Claudia is photographed by Ellen von Unwerth in this black and white image for Guess Jeans in 1989

PHOTO: LUCIE McCULLIN © 2021 CLOUDY FILM LTD

W hen one of the world’s most successful supermodels, Claudia Schiffer, was asked to curate a show about 1990s fashion photography, she was immediately captivated by the idea.

“It made me so appreciate the Nineties and the extraordinary creativity. I do miss the camaraderie and the adventures, but you can never repeat such a time,” she tells hello!.

The exhibition has also inspired the fascinating new book Captivate! Fashion Photography from the ’90s, out this week, which includes images from her own private archives and captures “an extraordinary era of reinvention, rebellion and innovation, which changed the way we viewed fashion and design forever”.

German-born Claudia, 51, tells us: “The Nineties gave way to the birth of the supermodel, but also the superstar designer, stylist and photographer. It is a period of great inspiration that is being rediscovered now and you can see that in the way younger generations are dressing in vintage Levi’s and tanks, in slip dresses and Birkenstocks, and hunting out analogue vinyl albums and Polaroid cameras.”

Claudia says she learnt a lot from the photographers, editors, stylists and designers she worked with. “Karl Lagerfeld said to me very early on: ‘Be true to yourself,’ and that advice has remained with me.”

Now, she tells hello!, she hopes that both the exhibition at the Kunstpalast Museum in Düsseldorf, the city in which she was first

Beverly Peele and Naomi Campbell (left) smoulder in this 1993 shot for US Vogue, taken by Arthur Elgort

‘The Nineties gave way to the birth of the supermodel’

(Right, from left to right) Helena Christensen, Claudia, Stephanie Seymour, Christy Turlington and Naomi form a fabulous five in a photoshoot for US Vogue taken by Herb Ritts in 1993

Claudia looks beautiful in a white camisole from her Super Réal line for Réalisation Par

‘Karl Lagerfeld said to me very early on: “Be true to yourself,” and that advice has remained with me’

discovered, and the book will boost a love of fashion and photography across the generations…

US fashion photographer Bruce Weber captures Cindy Crawford and Claudia for a 1992 Revlon campaign

PHOTO (RIGHT): LUCIE McCULLIN © 2021 CLOUDY FILM LTD

A truly golden era for the fashion world (below) as supermodels (back, from left) Emma Sjöberg, Nadja Auermann, Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Eve Salvail, Shalom Harlow, Carla Bruni, Olga Pantushenkova, Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista, Claudia, Yasmeen Ghauri and (front, from left) Amber Valletta, Tricia Helfer and Helena Christensen pose backstage at a Versace show in 1994 in a photo by Doug Ordway

How much of your own personal archive is in the book, Claudia?

“I started collecting imagery early on in my career and rediscovered this material when I embarked on the curator journey for Captivate!. From my personal archive, I have included Nineties Polaroids from my first test-shoots and a great self-portrait with Helmut Newton, who I had the honour of working with on many occasions.”

‘During lockdown, I was so grateful to have the time to dive deep into my librar y of magazines and shoeboxes’

Did lockdown play a part in how the book came together?

“During lockdown, I was so grateful to have the time to dive deep into digital archives and into my library of magazines and shoeboxes of memorabilia.

Claudia proudly displays three glass vases from her collaboration with Vista Alegre – part of her Cloudy Butterflies collection

“Working with the curatorial team at Kunstpalast and with the numerous archives, it was like piecing together a giant jigsaw puzzle. There were literally thousands of images to choose from and because I wanted to show the numerous formats of fashion photography in the pre-digital age – from fine-art prints to Polaroids, contact sheets, fashion magazines, to campaigns and model cards – the selection was extensive.”

You’ve also featured supermodels including Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista and Kate Moss together for the first time. What qualities define a supermodel for you?

“Of course, previous eras had model stars – Lauren Hutton, Twiggy, Penelope Tree and Iman, to name a few – but as supermodels, we also became symbols of a self-made success in an era that championed female ambition and that was also fuelled by sex, power and glamour.

“There was another defining difference: prior to the Nineties, models were largely categorised as ‘runway’, ‘commercial’ or ‘editorial’. As ‘Supers’, we were seen as individuals and traversed those boundaries. We walked the runway, featured in campaigns and on the covers of magazines, but we were also invited onto talk shows, to appear in films and on TV.” 

‘Before the Nineties, a model’s career would rarely last past her 30s. With the supermodels, careers started to last longer’

How often are you in touch with the other supermodels?

“It is so special when we meet again, as we did for Donatella Versace’s 2017 collection honouring the 20th anniversary of [her brother] Gianni’s passing. We lived so many moments together and for Versace, we were part of one big family.

“Before the Nineties, a model’s career would rarely last past her 30s and there was a constant turnover of faces. With the supermodels, careers started to last longer as we became powerful brands in our own right.

“That trend has only grown and today models are working well into their 40s and beyond. That really points to a culture shift and gives such a more rounded vision of womanhood and of beauty at every age.”

What other projects are you involved in?

“I’m very lucky to love what I do. I have a glassware and ceramics collaboration with the wonderful Portuguese heritage brands Vista Alegre and Bordallo Pinheiro. The collections are inspired by my love of nature and there are new ranges coming out in 2022.

“I also have just collaborated with the lovely brand Réalisation Par, which I discovered via my daughter Clementine.

“I looked into my archive collection and found silk slip dresses, daisy prints and a classic black-and-white microdot – these finds were the starting point. The range is out now and is very much inspired by the Nineties and the kind of pieces I used to wear on a daily basis.”

Captivate! Fashion Photography from the ’90s, edited by Claudia Schiffer (Prestel Publishing, £49.99) is out in hardback on Tuesday. The accompanying exhibition will be at Kunstpalast Düsseldorf until 9 January. Visit kunstpalast.de.

Swiss photographer Hans Feurer captures Beverly Peele on a beach in 1991 for Elle France

PHOTO (RIGHT): LUCIE McCULLIN © 2021 CLOUDY FILM LTD. VISIT BORDALLOPINHEIRO.COM.  VISTAALEGRE.COM.  REALISATIONPAR.COM

This now iconic 1995 image of Kate Moss for US Vogue was taken by Ellen von Unwerth

Linda Evangelista sits in Central Park, New York, in 1993; shot by Juergen Teller

A lover of nature, Claudia sits beside a vase from her Cloudy Butterflies line for Bordallo Pinheiro

‘The collections are inspired by my love of nature’