Maxim cover girl and Sports Illustrated last rookie Jasmine Sanders talked for Maxim magazine about her nickname, career and mentioned Candice Swanepoel as a former Maxim cover girl that she looks up to.
Are there any past Maxim cover girls that you look up to?
Olivia Culpo is definitely a friend of mine, and I was really excited to see that she got the cover and help her celebrate and everything. The list goes on. In the fashion industry, I love Tyra Banks, Naomi Campbell, Heidi Klum… Candice Swanepoel is just someone that I’m obsessed with. I think she literally does no wrong. The list can go on though.
What do you admire most about them?
They made sure that they made their own lane, and they have a voice for themselves, and they give back to the community and really try to do more than just being the girl on the cover or the girl in the pages of the magazine. It’s just something I really look up to.
Read the full interview at Maxim.Com
Are you curious about the favorite songs from top models like Carol Trentini, Alessandra Ambrosio, Sasha Meneghel, Candice Swanepoel and Marlon Teixeira?
In an unusual new campaign, the stars of the WAY Model agency – by Anderson Baumgartner, reveal what doesn’t come out of their playlists. The models team is part of WAY’s new campaign, focused on the next Brazilian fashion season – São Paulo Fashion Week N48.
To know the complete list of models and their favorite songs, just check out WAY’s show package for the next fashion season, SPFW N48. The composites are accompanied by a Spotify QR code, which will redirect you to the respective playlist.
The SPFW parades take place from October 13th to 18th at Ibirapuera Park, in São Paulo.
Follow the list below and press play!
South African supermodel Candice Swanepoel loves Brazilian music, and names like Gilberto Gil, Elba Ramalho and Mestrinho don’t leave the playlist.
Check her playlist bellow:
Original article written by Vogue Brasil. Translation by Chelsea at DivineCandice.com
Candice Swanepoel shared via Tropic of C a handwritten letter of love to her homeland; Africa.
Africa. A distant and intimidating land to many, untouchable in its vastness, wild to its core, where weakness flounders and strength essential for survival. An unforgiving land where poverty and hunger are a daily struggle, a country plagued with troubles and strife. South Africa, my birthplace, my home, sits at the southern tip of this land. A country with a resounding heartbeat, and soulful energy where beauty is illuminating and sorrow so vividly present.
The unspoken truths of children taking care of children in the many shanty towns scattered all over the country, where ‘sangomas’ witch doctors offer superstitious remedies and where colour and religion a bloody battlefield for hundreds of years…
But Africa is where I grew up, where my family grew up and where their parents’ parents made their home. The pulsating beat of the African drum lives inside of me, and when I hear that soulful beat, I could be anywhere in the world, my spirit ignites, the music carrying me home, where my senses engulfed with the sights and smells of this special land.
It takes me back to the smell of the summer rains…
… A feeling that always humbles me. A feeling that makes my soul smile.
Africa has a vibration, a racing pulse, a living energy which can only be felt and not fully portrayed in literature. You have to experience it to truly know its sensation! I remember the hot African sun on my skin and the cool mysterious nights that followed with whispers of history and wonder.
It’s impossible not to feel grounded in Africa. I grew up knowing and experiencing firsthand that we are just a tiny speck of an overwhelming ecosystem in which we are powerless in God’s great land. Africa can be relentless and unforgiving, yet so sensationally beautiful and nurturing in the same breath.
I would sit at night and listen carefully to each amazing sound as night fell. If you are from Africa you know the lion’s roar, a sound that fills the night sky and makes every hair stand on end. A chilling yet beautifully powerful pant that announces his reign of the savanna. The hyenas’ cackling laughter that sends chills down my spine followed by a rush of adrenaline. The silence and serenity of Africa’s giants, the elephants as they move gracefully in their herds, their eyes always sparkling with the truest and most profound love. This is the Africa I love. Raw. Exciting. Soulful.
Then you experience the warm, spontaneous smiles of its people, its vast array of cultures, its rainbow nation. Different cultures, tribes, languages and beliefs, yet we all are bound together as one calling Africa home. With that feeling we can unite. We can find power in our differences and diversity!
I left South Africa when I was 16 years old to pursue my career but It never left me. You do not choose to live in Africa, Africa lives in you, and I carry Africa with me every day.
Africa taught me to be strong, very strong, resilient and curious. Very curious. I grew up seeing life, and death and rebirth consistently. This taught me to be at one with Mother Nature. Living and experiencing that level of nature will no doubt make you believe in a higher power. A God. Africa is what earth in its perfection looks like in God’s eyes. The animals run free and wild in the vast grasslands. The colors of the sunrise and sunset so vibrant and clear, painting the sky in reds, pinks and orange, showing the world its golden glow.
I remember it all so clearly. Its landscapes, its people, its songs. I have lived so far away for over 14 years, but I still feel the African drums beating in my heart, engulfing my soul with its rawness!
I had a farm in Africa, my home, where nature and culture molded me. I am eternally grateful to have been born in such a place. A place where if you want to ever believe in magic, it is here, in the winds, in the currents, in its heart!
– Candice
Read the letter here.
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Candice Swanepoel shoots with Zoey Grossman for the jewelry brand Logan Hollowell’s fall/winter campaign.
Candice Swanepoel did a shooting for Vogue Japan with Joan Smalls, Doutzen Kroes, Adriana Lima, Sui He and Edita Vilkeviciute.
Make-up: Nicolla Ivanov Make-up and Georgi Sandev.
Photographer: Luigi Murenu.
You likely recognize Candice Swanepoel from her runway appearances as a Victoria’s Secret Angel, as well as her slew of fashion magazine editorials and her work with many of the world’s top fashion brands, including Givenchy, Fendi, Versace, and Chanel. In fact, Swanepoel is no stranger to Forbes: the South African native has been included in the Forbes list of “The World’s Highest-Paid Models” several times.
But today, the mother of two is making a name for herself as the cofounder of eco-lifestyle and swimsuit brand, Tropic of C. With core values like sustainability, empowerment, community, and quality guiding the brand’s strategic and design decisions, Tropic of C is making all the right waves.
After years of working in front of the camera as one of Victoria’s Secret’s top models, Swanepoel decided to pursue her entrepreneurial passions by launching her own swimsuit brand. She joined forces with Daniela Manfredi, whose extensive fashion and design career includes more than eight years as Senior Vice President and Creative Director at Victoria’s Secret.
“It started as a creative outlet,” Swanepoel explains. “I love photography and imagery and beauty in general. I had been working and shooting swim for so many years, and as a way of keeping my mind working during photoshoots, I would analyze the product.”
When Swanepoel finally took a break from modeling when she became a new mom – she had been working as a model since age 15, when she was discovered at a South African flea market – she realized that creating her own swimsuit brand was the path to fulfilling her dream.
Launched in February 2018, the primarily direct-to-consumer brand is available internationally, and has also been featured on e-tailers like Goop, Moda Operandi and Olivela. Tropic of C will also have an IRL presence when it launches in the UK as part of Selfridges’ “Swim Hut” activation at the end of October, adding to its list of luxe global wholesalers like Holt Renfrew in Canada and Factory 52 in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Tropic of C stands firm on its positioning of sustainability, impact and fashion-centric designs that underscore women’s powerful femininity.
“Sustainability is a key part of my lifestyle. I think coming from Africa and growing up with such a strong level of nature, it’s where I get inspiration,” Swanepoel explains. Her life spent at the beach and surrounded by nature has influenced the rich, earthy tones of Tropic of C’s collections.
“At the same time, Victoria’s Secret had [temporarily] stopped the swim category, so I figured, this is my moment to keep myself busy during my pregnancy but also, to make my dream come true. But the hardest part was getting it started! I didn’t know anything about what it takes to build the business or about the manufacturing process, so I started to have a lot of meetings, which is how I got connected to Daniela.”
(Manfredi had worked closely with fabrics, textiles and design from her days at Victoria’s Secret.)
Swanepoel continues: “I had already dreamed up the brand ethos and what I wanted it to look like, and then we collaborated and it was born. It’s like my third baby!”
While her strong connection with nature has always been present, Swanepoel felt an even stronger urge towards minimalism and the call for sustainability when she became a mother. As a result, every decision that Swanepoel and Manfredi make is intentional and purpose-driven, from the fabrics of the swimsuits down to the packaging.
Manfredi explains: “For us it starts with the fabric. We continually research and incorporate sustainable textile developments into our collections. By prioritizing recycled materials and methods that reduce water and energy, we are able to decrease our environmental footprint.” As a result, Manfredi and Swanepoel source materials that are renewable, biodegradable or decrease water and energy consumption.
So every small detail is considered, like the branded woven labels inside each garment that are made from recycled polyester, and the hygiene liner that’s completely compostable and features a bioplastic derived from tree pulp – all details that make a big difference.
The majority of Tropic of C’s styles are produced using regenerated fabrics that provide good strength and stretch, as well as upcycled fabrics that give second life to discarded waste. Econyl, for example, is made from 100% recycled materials like fishing nets, fabric scraps and industrial plastics rescued from landfills and oceans all over the world. Repreve is a high-performance polyester fiber made entirely from recycled plastic bottles; beyond its sustainability, the fabric has inherit properties such as wicking, thermal regulation and cushioned support, adding to the supreme quality of the swimsuits.
Shipping is also a key step that garners attention: Tropic of C’s eco-friendly mailer is 100% compostable, and made from a bio-based polymer and plant materials, meaning it’s a more durable, sustainable alternative to plastic poly mailers.
Also driven by community, Swanepoel has joined Selma Hayek and Annie Lennox as an ambassador for Mothers 2 Mothers (M2M), an NGO headquartered in Cape Town, South Africa that works across eight African nations.
“Motherhood and South Africa are two of my passions, so serving as an M2M patron is a perfect fit for me,” Swanepoel shares. In honor of Mother’s Day this past year, Swanepoel committed a portion of Tropic of C sales to Mothers 2 Mothers.
The core value of empowerment also comes through with Tropic of C’s commitment to preserving the work and craft of local artisans, by commissioning accessories from mostly-female artisan groups in South America and selling the products on its website. “Our goal is to create beautiful, one-of-a-kind pieces that celebrate their traditional techniques and use of local materials,” Manfredi explains.
Also worth noting: the element of empowerment extends to Tropic of C’s swimsuit designs and silhouettes. Thanks to Swanepoel’s keen eye for photography, Tropic of C’s campaign imagery is very much in the female gaze, with the essence of a woman’s strength and sensuality guiding the way.
“It’s about the way the product makes you feel when it’s on,” Swanepoel explains. “I’m inspired by the concept of ‘powerful femininity’ – I’m gently spoken and quite soft and calm, but I’m also quite powerful, strong, thick-skinned, and resilient. I come from a farm in the middle of nowhere, I’ve gone through a lot to be where I am. But I also think my vision of beauty is when people embrace being feminine and soft. So you see it in the designs, in the shoulders, in the waist, in the high cuts of the suits. There’s a dichotomy in the term ‘powerful femininity’ that has a complexity to it.”
As for the most critical traits that help Swanepoel succeed as an entrepreneur?
“Trust in your vision, fully. Don’t compromise that and stay consistent with it. And have a very clear vision. Be hardworking and be willing to do any of work you need to do in your company. Coming from South Africa, we learn that hard work is important. I’ve been working since I’m 15 and maybe am a little bit addicted to the drive.”
Through it all, Swanepoel is committed to carving out quality time with her two young children.
“It takes organization and time management, but it’s very important for me to spend a lot of time with my kids, especially because they’re babies. I live right around the corner from my office, and divide my time accordingly between working from there, being with my kids, and modeling as well. It can be done.”
Fellow Victoria’s Secret Angel Lily Aldridge posted a new YouTube video about the last show of Jeremy Scott during the NYFW which she opened and Candice closed.
Candice makes an appearance on the video at the marks 1:00, 1:58 and 5:42.
youtube.com/watch?v=twZE27N7toI
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Vogue posted on YouTube a new video with Candice Swanepoel. In the first minutes we see her in her hotel room chatting to the Vogue crew and getting her makeup done, her way to the Etro fashion show location and also a candid personal moment between Candice and her eldest son, Anaca.
She reveals during the video that she will return for two videos to New York after her last event in Milan.
Watch the full video:
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Candice Swanepoel attended today in Milan the Green Carpet Fashion Awards wearing a custom dress by Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini.
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