Heidi Klum steals Elle Macpherson's undies, Heidi Klum has stolen Elle Macpherson's undies.
Following the announcement that Macpherson's 25-year relationship with intimates company Bendon is over, Klum has announced she will be wearing the lingerie pants from now on.
"I have many companies that come to me, but I wanted to be with someone who was as big as them, as established as them, as successful as them. You know, 25 years, that's quite an empire and that's quite an amazing business that Elle has created with Bendon," Klum told Women's Wear Daily.
"I feel like with all the social media that I have, with the campaigns that we do, I hope that people will hear that I took over and I hope that they're happy about it. It wasn't me knocking at the door saying I want to take over. It was offered to me."
Macpherson announced this week she will be parting ways with the New Zealand-founded company, Bendon, at the end of the year.
Bendon chief executive Justin Davis-Rice told The Australian they toyed with the renewal of Macpherson's contract, "and we certainly engaged in discussions with Elle in that regard – or do we use this as the one-off opportunity to actually change the brand?"
Macpherson will retain her brand name and continue to operate with a new partner.
The supermodel's three lines, Elle Macpherson Intimates, Macpherson Men and The Body will be distributed in the US.
The model has not announced who she will be partnering with.
Klum, 41, will take over the role of creative director and all remaining Elle Macpherson Intimates designs will remain the property of Bender and be rebranded as Heidi Klum Intimates.
While there does not appear to be any hard feelings, this isn't the first time Klum has gone after something of Macpherson's.In 2006, Klum was quoted saying in a Victoria's Secret commercial, "They call me The Body – and now I have a bra named after me."
The Body was a nickname given to Macpherson when she appeared in Time magazine in 1986.
The swimsuit model was apparently "baffled" according to Vogue UK.
"We saw that and were like, 'Oh my god!' We were initially flabbergasted," said Melissa Edwards, spokeswoman for Macpherson's Intimates underwear line.
"We have numerous press clippings in the office referring to [Elle] as The Body."
Regardless, Davis-Rice thinks Klum is the perfect replacement.
"We think Heidi, as an individual, appeals to a younger consumer as well as a more mature consumer," Davis-Rice said.
"She's a hard-working mum, but she's also very active in the media today, which is important when promoting a brand or getting a brand recognised. She's somebody that engages very well with consumers in the media and wants to build a business and wants to promote it actively. We were looking for somebody that gave us a much larger international reach and Heidi elevates that."
Heidi Klum Intimates will launch on 1 January, 2015. The Autumn/Winter 15 collection will also include a men’s brand, HKMAN, and Heidi by Heidi Klum, a line of every day essentials.
