Cindy Crawford - From All American to Multimillion-Dollar Brand

From all-American country girl to multimillion-dollar brand, she is one of the smartest, most hard-working supers. As she turns 50 this month, Cindy Inc remains as strong as ever.

- Clare Coulson

IT’S A BALMY AUTUMN EVENING in Beverly Hills, LA, and a celebrity crowd has gathered for a tequila-fuelled 2015 Halloween bash. Singer Fergie rocks up as Karl Lagerfeld’s much-loved moggy Choupette, in a sheer white dress, fur stole and cat ears. She’s joined by Gwen Stefani, who’s dressed in a candy-coloured take on a country cowgirl, and Paris Hilton, booted up as a medieval warrior. But the braying paparazzi outside – and the newspapers the next day – are all focused firmly on the party’s hostess, Cindy Crawford.

Dressed in black leather hot pants, thigh-high boots, a Hells Angels vest, spiked leather choker and glossy Morticia Addams wig, the supermodel still has the killer curves that made her a star. It’s been an incredible three decades since she became the highest-paid model in the world, paving the way for a new era of supermodels that were as much about global brands as they were catwalk moments.

This month, Crawford turns 50 – a milestone that prompted a book, Becoming, a highly personal ‘lessons learnt’ tome that looks back on her incredible career. It certainly wasn’t a future that she had planned as a young girl growing up in DeKalb, Illinois, but it was one that she carved single-handedly with an astounding work ethic and cast iron determination.