97-year-old fashion icon becomes world's oldest model

CNNLast week (February 7), fashionista Iris Apfel marked her 97th birthday with a contract with the world's leading modeling agency IMG Models, officially becoming the world's oldest model.

Entering IMG Models, Iris joined the famous "long-legged" club such as Kloss, Joan Smalls, Kate Moss, Chrissy Teigen and sisters Bella - Gigi Hadid...

As a rookie in the modeling industry, Iris did not need to spend time building her personal brand, because the fashion world was already familiar with the “freak” with large round glasses, colorful outfits and impressive patterns. She also collaborated with many famous brands, including Kate Spade, MAC, Alexis Bittar, HSN and Le Bon Marché.

“I’m really excited because I’ve never found a suitable management company. In fact, I never thought that one day I would become a model, so I didn’t have any clear preparation. I expect many new opportunities to come to me,” the U100-year-old fashion icon shared.

Iris Apfel was born in 1921 in New York. She was an interior designer and co-owner of the textile company Old World Weavers, which she founded with her late husband, Carl. She worked as an interior designer at the White House from 1950 to 1992, for nine US presidents.

However, in the last decade, Iris Apfel has received more attention for her personal fashion style. In 2005, the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art presented an exhibition called “Rara Avis” about Iris’s fashion style. This was the first time the famous museum had ever presented an exhibition by someone who was not a fashion designer.

Since then, she has launched jewelry and ready-to-wear lines. In 2018, she released the book “Iris Apfel: Accidental Icon.” In the same year, she became the oldest person in the world to model a Barbie doll.

Image of Mrs. Iris Apfel...