Supermodels are battling in the lingerie market, with Australian model Elle Macpherson pitted against German-born Heidi Klum. MacPherson, 50, recently announced that she was ending her partnership of 25 years with Australian-based company Bendon, which produces her Elle Macpherson Intimates lines. Meanwhile, the company has signed on Klum, 41, to take over the brand with Heidi Klum Intimates.
Macpherson will be moving her three lines, Elle Macpherson Intimates and its subsidiaries Macpherson Men and The Body, to the US. She will aims to start her own lines for active wear, swim wear there with the move.hough Machpherson has yet to announce with whom she’ll be partnering for the venture.
“I am relocating to the US with my family and I’m excited about energizing the further growth of the brands in the US market. I am very proud of the Elle Macpherson Intimates, The Body and Macpherson Men brands which I created and nurtured for the past 25 years,” said Macpherson. The model, TV host and entrepreneur reportedly raked in $150 million for Bendon during her time with them, which helped Macpherson to build her personal worth of $60 million.
Meanwhile, Bendon CEO Justin Davis-Rice said that Klum’s social media reach will double Bendon’s market share and reinvigorate the brand. Klum reportedly has 2.54 million followers and a global fan base that will help her promote her own Intimates brand when it launches in January.
Heidi Klum is set to take over from Elle Macpherson with her own line of lingerie: http://t.co/UUHrivS4pa pic.twitter.com/RG9pwIT8sc
— Marie Claire (@marieclaireau) October 16, 2014
Klum has acknowledged that Macpherson built “quite an empire” and “quite an amazing business” with Bendon, and shared that she was excited to join the company. “I feel like with all the social media that I have, with the campaigns that we do, I hope that people will hear that I took over and I hope that they’re happy about it. It wasn’t me knocking at the door saying I want to take over. It was offered to me,” Klum said.