When you know you’ve got only 10 minutes with a superstar like Heidi Klum, coming up with questions is tricky…
In Auckland for less than 24 hours to promote her new Heidi Klum Intimates collection with Bendon, we knew the 42-year-old supermodel, entrepreneur and all round #Girlboss would have plenty to say on the subject of “smalls” – it was walking the runway in lingerie that made her a household name after all.
Just last week it was announced that Heidi Klum Swim – a swimwear line in collaboration with Bendon – would be launching here in July. It’s been a year in the making and Klum is passionate about the line which caters not just to those that are fond of incy wincy teeny weeny styles, but pieces that offer support and trend-driven shape for curvier women as well.
Fashion Quarterly’s features editor Lucy Slight sat down with the mother of four to talk about her latest swimwear and underwear offerings.
FQ: Welcome back to New Zealand, it’s lovely to have you here again!
Heidi Klum: I’m very excited to be back! I have to say though, every time I’ve been in New Zealand I’ve never got to fully see the country. It’s always in and out. I’m really sad about it because I know your country is so pretty.
Your swimwear line with Bendon has just been announced, is that something that’s been on your bucket list for a while?
I thought it was a natural fit to go from lingerie to swimwear because a lot of the construction is quite similar. So for the past year I have been working on Swim and we’re launching in July and I feel like I’ve done some great new pieces. From bikinis to cute little triangles to bathing suits, we’ve created some beautiful silhouettes with great prints, great hardware, and embellishment. As you can see, I love embellishments! So you’ll be seeing a lot of that.
How have you tried to cater for different body shapes and sizes?
We got up to G in bras and E in swimwear. Obviously not all the pieces go up to an E but a lot of them do and that for me was very important – that there’s something there for curvier women as well. Because I know a lot of curvier women have a hard time finding beautiful swimsuits and bikinis. Obviously the triangles do not work as they don’t have a lot of support, but some of the other pieces do.
Here’s a sneak peek of what’s to come for #HeidiKlumSwim! @heidiklumintimates
A photo posted by Heidi Klum (@heidiklum) on
Were there any lingerie trends that stuck out to you that you brought into your new Heidi Klum Intimates collection?
Prior to this, there have been a lot of push-ups but personally I haven’t always been the biggest fan. I feel that in a way that’s a little old-fashioned, so I wanted to bring in more of a natural fit, more streamlined, beautiful bras that you can wear under your t-shirts so you don’t have all that push-up and too much lace, and too many bows – too much jazz. So that’s been a little challenging, trying to find new shapes, but I feel like we’ve accomplished that.
What are the biggest faux pas for you when it comes to wearing lingerie?
I think a lot of women have a hard time [finding] the right size. We wear sizes from five or 10 years ago and you know, our body does always change. I notice that myself because after having four children you change in size. You got up, you go down, you go up, you go down. Whereas sometimes you’ve just been eating a little bit more or you’ve been exercising a bit more – you kind of fluctuate in your size a lot. So I think it’s important to get measured over and over again, maybe every year you should go to a professional and get measured. And then you realise, ‘Actually, the bra that I’ve been wearing for the last five years has not been my size.’ You’re always pulling, tucking or spilling out, so I think that’s key in order to find the perfect fitting bra.
Stay tuned to FQ.CO.NZ for Heidi’s body confidence tips, coming soon…
