Iris Apfel is queen. Besides having a documentary made about her life, being the subject of an exhibit at the Met and working with models like Karlie Kloss, she’s now a signed model. The 97-year-old interior designer and fashion mogul is under contract with IMG, the same agency that works with major models like Kendall Jenner and Chrissy Teigen, for modeling, endorsements and official appearances.
Who is Apfel, you may be asking? Well, after studying art at NYU and the University of Wisconsin, she worked for Women’s Wear Daily as well as interior designer Elinor Johnson. She’s worked on several design restoration projects, including tons on the White House, and the textile business she opened with her late husband gave her the exposure and opportunity to expand her personal brand.
She’s been seen in ad campaigns for MAC, Kate Spade and Alexis Bittar, and appeared in Vogue Italia. And this was before Instagram influencing!
President of IMG Ivan Bart told Women’s Wear Daily, “Iris is an icon with immeasurable talent. She radiates creativity and inspiration, and we’re so excited to explore new and unique opportunities with her, where her natural gifts can be shared with the world.”
Apfel’s plan is to do print and digital collaborations and stay away from the runway, much like she’s been doing for the Home Shopping Network, designing and wearing merchandise.
“How can I compete on runway? That’s ridiculous. We’ll be doing hopefully collaborations, or maybe I’ll be a spokesperson. I leave it to them,” she told WWD.
Her style is paramount: The bold colors, off-kilter textures and her signature large, round eyeglasses are eclectic in the best way. The “Rara Avis” Met exhibit, dedicated to her fashion, was the first of its kind to focus on a living non-designer. She has a Barbie doll created from her image, and she wrote a book: “Iris Apfel: Accidental Icon.”
“Accidental” is right, since there’s really nothing in her professional background that should give her the amount of recognition she owns. Then again, we as a society love the elderly, bad*ss lady image more than anything -- Betty White, RBG, Gladys Knight? Love ‘em. So, really, all she had to do was be herself, and we ate that sh*t up.
"Who would think I would be a 97-year-old cover girl?" Apfel said. "My husband, until he passed on, we used to sit there and laugh and laugh, and I’d say I’m no different than I was 70 years ago, and all of a sudden, I’m cool, I’m a hot property. It’s ridiculous. People tell me it’s because I’m real…and say what I think.”
Keep on keeping on, Iris.