Tyra Banks Opens Ice Cream Store in Australia, Leaves Hollywood Behind
When Tyra Banks quietly relocated to Australia to open an ice cream store, she wasn’t simply chasing a candy tooth—she was chasing a brand new chapter. The 50-year-old supermodel, media mogul, and entrepreneur has formally entered her dessert period, buying and selling purple carpets for waffle cones with the launch of a everlasting storefront for her model, SMiZE & Dream, down below.
“I got here right here and simply fell in love,” Banks mentioned in a current look on At this time with Jenna & Mates, explaining her surprising transfer to Australia. “This nation is the third-highest client of ice cream on the earth.” And for somebody who turned the phrase “smize” right into a cultural lexicon, launching a unusual, feel-good ice cream model feels oddly on model.
Early Modeling Struggles and Breakthrough in Paris
Tyra Banks’s journey to supermodel standing was removed from instantaneous. At simply 15 years outdated, she started modeling whereas attending Immaculate Coronary heart Excessive Faculty in Los Angeles. Regardless of early rejections from 4 modeling businesses, Banks’s persistence paid off when she was signed by L.A. Fashions. A 12 months later, she switched to Elite Mannequin Administration, and at simply 16, she relocated to Milan to chase world alternatives.
Her worldwide breakthrough got here in 1991 throughout her very first runway season. Banks booked an astonishing 25 reveals for Paris Vogue Week, a feat that signaled her arrival as a drive in excessive vogue. She rapidly graced editorials for American, Italian, French, and Spanish editions of Vogue, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, V, W, and Self-importance Truthful, turning into a staple in vogue’s most revered publications.
Runways, Covers, and Campaigns: The Rise of a Supermodel
Banks’s modeling dominance prolonged past editorial spreads. She walked the runways for iconic designers together with Chanel, Oscar de la Renta, Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, Valentino, Marc Jacobs, and Donna Karan, amongst many others. Her versatility made her a muse throughout the style spectrum—from high fashion to ready-to-wear.
Journal covers adopted, with Banks showing on Elle, Spanish Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, Seventeen, and Teen Vogue. She additionally grew to become a industrial powerhouse, starring in campaigns for manufacturers like Yves Saint Laurent, Dolce & Gabbana, Versace, Nike, Ralph Lauren, and Victoria’s Secret.
In 1993, Banks grew to become a CoverGirl spokesperson, additional solidifying her industrial enchantment. As one of many few Black girls to achieve true supermodel standing, she shattered glass ceilings in a notoriously unique business.
Bankable Productions: Constructing an Empire
Together with her manufacturing firm Bankable Productions (previously Ty Ty Child Productions), Banks made a seismic impression on popular culture. She created America’s Subsequent Prime Mannequin, which she hosted and govt produced, redefining how the general public considered the modeling business. She additionally helmed The Tyra Banks Present, a daytime speak present that debuted in 2005 and ran for 5 years, successful back-to-back Daytime Emmy Awards for Excellent Informative Discuss Present in 2008 and 2009.
The corporate additionally produced the teenager movie The Clique, cementing Banks’s behind-the-scenes affect in leisure.
Banks made her movie debut in John Singleton’s Larger Studying (1994), and achieved cult favourite standing for her portrayal of Eve in Life-Measurement reverse Lindsay Lohan. She continued to behave in standard movies like Love Stinks (1999), Love & Basketball (2000), Coyote Ugly (2000), Halloween: Resurrection (2002), and Hannah Montana: The Film (2009).
In 2018, she reprised her iconic doll function for Life-Measurement 2 on Freeform, showcasing her vary and enduring enchantment throughout generations.
A Dream Served Chilly: The Rise of SMiZE & Dream
Launched in 2020, SMiZE & Dream is extra than simply an ice cream model. Every cup incorporates a “SMiZE Surprize” on the backside—just a little deal with and motivational message designed to encourage. “It’s like Cracker Jack meets affirmations,” Banks as soon as mentioned.
The corporate has popped up in a number of worldwide markets, together with Los Angeles, Dubai, and Sydney, however this marks its first everlasting retail location. The choice to plant roots in Australia is strategic—and deeply private. Banks says the nation’s tradition, local weather, and love of frozen desserts made it the best place to quiet down.
A Life Much less Scripted
Although Banks has stayed largely off social media since her transfer, these near her say she’s embraced a slower tempo. A lot of that has to do along with her son, York, born through surrogate in 2016. “Motherhood adjustments every little thing,” she’s mentioned. And whereas she as soon as juggled picture shoots, present tapings, and enterprise conferences, she now appears extra involved in work-life delight than work-life stability.
She’s additionally embracing her function as a mentor and function mannequin within the enterprise house, particularly for ladies and folks of colour. With SMiZE & Dream, Banks isn’t simply promoting sundaes—she’s serving up inspiration with each scoop.
Why Australia—and Why Now?
Moreover its love affair with frozen treats, Australia gives Banks one thing she not often had in Hollywood: peace. The shortage of paparazzi, the colourful meals scene, and a rising neighborhood of creatives and entrepreneurs made the choice simple. “It’s only a vibe right here,” she instructed At this time. “A great one.”
And it’s not nearly Tyra. The ice cream store is designed to be interactive and community-focused, with storytelling constructed into each a part of the expertise. From the flavors (like Strawberry BirthYAY! and Salted Caramel King) to the affirmations in every shock, each element is supposed to uplift.
A Legacy Past the Runway
Tyra Banks’ profession has at all times been about transformation—bodily, skilled, and private. From strolling high-fashion runways to championing physique positivity earlier than it was fashionable, she’s constantly pushed the envelope. Now, with SMiZE & Dream, she’s reminding us that evolution may be candy, easy, and served with sprinkles.
This isn’t simply an ice cream store. It’s a love letter to reinvention. And if Tyra Banks has her manner, it’s additionally the start of a worldwide franchise designed to encourage pleasure—one scoop at a time.
What’s Subsequent for Tyra?
Will she ever return to TV? Presumably. However for now, Banks appears content material constructing a life that isn’t being live-streamed or endlessly analyzed. Her aim? To create “a worldwide motion disguised as dessert.” And actually, who higher to do it than the lady who taught the world how you can smize?
Together with her cones, her calm, and her massive entrepreneurial goals, Tyra Banks is proving that success doesn’t at all times imply staying within the highlight. Generally, it seems to be like a quiet life in Australia—with a double scoop of legacy on prime.
