Heidi Klum

Heidi Klum and the Model 92 contract

Heidi Klum is a German model and television host who walked her first Victoria's Secret runway in 1997 and held an Angel contract from 1999 to 2010. Born on June 1, 1973, in Bergisch Gladbach near Cologne, she entered the industry through a televised contest: on April 29, 1992, she won "Model 92," which came with a modeling contract worth $300,000.

Thirteen years in the show

Klum ended her run with the brand in October 2010, describing it as a 13-year tenure that dated from her 1997 debut. She was one of the models who made the Angels a household name in the first years of televised shows. In November 2007 she stood with Alessandra Ambrosio, Adriana Lima, Karolina Kurkova, Izabel Goulart, Selita Ebanks, Marisa Miller and Miranda Kerr when the Angels became the first trademark to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The Very Sexy Fantasy Bra

The Fantasy Bra, a jeweled bra unveiled each year with an announced value, went to Klum in 2003, when she wore the Very Sexy Fantasy Bra.

Host as well as model

She was also the show's host in 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009, introducing segments on camera between her own walks. For Victoria's Secret she designed a lingerie line called The Body, named after the nickname the press had given her.

Heidi Klum Intimates, 2015

After leaving the Angels, Klum put her name on her own lingerie. Heidi Klum Intimates launched in January 2015 in Melbourne, Australia, and from March 2015 it was produced in collaboration with Bendon, the New Zealand lingerie company that also made bras for other designer labels. The launch city reflected Bendon's home market across the Tasman Sea.

Mass-market collections

Klum has also designed for the discount end of the market. Her "Heidi & the City" line was sold exclusively at Lidl stores in 2017, and she had earlier designed maternity wear, released in January 2010.

The television second act

Klum's other long-running job began in 2004, when she became host and judge of the fashion competition series Project Runway. She stayed until 2017 and returned for the 2025 season. In lingerie terms, her significance rests on the years 1997 to 2010, when the Fantasy Bra and the wings were the most watched underwear on American television, and she was one of the few Angels trusted to front the broadcast itself.

Last updated October 7, 2026