Most people know Chanel Iman as a top model, strutting down the runway for the likes of Versace and Dior, her face on the cover of Vogue and in advertisements for Victoria’s Secret, and more. To live that life, she traveled the world nonstop for years. Nowadays, she’s glad to be at home.
“Deep down, I’m a homebody,” she reveals to ESSENCE. It’s what inspired her to create her very first business, Chasa, a home collection. The name is a fusion of her nickname, “Cha Cha,” and “casa,” of course, which means “home” in Latin.
“I think when I purchased my very first home, I just loved the process of putting it together and finding things that made a house feel like a home for my family,” she says. “And I think that with me being in fashion, I just felt like this was a perfect thing to do. For my new chapter that I’m in now, I’m designing home good items to bring warmth into your home, and I just can’t wait for the world to see what I’ve been working on.”
Iman knows plenty about bringing warmth into a home. She is a wife to New England Patriots star Davon Godchaux and the mother of four, to three daughters and a son of Godchaux’s from a previous relationship. The couple has multiple residences, including one in Massachusetts, where the NFL star plays, and two other dwellings in the South.
“I love spending quality time with my family. The home space, that’s what I do for my family. I create a nice warm environment for us to make lots of memories together. And I’m really good at that,” she says. “I also felt like because I’ve been on the road for so long as a successful model, I’ve always had to create a home no matter where I was.”
When Iman was planning out her collection, her experiences, or better yet, her beginnings, informed the items she chose to release first: A mug, a blanket, and candles.
“When I first came to New York, I didn’t have very much. I had just a suitcase and a blanket, and that blanket gave me security. I kind of took that blanket everywhere with me. No matter where I was traveling, I was always on the road. That inspired me to create my first Chasa blanket,” she recalls. As for her mug, it is inspired by memories made with her best friend, whom she lived with for more than a decade.
“We’ve been through a lot together. We would give each other affirmations all the time and try to figure out ways to spread love and light into the universe. And so I thought it would be a good idea to put a few of those affirmations on my mugs in my first collection because these are the type of affirmations that got me through,” Iman shares.
As for the candles, who doesn’t love a good musk in their space to create serene vibes? “Candles were my very first purchase when I was able to afford my own apartment,” she says. “And a candle is something very light and easy for you to travel with, no matter where you are, just to fill up the home with a nice aroma.”
Something else that fills up her house is laughter. As mentioned, in addition to being a model and a businesswoman, she’s a mother and wife, and her hands are full. During our conversation, her youngest daughter, Capri, was her sidekick, gripping a Danimals and catching up on her shows. Iman credits her family, specifically her man, for helping her manage it all.
“My husband is my number one supporter when it comes to this business. He gave me the courage to do it. I’ve been talking about it since I met him. He was just like, ‘Whatever you need,’” she says. “I needed a male model. He volunteered his time to shoot with me in our first campaign.”
As for the rest of her tribe, she credits her mom, sister, and aunt for their support. The latter, she says, just watched her girls for a few days while she flew down for a brief trip to Miami with friends.
“I try to find time or make time for myself, but for the most part, I’m 24/7 with it,” she declares. “I’m a supermom, working hard on building my brand, balancing my fashion career and yeah, just kind of just do it all.”
“If I don’t have a babysitter or I can’t leave the home, I find a way,” Iman adds. “My kids know if I’m taking a bath, that’s me time. When I run my bath, I light my candles, put a little bit of music on, and relax. So yeah, that’s definitely my version of me time.”
But for the record, she enjoys spending as much time as possible with her kiddos. That includes doing everyday things like getting tickets for Disney on Ice during this time of the year and cozying up together by the fireplace (because they made sure to have a fireplace in each of their homes) to watch movies and cuddle up in Chasa blankets, to taking them on lavish getaways to Antigua and Barbuda.
“I really enjoy traveling with my kids. I mean, it is a lot, just going through TSA and getting on a plane. But I think it’s all worth it because I take lots of videos and photos on my trips with my kids, and these are moments we can share and we have forever,” she says. “I want my kids to be cultured. I want them to travel and just experience and see the world the way that I’ve seen it. So I try to do what I can to plan incredible trips for them and enjoy myself.”
It’s been a busy year for Iman, whose brand is being unveiled the week of her 34th birthday, and 2025 promises to be even more packed. There will be travels, more designing of her homes, and an expansion of Chasa into children’s and babies’ collections, too. As far as her modeling career goes, the beauty, who got her start working at 12, is taking some time deserved time to focus on the other things that she’s grown to be passionate about — her business and her babies. And she’s feeling good about doing so.
“Modeling will always be a part of my story, but right now, my focus is Chasa,” Iman says. “So I’m really focused on being a great mother to my children, building the trust with my customers, and building my brand, Chasa.”
Chasa is now available to follow at @chasaofficial and to shop at Chasa.com.