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How Cindy Crawford Became A Global Brand

This article is more than 8 years old.

I spoke to Cindy Crawford, one of the original supermodels, and her business partner, Katherine O’Leary about their new book called "Becoming By Cindy Crawford". In the following interview, Crawford explains how she rose to the top of the modeling world, how social media is a game changer for models, the business of modeling and gives her best advice. Katherine gives us her view on Cindy's success from working with her directly for over sixteen years in multiple business endeavors.

Crawford has created a trusted brand representing beauty, fashion, fitness and home. In her career, she earned long-term, global contracts with the likes of Revlon, Omega and Pepsi. She has graced over 1,000 magazine covers worldwide, including Vogue, Elle, W, Bazaar, Cosmopolitan and Allure. She walked the runway for everyone, from Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel to Ralph Lauren and Dolce Gabbana and was featured in countless ad campaigns for virtually every top fashion designer, including Versace and Calvin Klein. She hosted a reality TV show on MTV, created bestselling exercise videos, skincare products and is currently expanding her successful Cindy Crawford Home collection that grosses over $250 million annually.

Dan Schawbel: What do you think gave rise to your fame in the 1990s and what set you apart from other models at that time?

Cindy Crawford: I feel fortunate to have been a part of a group of young women who were later dubbed Supermodels. There are a lot of reasons that the supermodel phenomena happened—more fashion on TV, MTV merging music and fashion and pop culture, etc.—but a lot of it was just timing. I think that we (Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, etc) were depicted as strong women who were in control helped us all to feel that way in our work life. We took chances and started to have more say in how we wanted to be portrayed.

Schawbel: How has the modeling industry changed since you were a teenager and what role has technology played in creating the next top models?

Crawford: I think the biggest change for young models is their direct access to their fans via social media. They can have much more influence on how they are perceived.

Schawbel: What impact have you made on the next generation of women and what are your aspirations for the type of change you want to make in the future?

Hopefully I am an example to young models especially to work hard and learn but then to take that knowledge and start developing your own projects that are the most authentic.

Schawbel: Can you talk about the business of modeling? What are all the sources of income for models, how long is the average career for women or men, and how can models survive and thrive after their career is over?

Crawford: When you are a young model, you are mostly just waiting for the phone to ring. And when a company wants to hire you and are willing to pay your rate, you accept the booking.

The big dream for most models is some kind of cosmetic contract and also long term relationships with great global brands. I was a Revlon spokesperson for 15 years before I went on to start my own skincare line called Meaningful Beauty. I also worked with Pepsi for years and have had a 20 year relationship as an ambassador for Omega watches—longer than most marriages. I love these types of relationships—they can last for a long time when the two brands share the same values. Eventually, the most exciting way to make money is to start your own projects—whether you are licensing your name and image or starting a company from the ground up.

Schawbel: What are your top three career tips?

Crawford:

1. Trust that no one knows your own brand better than you.

2. Show up on time and ready to work.

3. Be a good team player.

Schawbel: Can you tell us about your relationship with Cindy and your role in writing this book and other projects?

Katherine O’Leary: Cindy and I have worked together for over 17 years. From workout videos, to a skin care line, a furniture line, and then writing this book together (with a few other projects on the horizon), we’ve been able to tackle more things then probably either of us ever imagined doing. I moved to LA when we were getting Meaningful Beauty started and over time, we’ve both been able to adjust and adapt to the changing needs of business and life. When I approached Cindy about doing this book and she said yes, the next task for me was to find her the best writing partner. Even though I have a writing background, I didn’t think about us writing it together. But like so many things that have happened, once we got into the project she called me one day and said “Why aren’t you the one writing this with me?”

Schawbel: How have you seen Cindy take and react to criticism throughout her career?

O’Leary: I think she takes it like a professional and a well-adjusted person. As a public figure, I’ve watched her stay sane by not Googling herself or engaging in a virtual debate about whatever it is that some anonymous person has criticized her for. However, if there is valid criticism on something, she thinks about it and figures out what, if anything she would have done differently the next time. She hasn’t gotten where she is by trying to bend into anyone else’s idea of who she is or who someone thinks she should be. She has a strong sense of self, makes decisions from there and then accepts how things turn out.

Schawbel: What are some of the lessons you've learned from watching Cindy's career first hand?

O’Leary: I’ve learned so much from Cindy, professionally as well as personally. She probably gives the most pragmatic advice of anyone I know - - and when I’m working on something that would benefit from that unique perspective, she’s my go to. Without fail, she’ll have a point I might never have thought of (and I tend to think things through quite a bit). At those moments, I can really see the chemical engineer she could have become if that whole supermodel thing didn’t pan out.

Cindy is a few years ahead of me and was pregnant with her son Presley when I started working with her, so as a young single woman in NYC who hoped to have both a career and a family, she provided a great road map for me. When she’s with her kids, she’s present with them and not attached to her phone. I can’t tell you how many times she stayed up all night with a sick kid, and then showed up for work on time without complaint. When my son was born she told me, ever pragmatically, “Just plan on being tired for 5 years, then you won’t expect it to be any different. It will pass when he’s around 5”. And she was right. She’s an amazing, dedicated, hands-on and loving mother - - and without a doubt those two kids come first. But when she’s at work or we’re traveling, she’s giving her professional obligations 100% and not beating herself up about what she’s missing at home.

Professionally, we have a similar DNA. Cindy and I share a level of intensity that we bring to whatever task is at hand, small or large. If something doesn’t make sense or is poorly thought out, it gets under our skin and we can’t help but go back and make it better. Some people might not always get why, but to us it’s the only way we know how to work. I appreciate having a partner and a mentor that committed to excellence.

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