 1998 August issue. Source: DailyMail
By the year 2000, she had landed an amazing contract with Victoria’s Secret. She wore the most expensive “Red Hot Fantasy Bra” worth $15 million for their annual extravagant fashion show. In 2005, she again wore the fantasy bra valued at a $12.5 million called ‘the Sexy Splendor Fantasy Bra’.
Gisele Bundchen in the Sexy Splendor Fantasy Bra. Source: Buzzfeed
Apart from gracing the covers of numerous magazines, Gisele has also made silver screen appearances. In 2004, she shared the screen with Queen Latifah and Jimmy Fallon in the remake of Taxi. In 2006, she played Serena in one of the most influential fashion movies till date, The Devil Wears Prada. She has been named the most beautiful woman by Vogue, Vanity Fair, Time and a number of magazines. She has also ventured in music. Her singles, All Day and All of the Night, and Heart of Glass were released in 2013 and 2014. She is the second most celebrated Brazillian after Pele. She had her retirement from the runway in 2015.
The world’s richest supermodel Gisele Bundchen has a net worth of an estimated $386 million. In 2015, her annual salary was expected to be $44 million. She is married to the football quarterback Tom Brady with whom she has a son Benjamin Rein, and a daughter Vivian Lake. Gisele Bundchen is also quite the philanthropist and has been involved with various charities like Save the Children, Red Cross, and Doctor without Borders. She actively supports environmental causes and is the Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme.
Soy Gisele. Soy una tortuga marina. ¿Túquéeres? Encuentra tu especie.https://t.co/W26AUud8BA #FerozporlaVida pic.twitter.com/zcGCWFcD6j
— Gisele Bündchen (@giseleofficial) May 30, 2016