Ask any of her 20 million Instagram followers—no one can get enough of Candice. The South African beauty—who grew up a budding ballerina and was scouted at a local flea market—has been lovingly referred to as an Angel (thanks in part to her longtime partnership with Victoria’s Secret) for the better part of a decade. But now with the 20th anniversary of her modeling career this year, it seems that the world better find a new word to describe the bombshell beauty—perhaps we level her up from angel to goddess?

Below, Candice and fellow supermodel and V154 covergirl, Isabeli Fontana, reminisce on their friendship, first runway, and motherhood.

Candice wears gold plated top and skirt RENATO AMANO / Mega Balorama sunglasses RAY-BAN / Bangles and earrings YAR

ISABELI FONTANA: Wait, when did we meet?

CANDICE SWANEPOEL: I was just thinking that. I don’t remember the exact day that we met, because it was a really long time ago. 

IF: *laughs*

CS: I must have been a teenager, and maybe you were in your late teens or early 20s. I mean, [you’ve] been an icon in my eyes since forever, probably before I started modeling, because what are you like, 25 years in your career? 

IF: I started [professional modeling] in New York in 1999, which makes 25 years this year. But I had my start in 1996, so it’s going to be almost 30 years. I remember seeing you when you were very young. I don’t remember what show, but I remember you as this super young, little, beautiful creature. Very calm, looking around everywhere. And I was like, looking at you thinking “Oh my God, she is so gorgeous.” And I knew that you were going to be a supermodel. You know, it’s a feeling that you have [instinctually].

CS: Aww! I was at boarding school in South Africa [when] I started only doing shows, and I would take a month off from school and do Paris and Milan, and I started booking Dolce&Gabbana and the bigger shows where the bigger girls were walking. And that’s when I first saw you. It’s been so many years! My memory of these [moments] are just getting worse and worse, but certain things trigger it. We’ve done some events together, and it’s always nice when you do those things to see girls that you can relate to. I had already kind of been immersed in Brazilian culture a lot. I love to go and practice my Portuguese and talk about Brazil with you.

Custom made chain and metalwork dress SPLASH ATELIER

V: How well do you rate her Portuguese? 

IF: Oh, my God. You know, she could definitely be Brazilian, for sure. She has a great accent! (*laughs*)

CS: If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em! 

IF & CS: (*laughs*)

CS: I remember you kind of having a similar outlook on life. We were always in such glamorous situations but the more I got to know you, I knew that we had similarities [because of] the fact that we love to be in very simple places, just in flip flops, listening to reggae, and living a chill life. I always loved you for that.

3D printed sculpted mesh dress ATELIER VERSACE (SS25)

Coil necklace RENATO AMANO

V:  What do you guys connect most about?

CS: Terrible men! No, I’m joking. We speak about where we like to go, and we’ve both been in the industry for a really long time so we know a lot of the same people. It’s girl talk!I

IF: I remember you always being so graceful, even though we’re very timid. It’s always hard to just approach someone [new] with superficial stuff, because you don’t know how to start a [friendship], right?

CS: I think we’ve recently been able to connect more because we have the same agent.

IF: And also, we’re mommies!

CS: That too, right? You’ve given me future predictions of [my children becoming] teenagers, and it’s everything I’m terrified of.

IF: Oh, my God, it’s not easy, because everyone’s so different. I have two boys, and they’re very different from each other. You just have to know what their strengths and their weaknesses are, and focus on making them feel better, because everybody’s just trying to figure it out. I know it’s not easy to deal with a teenager, but we’ve been through that with our parents. I was a bad teenager. I was so much worse than my kids.

CS: My parents didn’t get to see me most of my [teenage years] because I left early, but they definitely felt it. Being a mom, I connect with a lot of other mothers, but being a mother of two boys, as opposed to having a girl, it’s a whole other thing. Two boys are amazing but intense.

This cover story appears in the pages of V154: now available for purchase!

Photography Lufré

Fashion Nicola Formichetti

Hair + Makeup Claudio Belizario (Call My Agent) using Kerastase and Charlotte Tilbury

Manicure Danielle Costa Pinheiro da Cruz 

Set design Jean Labanca Production Litmedia Productions 

Executive producer Sharon Battat 

Production manager Zoë Turjacanin 

Retouching Teu Freitas / Telhas Retouch (M.Lages) 

Lighting director Gabriel Gimines 

Stylist assistants Rapha Mendonça, Aline Swoboda Tailor Salvadora Nascimento 

Hair + Makeup Assistants Fabio Mauricio, Helo Coutinho

Set design assistants Ricardo Kranen Pinheiro da Silva, Jefferson Henrique Cunha, Giovanna Lima da Silveira, Guilherme Higa 

Studio Estudio do Cais 

Video João Luis Freitas de Almeida, Matheus Menegoi