Few models have ever been, or will ever be, as successful as Gisele Bundchen. The Brazilian model has been ruling the catwalk and the fashion industry for almost two decades. In celebration of this incredible feat, she is releasing a personally curated book with Taschen that reflects back on her outstanding career.
Gisele was just 14 when she moved to Sao Paulo to pursue her modeling career after being scouted while at a shopping mall. She got her big break after walking in Alexander McQueen’s Spring 1998 “Rain” show, when she was 18. With a stamp of approval from McQueen, Gisele went on to score a British Vogue cover – the first of many for the woman who would soon become one of the most recognizable faces in the world.
This tome features over 300 photographs – a small amount considering the weight of Bundchen’s career. It also includes commentary from Bundchen’s friends and notable industry heavyweights on what it was like to witness a girl from the Brazilian countryside transform into the highest paid model in the world.
Since her debut, Gisele has walked 450 fashion shows (with Christian Dior, Balenciaga, Chanel, Givenchy and Prada among them) and has covered more than 1,000 magazines. She has been shot by a who’s who of photographers, including Irving Penn, who lensed the iconic nude photo that is the cover of the book. Other photographers to have shot Bundchen include Steven Meisel, Inez and Vinoodh, Paolo Roversi and Mario Testino. Bundchen has been the face of nearly every major fashion brand worth mentioning, including Chanel, Dior, Versace, Dolce and Gabbana and Louis Vuitton. She has appeared in the pages of Visionaire more than a few times over the years, including her most recent appearance in 64 ART. She has been regarded as the last remaining supermodel, and with such a career to look back on, it’s not hard to imagine why.
Gisele is being published by Taschen. Available as an art edition and as a collector’s edition, a limited run of 1000 copies will be produced, each signed by Bundchen herself. Prices begin at $700, but if that’s throwing you off, this should make you reconsider – the supermodel is donating her proceeds from the sale of the book to charity. Own what will surely be a rare and coveted piece when it hits shelves in November 2015.
