Gisele Bündchen Back Where She Belongs After Nearly 20 Years

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W Magazine just released their third ever special Summer Issue featuring none other than supermodel Gisele Bündchen. This year, the iconic Brazilian supermodel, who has now graced the cover of W a whopping 15 times, agreed to return to their pages after an absence of nearly two decades. Photographed by Karim Sadli and styled by Brian Molloy, Gisele wears the hell out of Michael Rider’s Celine on the cover and in the accompanying interview shares some of the stories behind the many many W covers she graced from 1999 to 2007.

Now check out a treasure trove of fantastic photos from the shoot and some of our favorite excerpts from the interview below.

On her 2002 W cover with Patti Hansen and Cindy Crawford:

“They represented different generations of fashion, and I was honored to be among them. The atmosphere felt relaxed and easy. When strong women come together with mutual respect instead of competition, the energy becomes joyful. We had fun.”

On her relationship with John Galliano:

“John was incredibly imaginative. He approached fashion almost like cinema — every collection had a story, a fantasy, a world of its own. He encouraged everyone to dream with him, and that freedom was very inspiring for me as a model. I have many beautiful memories from that era because there was such artistry involved, and I feel grateful to have experienced that level of creativity firsthand.”

On her spiritual journey:

“I had moved to Boston and was living a much quieter life. Earlier in my career, everything was about achievement and saying yes to every opportunity. Over time, I began to understand the importance of finding balance. My spiritual practice helped me become more present and more connected to myself. Instead of focusing on external expectations, I started paying attention to how I felt internally. That changed everything—not only my work, but also the way I experienced life.”

On how she developed her iconic “horse walk”:

“It happened naturally. I grew up in Brazil, always connected to sports and to my body, and maybe that is why my walk was like that. I am a size 7 shoe and five feet ten, so it was also how I balanced myself on very high heels. I think the horse walk became popular because it had power. For me, walking a runway was never just about the clothes—it was about confidence.”

W Magazine The Summer Issue is on stands June 23rd. You can check out the full interview at www.wmagazine.com.