Sao Paulo--Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen will strut her stuff on the catwalk for the last time Wednesday, putting a gold-plated seal on the runway career that launched her to stardom.
Bundchen, the world's top-earning model, will take her final sashay down the runway at Sao Paulo Fashion Week (SPFW), the same event where she made her debut 20 years ago.
The 34-year-old Brazilian bombshell announced last month she was retiring from runway modeling, saying she wanted to spend more time with her husband, New England Patriots star quarterback Tom Brady, and their two children, Benjamin and Vivian.
She also told Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo: "My body tells me if what I do is worth it, and it asked to stop. I respect my body, it's a privilege to be able to stop."
She will continue modeling off the runway and promoting her lingerie line, Gisele Bundchen Intimates, launched in 2011 for the Brazilian label Hope.
Her final runway show, for Brazilian label Colcci, is a symbolic return to her roots.
Bundchen and SPFW were both just starting out two decades ago when she had her first show there, taking the runway for local label Zoomp at 14 years old.
Today, the twice-yearly event, which opened Monday, is the largest fashion show in Latin America.
It was also the start of big things for Bundchen, who went on to model for major fashion houses such as Alexander Wang, Balenciaga, Carolina Herrera, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Valentino, Versace and Victoria's Secret.
"I am grateful that at 14, I was given the opportunity to start this journey. Today after 20 years in the industry, it is a privilege to be doing my last fashion show by choice and yet still be working in other facets of the business," she wrote on Facebook, posting a picture of her teenage self.
AFP
