Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen has walked the catwalk for the last time, ending her two-decade ramp modelling presence, at the Sao Paulo Fashion Week.
One of the most recognizable faces in fashion, Gisele shocked the fashion world last month as she announced she'd be retiring from runway and will walk her final show during SPFW, the same event where she made her debut twenty years back.
The 34-year-old supermodel fought back tears as she walked confidently in Brazilian street wear label Colcci's show, News reported.
The world's highest paid model opened and closed the show for Brazilian label Colcci, bringing a runway career that propelled her to stardom to full circle.
Although Bundchen looked calm and smiled through the 20 minutes show, when a horde of men and women models marched out in jeans and white T-shirts with her image on them, she burst into tears, according to the HeraldSun.
Bundchen, who is also the Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme, waved to well-wishers and hugged friends at the show's closure. Bundchen's family, including her parents and husband Tom Brady, took the first row.
The Brazilian bombshell says she wants to spend more time with American football star husband Brady, and their two children Benjamin and Vivian. However, Bundchen is not giving up working in front of the camera. She will continue modeling off the runway and promoting her lingerie line, Gisele Bündchen Intimates, launched in 2011 for the Brazilian label Hope.
Bundchen, who was the first in a wave of Brazilian models to find international success, told Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo: "My body tells me if what I do is worth it." She added that her body asked her to stop and she respected her body that is entitled to be able to stop.
Bundchen's final runway marked her return to her roots. She and SPFW both started out two decades ago when she had her first show there at 14 years old, taking the runway for local label Zoomp.
Bundchen modeled for leading fashion houses including Victoria's Secret, Versace, Valentino, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Carolina Herrera, Balenciaga, and Alexander Wang.
Gisele posted a picture of her teenage self on Instagram.
She wrote alongside the picture: "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."
With a staggering $47 million in earnings last year, Forbes listed her as the highest-paid model in the world for the past eight years. She even signed her largest-ever contract worth more than $25 million recently with US sports apparel firm Under Armour, according to Forbes.
