IN CONVERSATION WITH TYRA BANKS

interview by JANA LETONJA

Numéro Netherlands presents one of our latest 12th issue cover:

Supermodel Television personality and entrepreneur TYRA BANKS has left an indelible mark on the fashion and entertainment industries. As one of the most iconic models in fashion history, she shattered barriers and collected a long list of firsts. Besides winning two Emmy Awards, TYRA was named as one of The Hollywood Reporter’s 100 Most Powerful Women in Entertainment and twice to Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World list. As a business woman, she founded SMiZE & DREAM, a rapidly expanding global ice cream company with a mission to inspire, in homage to her mother.

full look ATELIER BISER
headpiece PIERCE ATKINSON
earrings 8 OTHER REASONS

You’ve achieved so many historic “firsts” in fashion, from being the first Black model on the covers of major magazines to breaking age barriers on the Swimsuit Illustrated Swimsuit cover. Looking back, which milestone has meant the most to you personally, and why?

I’ve had some deeply meaningful firsts, and I’m grateful for every single one. But the one that hits me deepest now? Being the first Black woman on the covers of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit and the Victoria’s Secret catalog. Not because of the personal win, but because of what I saw afterwards. Little girls who didn’t see themselves in those spaces suddenly started to. It cracked something open.

I feel like those moments live in a museum now. They’re meant to be remembered, respected, never forgotten. But I’ll be real, I don’t dwell there. I’m proud, but I’m not paused. That’s not where the story ends. That’s where my voice started to evolve.

And now? I’m the curator of that museum. I’m still adding to the exhibit. And you’re invited to the next opening.

AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL changed the cultural conversation around beauty and modeling. What do you think is its most lasting legacy? 

ANTM was a disruptor. It helped people see that modeling wasn’t just about standing still and being pretty, it was about storytelling, transformation, and sometimes even chaos. It made fashion feel more accessible and broke open the idea that beauty had to fit a mold. That can be easily forgotten and honestly, it has been. But that’s okay. As long as we all keep evolving and progressing, that’s what really matters.

corset ATELIER BISER
belt SAIID KOBESY
leggings SHEERTEX
shoes MANC
earrings ALEXIS BITTAR

You’ve always championed the expansion of beauty standards—long before it was a mainstream conversation. What were some of the biggest challenges you faced in pushing that vision forward? 

Because of social media, you now see so much diversity. People who look like you, talk like you, think like you. And that’s beautiful. But if you’re a digital native, it might be hard to imagine that there was a time when that kind of visibility didn’t exist. I came up in a world where it was the opposite. Where being accepted wasn’t just about my skin color, it was about my body type, my hair, my voice, my ideas. Back then, I was considered curvy. Yeah, I know, crazy. And later, I had a reality show that was breaking boundaries, but I didn’t have access to that full power unless an executive handed it to me.

And that’s where it got real. Behind the scenes, I had some of the most intense, superheated conversations of my career with one of the most powerful people in the industry. As a producer, I had vision, but I still had to fight to execute that vision. I remember one moment vividly. On Season 1, I wanted to cast a specific Latina girl on ANTM and the network head said no. I called him directly and made my case, passionately. It was heated. I was heated. He later told me “Tyra, I wasn’t used to people talking to me like that, but I respected it.”

He didn’t approve the girl I was pushing for, but he said “If it’s that important to you, go find someone else.” And so, I did. Because for me, it was about changing the face of what beauty could look like on television. And no, we all know I am not Latina, but I felt it was my responsibility to make sure such a large and beautiful population in America was represented from day one. 

So yeah, the challenges were deep. But they were necessary. Necessary to surmount. And now, re-entering modeling at 51, I walk back in with that same fire, but this time, I don’t need permission. I don’t need to convince the room.

dress QUINE LI
earrings BOTTEGA VENETA

You coined the iconic term SMiZE, which became a global phenomenon. What inspired it in the first place, and did you ever imagine it would take off the way it did? 

SMiZE started as a word I made up, a posing tool. A gaze, a quick way to tell someone “You’ve got to smile with your eyes.” But over time, it became so much more. It became a mindset, a philosophy, an energy.

The truth is, SMiZING isn’t just for cameras. It’s for life. It’s what you do when the glam lights are off and you still choose to show up with presence, with power, with purpose. I never imagined it would become this global thing. From memes to commercials to languages I don’t even speak, SMiZE has lived a whole life of its own. But what matters more is what it stands for. It’s become the DNA of everything I do.

Even SMiZE & DREAM, my ice cream company, is built around that idea. The SMiZE is the fierce and fun. The DREAM is the possibility. And together? They represent what I want to put into the world, that your dreams can come true. You just got to fiercely pursue them. And you need people in your corner, people to lean on, to cry with, to hold you up in the weak moments. Because goal-getting is hard. I had my mama Carolyn.

dress QUINE LI
jewelry 8 OTHER REASONS
shoes STUART WEITZMAN

You’re not just a mogul, you went to Harvard, taught at Stanford, and built a brand that extends from the runway to the classroom to the freezer aisle. What drives your entrepreneurial spirit?

Curiosity. That’s the fuel. I’ve always been obsessed with how things work, not just how they look. Curiosity is one of the most important forces behind success. Even when I was modeling full-time, I was behind the scenes asking questions about lighting, marketing, contracts, analytics. I didn’t just want to be the face , I wanted to understand the business.

I’m driven by proving that we don’t have to live in a single lane. We can be many things. Model and mogul. Teacher and student. Dessert lover and disruptor. My mom taught me that. That’s part of what inspired SMiZE & DREAM. Yes, I was passionate about ice cream, but I became obsessed with the taste, the texture, the best in the world, the worst in the world. I’m still obsessed. That’s why our ice cream tastes freaking damn good. People say “This is the best I’ve ever had.” 

SMiZE & DREAM isn’t just about ice cream, it’s about empowerment. What was the “aha” moment that made you want to build a dessert brand with purpose?

I wanted something indulgent and fun, but I also wanted it to mean something. I didn’t want to just create another dessert. I wanted to create something that was emotionally delicious. Something that sparked joy, and lit something up inside.

When I was teaching at Stanford, I told my students “Different is better than better. Don’t just try to be better than someone else. Be different. ” This brand became the moment where I turned that lesson into action. Where the teacher became the doer. This business? It’s my new class, my new passion, my new purpose.

That’s when the SMiZE SURPRiZE was born, the hidden yummy treat at the bottom of every pint. It’s not just delicious. It’s a metaphor. A reminder that if you hustle, if you dig deep, if you push past the surface,  there’s a reward waiting for you. Because that’s life. You show up, you work hard, you fall, you rise, you keep going. And then one day, there it is, success, sweetness. The delectable truffle at the bottom.

SMiZE & DREAM is for the dreamers, the doers, the fighters. The ones who chase the impossible and don’t stop until they taste it. 

As a brand visionary, how do you stay ahead of the curve in such a fast-moving cultural landscape?

I listen. I observe. And I stay wildly curious. But here’s the twist, I’m not obsessed with chasing “trends.” I’m obsessed with chasing truth. What are people craving? What’s missing from the conversation? What’s not being said out loud, but felt? I surround myself with people who’ve lived through more than me. Elders, mentors, people who’ve hit walls I haven’t hit yet, and are willing to say “Stop. Pivot. There’s a better way.” That kind of wisdom keeps you grounded.

And then I also surround myself with people younger than me. People from different worlds than me. People who aren’t afraid to say “Tyra, I know that worked before, but there’s a new way now.” That’s how you stay ahead, by not pretending you know it all. And sometimes? You don’t stay ahead by sprinting, you stay ahead by pausing, getting still, getting clear and then moving with intention. That’s how I make decisions that aren’t just reactive. 

coat BALENCIAGA
gloves VEX CLOTHING
earrings BOTTEGA VENETA

You’ve accomplished so much across decades. How do you define success now versus when you first started?

When I started, success looked like approval, applause, magazine covers, validation.

Now? It’s about building things that last longer than a season, or a trend. Success now is about impact. It’s about creating something that helps someone feel seen, inspired, or even just joyful. That’s why SMiZE & DREAM exists. That’s why I stepped back into modeling. Not to repeat history, but to show what reinvention looks like when you’re fully in your power.

What’s one bold move you made in your career that scared you at the time but paid off in a big way?

Leaving the runway to build a business. People thought I was out of my mind. They saw me walking away from what looked like the peak, but I was walking toward something I hadn’t even defined yet. I was scared, but I was more excited than afraid. And that’s the sweet spot for growth. And also? Saying no. That was bold. There were shows, deals, opportunities that looked shiny on the outside but didn’t align on the inside. Saying no to what doesn’t serve your soul? That’s a power move too.

But I’ll be real with you. Sometimes, I do wonder if stepping away in such a big way was a mistake. There was a lot of money left on the table, big offers, major moments that I said no to all of it because, at that time, the world didn’t know what to do with a woman who wanted to be more than one thing. You couldn’t be a renaissance woman, you were put in boxes. Models didn’t host successful talk shows. Entrepreneur + Supermodel? That was almost unheard of. So I felt like I had to say goodbye to the catwalk, to fashion, to that part of me on an international scale.

But the world has changed. Now I know I can strut and strategize. Pose and pitch. I can do it all, because I’ve done the work. And so have so many women before me, beside me, and behind the scenes. 

coat BUERLANGMA
jumpsuit SKIMS
shoes STUART WEITZMAN

If you could sit down with your younger self just starting out as a model in Inglewood, what would you tell her?

I’d tell her “TyTy, no matter what, never forget you break barriers. Even when you don’t mean to. Even when no one’s clapping. Even when they try to box you in, you break out. You’re going to mess up. You’re 18 and already have. And you’re still standing. Because you break barriers. You’ll make more mistakes. You’ll second-guess yourself. The world will try to tell you who you are. But you break barriers. You’ll feel misunderstood. You’ll feel underestimated. But keep moving. And every step forward, even the quiet ones, will open something up for someone else.”

Why? I’ll say it again, “You break barriers. So don’t let anyone redraw you. Don’t shrink to fit somebody else’s frame. Keep expanding. Because breaking barriers isn’t what you do, it’s who you are. And oh, start moisturizing your neck earlier. Seriously, you’ll thank me later.”

As someone who has always encouraged others to “dig deeper, dream bigger,” what dreams are you still chasing?

One dream that’s deeply personal to me right now? Scripted storytelling. I’ve proven myself in unscripted and have even won Emmys for it, but  I’ve always been a storyteller. I know how to write. I know how to build characters, arcs, entire worlds out of thin air. But the world still sees me as a “reality/unscripted expert.” They don’t see me as a creator of fiction. That’s a dream I’m chasing now. To break through that perception. To prove that I can dream anything, and then make it real.

And with SMiZE & DREAM, I’m not chasing the title of top ice cream company. I’m chasing something far bigger. I’m building an immersive, emotional, experiential world fueled by dreams. Something this industry has never seen. Something that doesn’t really exist, yet. And that’s hard. Because when you’re doing something for the first time, there’s no blueprint, no obvious reference, no playbook to follow. Creation is hard, innovation is difficult, but curiosity leads the way. Curiosity and creativity always have for me. And they always will.

What can you share with us about your upcoming projects, in all mediums of your career

I’ve got a few surprises up these sleeves, but what I can say is this: The modeling return? It’s just the beginning.

SMiZE & DREAM is growing in wild, global, delicious ways. We’re opening our epic flagship in Sydney. We’re mixing food with fashion, with feeling, and with dreams. We’re storytelling through flavor. 

And yes, there’s more to come on-screen too. I’m working on things that are cinematic. Things that are deeply community-driven, and tech-driven too. Things that are purpose-fueled, things that may even make you cry, in the best way.

What’s next? It’s not a comeback, it’s not even a reinvention. It’s a new dimension, a chapter that’s been waiting to be written, a frequency that’s been waiting to be heard. And it’s time. The story’s not just about to get better, It’s about to break boundaries, again and again. And I’m bringing so many others along with me. This is no longer a dream just for me. My life changed because someone saw something in me, before the world did. They opened a door, they bet on a maybe, they gave me a chance.

And now? It’s my turn to open doors wider, to bet on someone else’s maybe, to become the mirror, the mentor, the moment they’ve been waiting for. To be their SMiZE SURPRiZE.

TEAM CREDITS:

talent TYRA BANKS
photography TYLER PATRICK KENNY
styling WILFORD LENOV
hair KIM KIMBLE
makeup ERNESTO CASILLAS
styling assistant GETHSEMANI SANCHEZ
videographer MEECH WARD
videography assistant FRANCOIS JOSEPH
social BTS videographer ALYSSA YOUNG
producer LOUIE DIAZ
production set assistants KRYSTAL NAVARRO & DAEUN BU
location HUBBLE STUDIO
special thanks to VINCE RICCI
editor TIMI LETONJA
interview JANA LETONJA
cover design ARTHUR ROELOFFZEN