South African model Candice Swanepoel is best known for her work as a Victoria’s Secret angel, but has been dominating the fashion industry for years. The blonde bombshell is more than just a pretty face, however, and is quickly becoming one of the biggest names in the industry. Here are 12 things you didn’t know about supermodel Candice Swanepoel.
Sources: IntoTheGloss.com, DailyMail.co.uk, IMDB.com, BusinessInsider.com, InfoPlease.com, NYDailyNews.com, TeamAngelCandice.Tumblr.com, ElleUK.com, MrBlasberg.com, ETOnline.com
Growing up on a dairy farm in Mooi River, South Africa, Swanepoel says she was a tomboy who was more focused on doing her chores than on her looks, or anything related to modeling.
Swanepoel was at a flea market in Durban at the age of 15 when she was spotted by a model scout. After being discovered, she moved from her farm in South Africa to Paris, where her career quickly took off. Within her first year in the business, she appeared in Italian “Vogue” and was already walking on the catwalk.
Swanepoel was born to an Afrikaner family, allowing her the opportunity to learn to speak both English and Afrikaans fluently from a young age. She has dated Hermann Nicoli, a Brazilian model, since they met in Paris when she was 17. He taught her to speak Portuguese.
In an interview, Swanepoel said, “I was a ballet dancer growing up and that’s what I was convinced I would be. I was very skinny, braces; so I never thought I would be a model.” She has spoken about her dreams of moving to New York to attend ballet school.
Source: IMDB.com
Throughout the course of her career, Swanepoel has graced the cover of the Australian, Brazilian, Mexican, Greek, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, and Italian editions of “Vogue.” She has also been on the covers of international editions of “Elle,” “GQ,” “Harper’s Bazaar,” and more.
Swanepoel first began working with Victoria’s Secret in 2007, walking in their annual Fashion Show every year since. In 2010, she was named an official Victoria’s Secret Angel, and has been being groomed to be the face of the brand since 2013. She was also the first South African to top the “Maxim” Hot 100 list.
Contrary to the belief that all models need to starve themselves in order to stay in industry shape, Swanepoel said she actually ate more leading up to the big show. In an interview with “Fox and Friends,” she said, “Everyone’s different. Everyone’s body is different. I have to eat a lot more to be able to work out a lot more…I do boxing. I do Pilates on the machine. I do a lot of lunges. I ran on the beach this year, which really tightens everything up.”
Source: DailyMail.co.uk
Swanepoel was picked to don Victoria’s Secret Royal Fantasy Bra in the 2014 show, worth $10 million USD. The bra was created by the world-renown Mouawad diamond jewelry company, and features more than 4,200 precious gems including rubies, diamonds, and yellow sapphires with a 52-carat ruby in the middle. The entire bra is inlaid with 18-carat gold. It is Victoria’s Secret’s most expensive bra since 2005 when Gisele Bündchen wore the Sexy Splendor Fantasy Bra.
Having first traveled to Brazil with her boyfriend at the age of 17, Swanepoel loves going there. In an interview with “10” magazine, she said, “No one knows anything about the fashion industry in Brazil. They don’t care what you do. They just want the beach and the sun and the fun. I feel the freest and happiest there. There, I can just be the normal Candice.”
Source: MrBlasberg.com
In an interview with “Into the Gloss,” Swanepoel said that her style inspiration comes from the fashion of the 1970s and 1980s, “All of my jeans are high waisted because I think they make me look like Farrah Fawcett – I’ll try to feather my hair, too. But I also love the big curls of the 80s. My mom was an aerobics teacher back then and she permed her hair and wore these huge earrings and high-cut thong leotards. She had the best style.”
Source: IntoTheGloss.com
Currently, Swanepoel’s estimated net worth as approximately $10 million USD. In 2011, she made her debut at No. 10 on Forbes Magazine’s list of World’s Top-Earning Models, as she earns more than $3 million annually.
Though she is an active contributor and lover of the fashion industry, Swanepoel admits that she actually doesn’t shop out of control. Instead, she focuses on long-term property investments, “I don’t shop like crazy, or buy silly things. All my investing goes into property. I have my place in Brazil, which I’m really happy about. And I just got a new place in New York.”
Source: ElleUK.com