“You have to fully try before you give up,” Heidi Klum told Cosmopolitan in May – and she means this wholeheartedly. The supermodel was relatively unknown when she was selected for the cover of Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Issue back in 1998. Since then, Klum’s become the longest-ever reigning Victoria’s Secret Angel, walking in 12 runway shows and starring in countless campaigns for the lingerie powerhouse. The blonde bombshell has also been the face for some of the world’s top brands like Volkswagen, American Express and Ann Taylor.
But her mogul status took off in 2004 when she became the host and executive producer for “Project Runway.” The show, which recently entered its eighth season, is one of the highest ranked cable shows to date and has been nominated for 16 Prime-time Emmy Awards including “Outstanding Host for a Reality Program.”
As if her success hosting a fashion design television show wasn’t enough, Klum is also a designer in her own right. Her projects include a limited edition sandal collection for Birkenstock, a jewelry collection that sold out on QVC in just 36 minutes and more recently two lines of maternity clothes, Lavish for A Pea in the Pod (“for the glam mom-to-be”) and Loved for Motherhood Maternity (“more casual but still fashion-forward”).
And just last evening, Klum joined friends and “Project Runway” cast members at Cedar Lake in New York City to celebrate the launch of her newest design venture, Heidi Klum for New Balance, a casual sportswear collection that is sold exclusively on Amazon.com. This über-chic combo of cotton hoodies, tanks, leggings and outerwear is full of timeless pieces in basic blacks, whites and grays. And just as she conceptualized the ad campaign for this collection, she also came up with the concept for the event, which featured trampolines, a symbol of energy and activity.
Apart from her product endorsements, Klum has also used her celebrity status for charity work as an ambassador for Diet Coke’s Heart Truth Campaign’s Red Dress Fashion Show. And now with two books, two fragrances, a wax statue at Madam Tussaud’s Berlin and her own Barbie doll, at 37, Klum really is on top of the world. She knows it, too, as she told Allure, “Life couldn’t be better. Sometimes I have to pinch myself.”
