They are two of the most popular models in the industry, but it seems that Karlie Kloss and Joan Smalls are still not used to the fame that followed their enviable careers. Supermodel Karlie Kloss stood as a source of inspiration for designer Marc Jacobs as he named a bag after Kloss, while Puerto Rican bombshell Joan Smalls has managed to land several Vogue covers and a feature in this year’s Pirelli calendar, so no wonder that the regular-on-the-catwalk supermodels have managed to reach world recognition for their modelling skills and beauty.
Doing what they do best, the two models grace the cover of W, the magazine’s July 2020 issue where they put on display their perfectly sculpted bods donning an array of designer garments and accessories right before opening up to one of the magazine’s writers about their key to success, their path to becoming models and more.
Karlie Kloss managed to shock the world with her tiny frame in a spread in Vogue’s December 2020 issue, but the model has been greatly appreciated for her ‘gazelle-like’ figure. The 6 ft 1 inch model says that being tall has helped her make it big in the modelling industry but confesses to dislike this particular characteristic while she was growing up. Karlie tells W that:
“My sisters have always been these gorgeous glamazons, and I’m, like, this tall skinny stick in the family. And I still am the tall girl, even on the runways. Every time I see Karl Lagerfeld, he’s always, like ‘Karlie, have you stopped growing yet? Are you taller?’ It used to be something that I really disliked about myself, being tall and lanky, but it turned out to be the greatest asset I have—how uniquely weird I am.”
She’s about eight inches taller than your average person and has a physique that most women dream of, and apparently sports, specifically ballet helped Karlie polish her good genes to perfection. The supermodel attributes the discipline of ballet to her morphing style as she says:
“You learn to control every aspect of your muscles, your face, your toes, your fingernails. And that is how you tell a story, through movement.”
Joan Smalls managed to make herself noticed with her fierce runway walk, and the model, who was booked in the fall of 2020 exclusively by Riccardo Tisci to present the Givenchy Couture collection, says that she was fortunate that Tisci saw her potential. She told W that “when I first started, it never picked up for me, doing shows”, and being booked exclusively by the renowned designer “changed people’s perspective”.
She pins her success on her motivation and tells the magazine that fashion is a part of our culture. She says that:
“I just have something to prove. I know I’m representing a group—black, Latin, whatever you want to put me with—and I want to show that they are beautiful the way they are. I think that’s really important for our youth to see. Fashion is part of our culture. And it’s about more than just a pretty dress.”
Because she’s rocking the catwalk with her powerful style, Joan reveals that most people picture her as having a not-so-feminine voice, which is apparently false as she says:
“People don’t expect me to have a girly voice when they see me walk like that. They might not think that I’m funny.”
Find out more about the two supermodels by checking out the full interview and spread featured in the July 2020 issue of W magazine. Photos courtesy of W Magazine
