Meeeow! Celebrities Who Capitalized On Their Good Looks And Star Status To Model (Or Start Their Own) Swimwear Lines

Brooke Burke-Charvet in Barely Brooke Swimwear

THEN: Brooke Burke-Charvet worked as a swimwear and lingerie model so it only made sense that she would want to launch her own collection of beach clothes, Barely Brooke. So what’s her secret to maintaining that amazing bikini body? “I don't have three hours a day to devote to my body, but I do have an hour five days a week,” she says.

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Brooke Burke-Charvet in Barely Brooke Swimwear and NOW

NOW: Brooke has kept herself busy working on a range of projects over the last few years. She released her motherhood memoir, The Naked Mom: A Modern Mom's Fearless Revelations, Savvy Advice and Soulful Reflections, in 2011. On TV she has hosted the Miss America pageant and “Dancing With The Stars”. But her biggest accomplishment by far has been beating the thyroid cancer she was diagnosed with in 2012. "I feel lucky… [It's] business as usual and back to normal!” she said after getting a clean bill of health.

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Angelina Jolie in a Bikini

THEN: Angelina signed on with Finesse Model Management when she was just 14 years old. Two years later, in 1991, the still tattoo-free future star posed for a racy swimwear shoot in this pink bikini – a far cry from Angelina’s usual fashion favorite at the time. “I wore black boots with big silver bats that dragged when I walked," says of her style while a student at Beverly Hills High School. "I wasn't aware of how I looked, but apparently I looked really creepy."

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Angelina Jolie in a Bikini and NOW

NOW: Except for the occasional ad here and there, Angelina’s days as a model are done. Instead, she’s all booked up acting in movies like Maleficent, directing films, globetrotting as a Goodwill Ambassador for the UNHCR and playing devoted parent to the kids she’s raising with partner Brad Pitt.

Selita Ebanks in SaSS Swimwear

THEN: Former Victoria’s Secret model Selita Ebanks unchained her designer side in the spring of 2012 when she showed off this barely there top from her newly launched line, SaSS by Selita Ebanks. “I really wanted to make sure that every woman that puts it on feels like a woman,” The Cayman catwalker says of SaSS.

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Selita Ebanks in SaSS Swimwear and NOW

NOW: Selita is slowly moving away from modeling to concentrate on fashion behind the scenes. In fact, instead of showing off other designers’ clothes, she’s often spotted watching what’s coming down the runway from a front row seat at fashion week. So what’s her fashion philosophy? “Less is more,” she insists.

Naomi Campbell in a Bikini

THEN: Ever since Naomi Campbell was scouted at the age of 15, she’s been working it on runways around the world. While Naomi is just as famous for her diva moments as much as her hot body, she’s had no trouble maintaining her supermodel status.

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Naomi Campbell in a Bikini and NOW

NOW: The Brit model has launched her answer to Tyra Banks’ “America’s Next Top Model” with her own show on Oxygen called “The Face”. “It's me getting to share 26 years of what I have been blessed to learn and know and find out about and achieve, with girls who want to be in our business," says Naomi.

Martha Stewart in a One-Piece Swimsuit

THEN: Prior to Martha Stewart’s ascent to domestic diva status she supported herself as a model. While Martha would probably pull out her catchphrase – “It’s a good thing” – to describe how she rocked this modest one-piece for a shoot decades ago, she’s probably happier perfecting popovers instead of poses.

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Martha Stewart in a One-Piece Swimsuit and NOW

NOW: Martha, who started a catering business in her basement in the mid-1970s, continues to be very involved with her multimedia and merchandising empire. “All the things I love is what my business is all about,” she says.

The Kardashian Sisters in Ashley Paige Swimwear

THEN: Kourtney, Kim and Khloe Kardshian got comfortable on camera long before they became breakout reality stars. “I love trying out fun new looks!” Khloe once gushed when recalling one of the first photo shoots she did with her three sisters for swimwear designer Ashley Paige back in 2003.

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The Kardashian Sisters in Ashley Paige Swimwear and NOW

NOW: The business-savvy sisters recently joined forces with designer Bruno Schiavi and dove into launching the Kardashian Kollection, their clothing line for Sears, which includes sexy swimwear.

Geri Halliwell in NEXT Swimwear

THEN: Spice Girl Geri Halliwell knew exactly how to get fans to pay attention to her newly launched swimwear collection NEXT in 2011. “It will make your boobs look perky and your bum look smaller,” she promised.

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Geri Halliwell in NEXT Swimwear and NOW

NOW: Geri, aka Ginger Spice, reunited with her fellow Spice Girls to perform at the 2012 London Olympics closing ceremony. “Music and fashion always collide and both are driving me,” says Halliwell of her career motivations.

Christina Milian in Havana Nights Swimwear

THEN: Cuban-American singer-actress Christina Milian added model to her resume when she showed off her bikini body in this promotion for her line of swimwear, Havana Nights. “I have always been a multi-tasker, when it comes to my career,” she says. “We find a way for me to be able do everything I love and pursue all my dreams at the same time.”

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Christina Milian in Havana Nights Swimwear and NOW

NOW: When the Cuban-American actress isn’t busy strutting herself for Havana Nights, she takes on the occasional movie or TV project. But her most important role? Playing mother to Violet, who she had in 2010 with her now ex-husband The-Dream.