Elle Macpherson ends partnership with Benson, Heidi Klum to replace her

NEW YORK, Oct. 17 (UPI) -- Elle Macpherson is ending her partnership with Benson, the company with whom she created the lingerie line Elle Mcpherson Intimates in 1990, as she wishes to shift the brand's focus to an U.S. market.

"I am very proud of the 'Elle Macpherson Intimates,' 'THE BODY' and 'Macpherson Men,' brands which I created and nurtured for the past 25 years and thank the Bendon Group, who has been supportive to the success of my brands," the 50-year-old model said in a statement. "I am relocating to the U.S. with my family and I'm excited about energizing the further growth of the brands in the U.S. market."

Created in Australia, Elle Mcpherson Intimates is sold in over 150 U.S. retailers including JC Penney, Bloomingdales, Nordstrom, Shopbop, Journelle and Anthology. Internationally the products are sold by Selfridges, Lane Crawford, Myer, David Jones and Galeries Lafayette.

In addition to shifting her market focus to the U.S., Macpherson plans to expand her line "into both activewear and swimwear" as the company focuses in "building out our global distribution with new partners to meet the wider needs of women and men of all ages and shapes."

German supermodel Heidi Klum was approached by Benson to replace Macpherson and join the lingerie giant for a new brand of intimates. While addressing the alleged rivalry between the two models, Klum said she hopes people respond well to her partnership with the company.

"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," she said about replacing McPherson. "It wasn't me knocking at the door saying I want to take over. It was offered to me."

"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," she added.