First came the Kardashians. Then the Beckham clan. Now the Crawford-Gerbers are positioning themselves as the next family superpower in fashion.
Last week, Cindy Crawford, her husband, Rande Gerber, and their two children, Kaia and Presley, announced a “first-of-its-kind partnership” with the Californian sportswear and lifestyle brand Vuori. Kicking things off with a campaign, it sees the menage frolicking in front of a Malibu beach house, all long limbs, glowing skin and gleaming Hollywood smiles.
The British PR consultant and author Mark Borkowski describes the decision by the Crawford-Gerbers to mould as a single entity as “intergenerational branding”. While the Kardashians have set the precedent for monetising the family brand, Borkowski thinks the Crawford-Gerbers’ approach seems less opportunistic. “They are playing a much longer and more subtle game.” He points to Crawford and Gerber’s long, scandal-free marriage as their commercial secret weapon. “Brands don’t want controversy. They know they aren’t going to do a stupid Instagram stunt and have to pick up the pieces. They’re not selling fashion – they’re selling a dream.”
Shot by the fashion photographer Cass Bird, the Vuori campaign encapsulates the old-school American dream, in images that ooze health and wealth. The family fool around in a palm tree-shaded garden, take a spin on a boat, pose in front of a seaplane and, at one point, Kaia and Rande play guitar on their beachfront deck. They are all, of course, wearing Vuori’s signature buttery soft sweatpants, tank tops and half-zip hoodies. Crawford sums up the reason why they got in bed with the brand: “Vuori is all about a lifestyle we live everyday.”
Crawford was an early adopter of the slashie career. Ever since she landed her first Vogue cover in 1986, she has worked to transform herself from fashion model to a standalone brand. There’s been a multimillion campaign deal with Pepsi, a 30-year (and counting) brand ambassadorship with Swiss watch brand Omega, home workout videos, her own furniture brand and her beauty line. Everyone from Gwyneth Paltrow to Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex has emulated her approach to business.
Meanwhile, Gerber, her husband of 27 years, is an ex-model turned business entrepreneur who founded the tequila brand Casamigos with George Clooney and sold it to Diageo in 2017 in a $1bn deal. Now husband and wife are expanding their empire – and this time the focus is on the family unit.
While Presley, 25, started modelling at 16, he has recently focused on using his Instagram platform as an advocate for mental health. Meanwhile Kaia, 23, has been following in her mum’s footsteps. She became the face of Marc Jacobs beauty at 15, and has walked for every major catwalk brand, including Chanel and Valentino, and has nabbed a string of campaigns and magazine covers. But she’s not only involved in fashion. She has also explored acting, with roles in Bottoms and Palm Royale. Then there is her online bookclub Library Science, for which she has interviewed writer Jia Tolentino and discussed the work of novelist Eve Babitz with the singer Gracie Abrams. Oh, and she has 10 million followers on Instagram.
In 2016, Crawford first suggested that her family may have cross-generational appeal when she appeared on the cover of Vogue Paris with Kaia. Nine years later, they are ramping up their influence. The 2003 TV documentary The Supers introduced Cindy to gen Z. Last week, Crawford and Kaia hosted a live online shopping event for the high street giant Zara. And on Monday, Kaia was announced as the new face of Mango. By focusing on high street brands and upmarket lifestyle labels, Borkowski says the duo “fuse mass accessibility with stealth-wealth aspiration”.
How very 2025 of them.
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