Tyra Banks, one of the most recognizable supermodels in fashion history, has built an empire extending far beyond the runway. From hosting America’s Next Top Model to teaching at Harvard Business School, Banks has pursued multiple ventures.
Her latest endeavor, however, landed her in unexpected regulatory territory when Australian food authorities forced her to rebrand her signature product: hot ice cream.
Banks recently launched Smize & Dream, an ice cream concept in Sydney, Australia, after closing a Washington, D.C. location that became the center of a $2.8 million lawsuit. The landlord alleged Banks and her business partner Louis Martin abandoned the Eastern Market property without paying rent. Banks’s legal team dismissed the lawsuit as an opportunistic extortion attempt. Despite the controversy, she moved forward with her Australian expansion.
The Sydney launch generated significant attention for Hot Mama, a drinkable warm dessert Banks marketed as hot ice cream. She claims that as a child, ice cream dates with her mother provided cherished quality time while her mother worked multiple jobs to support the family. These memories allegedly inspired Banks to relocate to Australia specifically for the superior milk quality, which she believes produces better ice cream products.
However, an ABC News investigation revealed a fundamental problem with Banks’s viral product. Australian law defines ice cream as a frozen dairy product meeting specific fat and solids content requirements. Hot Mama, being warm and drinkable, failed to meet this legal definition.
Following a consumer complaint, the NSW Food Authority inspected the Smize & Dream shop and discovered in-store labeling and ordering systems that referenced ice cream despite the product not being frozen.
Regulators issued a warning to the business, prompting immediate changes. Banks rebranded the product as Hot Smize Cream and removed ice cream references from packaging and online materials. The company committed to clearer labeling practices moving forward.
Legal experts noted that while the product posed no obvious safety risk, viral novelty foods can blur consumer-relied definitions, particularly concerning allergy awareness and nutritional information.
This rebrand represents another chapter in Banks’s extensive business portfolio, which has included ventures ranging from a cosmetics line accused of operating as a multi-level marketing scheme to an attempted theme park called Model Land. Banks renamed her production company Smize Productions, incorporating her famous term for smiling with your eyes, and has systematically rebranded multiple business ventures under the Smize umbrella.
Banks has increased her public presence following the Netflix release of a documentary examining America’s Next Top Model. Former contestants have spoken extensively about their experiences on the show, and Banks has faced renewed scrutiny over her behavior both on camera and behind the scenes during the program’s 15-year run.
Despite regulatory setbacks, Banks continues operating Smize & Dream in Sydney with the renamed product. Her publicity campaign has included numerous appearances on Australian radio and television programs, as well as active social media promotion.
