For centuries, twins have fascinated people, featuring prominently in art, mythology and culture around the world. Whether it be identical or fraternal, people are enthralled to know what it’s like to share a life so intimately with another from the very first moment of creation.
That fascination has never waned with twins having somewhat of a moment in the fashion world. From the womb, to the wardrobe, if you will.
Twins, mostly identical, are popping up in beauty and fashion campaigns and on the catwalk, either solo or side-by-side.
With designers no doubt asking themselves, “why have one beautiful person when you can have two?”
Being part of an identical duo is a way to stand out among the seemingly endless supply of new model faces and celebrity offspring.
“The popularity of booking twins plays into this modern flux in what’s considered beautiful … Right now, we are in an era of experimentation and I think that people are more open to seeing new ideas of beauty on the runway,” said casting director Noah Shelley, who books models for brands including Erdem and Kenzo.
Here are the top 5 doppelgängers in the world right now:
The Stenmark twins
Zac and Jordan Stenmark, 27, are identical twin brothers from Sydeny and are of Swedish and Irish descent. The most famous Australian twin models were studying an economics degree on AFL scholarships at The University of Sydney and working in a café when a friend suggested they should give modelling a go.
Launching their careers with a 60-page international editorial with the prestigious L’Officiel Hommes Paris, the boys were soon flown to London for a private meeting with Tom Ford, and made their international runway debut when they exclusively opened and closed the Calvin Klein Spring 2013 show during Milan Fashion Week.
The former David Jones ambassadors work both commercial and high-fashion on campaigns such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Ralph Lauren, and Calvin Klein, in addition to editorial features in the international editions of GQ, Vanity Fair, L’Officiel Hommes and Vogue Hommes Japan.
Speaking about the cutthroat industry, they said: “Competitiveness doesn’t really come into it. Of course, we both want to work with great people and brands but at the end of the day if one of us doesn’t get a job then we hope the other gets it.”
The pair have recently moved to New York to extend their modelling careers and to also try out acting.
Patricia and Gisele Bündchen
Gisele Bündchen is quite possibly the most famous, unknown twin in the world. The Brazilian model, 39, has a fraternal twin sister named Patricia.
The pair are very close and spend a lot of time together, but Patrcia did not follow her sister’s famous footsteps onto the runway. Instead, she has acted as Gisele’s manager for years.
Gisele was first discovered by the Elite modeling agency at a shopping mall in São Paulo while on a school excursion.
More than two decades later, the wife of New England Patriots footballer, Tom Brady, is still raking in big bucks. The supermodel, who famously strutted her stuff Victoria’s Secret, earned $15 million from June 1, 2017 to June 1, 2018 through modeling, according to a Forbes report in December 2018.
The Moosgaard twins
Danish sisters Cecilie and Amalie Moosgaard, 22, made their runway debut at Prada (PRADA!) in 2015 – one of the most coveted jobs in the modelling industry.
“We’re known as the Prada twins now,” they told The New York Times.
The blonde haired, blue eyed, 5ft 9in beauties have not stopped since and do most of their work together.
Twindom seems to define their lives and careers. When asked whom in fashion they would most like to meet, they chose Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, the twin sisters-designers of the Row.
“Oh my God, I don’t know how I would react if I saw them,” Amalie said.
After being discovered in Aarhus, Denmark, they have also walked for brands such as Valentino, Alexander McQueen, Sonia Rykiel, and Vera Wang.
The Pavlova twins
Russian models Lia and Odette Pavlova, 25, were born in Pskov, Pskov Oblast, but currently live in Saint Petersburg.
They were discovered circa 2011 – Lia in the supermarket and Odette just outside it. Unlike many other successful twins in the modelling industry, the pair started out working separately.
Odette debuted at the Ralph & Russo Couture show during High Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2015 in Paris, while Lia’s debut on the runway took place during Milan Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2015 for Gucci, which she opened.
Mulberry’s creative director, Johnny Coca, based his entire autumn 2016 advertising campaign around Odette and Lia, with images that play on their mirror-images.
“We played with their ‘twinness’ to twist the idea of reflection,” Coca said. “Sometimes you’re looking at one girl in a mirror, sometimes you see two, reflecting each other in their pose instead. The result is intriguing and playful.”
The Bell twins
Ruth and May Bell, 23, started out their careers in 2012 after getting spotted, aged 16, at Lakeside shopping centre in Essex, UK, by a scout from Elite.
The strawberry blonde beauties were booking regular jobs until Ruth shaved her head for an Alexander McQueen campaign. Then her career skyrocketed, with brands such as Saint Laurent, Chanel and Burberry tapping her newly tomboy image with cherubic face.
The buzz cut also helped May, who is dubbed the “Baby Kate Moss”.
“It has affected my work as well,” May said. “We don’t get as many twin things any more; I’ve lost that. But now people know Ruth and find out about me, so it’s working in my favour too.”
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