Claudia Schiffer says the fashion industry is "not real life."
Claudia Schiffer
The 47-year-old supermodel - who was first signed to Metropolitan Model Agency aged 17 - has hailed herself as a "realistic person" and she has admitted over the years she has come to learn that although the moments in fashion are "amazing" they are not a true reflection of the real world.
Speaking to Vogue.com about the industry, the German beauty said: "I'm a quite logical and realistic person and over the years I've learned that these moments in fashion are amazing but they are short and they're not real life."
And the catwalk icon has vowed to "only" work with companies on projects she "loves", which is why she "dips [her] toes in and out" of the business.
She explained: "Many years ago, I made the decision that I'm very happy with what I have - I'm very lucky - so I only want to work with companies and products I love. . . and [on projects that are] special. . . . I sort of dip my toes in and out [of fashion]."
And Claudia - who has daughters Clementine, 12, Cosima, seven, and 14-year-old son Caspar with her husband Matthew Vaughn - believes the fashion business has drastically changed over the years and is much "more difficult" to be a supermodel than ever before.
She said: "In the beginning, I wanted to establish who I was, not be compared to other people.
"People keep asking me, 'What was it exactly [about the Supermodel era]? What is the recipe?' All I can say [is that we] were all very different and we all had completely different career paths, so there was not a recipe, but there was a massive movement going on in fashion, and really big changes.
"I think what's really different nowadays is the much faster pace. It makes it more difficult; I've read some interviews where models are described as 'supermodel of the moment.' You have to work so much harder, I think, in comparison."
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