Gemma Ward
An Australian supermodel, Gemma Ward was born on November 3, 1987 in Perth, Western Australia. Her birth name is Gemma Louise Ward and she is a second child of Gary and Claire Ward. In her family, besides her parents, she has an older sister Sophie Ward who is also a model and has younger twin brothers Oscar and Henry. She is 5 feet 9.5 inches tall with brown hair and green eyes. She completed her studies from Presbyterian Ladies College, Perth and Shenton College. Starting her career at a very young age of sixteen, Ward has walked the catwalks for big-name designers such as Valentino, Gucci, Alexander McQueen, Versace and Chanel. She was the youngest model in the modeling world, and was listed as one of the nine “It Girls” by American edition Vogue. In September 2004, she graced the cover of American Vogue becoming the youngest model doing so, and also featured on the cover of Teen Vogue magazine. Recalling her first break into modeling she said in an interview with Vogue, “I had come straight from my aunt and uncle’s farm, and I was wearing this big gray barn jacket with mud all over it. When the scout came up to me, I said, ‘No thank you’. But my friends were like, ‘Hell, yes!’ They forged my mum’s signature, and pushed me in front of the cameras”. She didn’t win the competition but Vivien’s Model Agency gave her a break. Ward has since been in huge demand working with big name brands such as Calvin Klein, Balenciaga, Louis Vuitton, Dolce & Gabbana, Burberry, Swarovski, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Prada, Jil Sander, Rochas, Yves Saint-Laurent, Hermes, Karl Lagerfeld, Christian Dior and Valentino. After Kate Moss, she has been the first model to be the face of Calvin Klein’s perfume “Obsession Night for Men” with model Drew Keilt. In summer 2007, Ward modeled for Prada handbag advertisement and appeared on magazine covers such as W, Vogue and Time Magazine’s Style and Design issue. One of the British Photographers Nick Knight said of Ward, “Gemma is one of the very, very few models who look as though they come from another dimension”. Inspired by her baby doll look, one of the fashion designers Lazaro Hernandez of Proenza Schouler said in his interview with Teen Vogue “She looked like no one else at the time. She was this alien, and fashion is always looking for newness”. Allure magazine in its 2006 October edition has described Gemma as “the model of the moment”. “We went through a period that was very va-va-voom, but now the pendulum has swung back. Gemma is ethereal, not earthy” says Allure’s creative director Paul Cavaco. Though Gemma has been best known for her modeling career, yet she also has passion for drama and acting. She has worked in a suspense thriller ‘The Strangers’ opposite Liv Tyler, as one of the three masked intruders. Her upcoming movie is Elissa Down’s ‘The Black Balloon’ with co-star Toni Collette and Rhys Wakefield. Other than movies, she has also performed in a music video “Daughters” by John Mayer. Gemma is among the world’s top earning models and is listed at number ten. Her earning is estimated to be $3 million. The first issue of Vogue India was graced by Ward, photographed by Patrick Demarchelier, a well-known photographer. She also graced the cover and appeared on an inaugural issue of Vogue China in 2005. Altogether, Gemma has featured on 24 issues of Vogue magazine worldwide. According to Photographer Michael Thompson, “She’s an exotic blonde, the rarest of creatures”.