Erin O'Connor Biography

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Erin O'Connor (born 9 February 1978) is an English model.

Early life

O'Connor was born and brought up in the Brownhills, West Midlands, where she attended Brownhills Community School. She was raised Catholic and her father is Northern Irish, from Ballycastle, County Antrim. On a school trip to the Birmingham Clothes Show, she was spotted by a talent scout.

Modelling career

Her first published pictures were by Juergen Teller for issue 159. The Undressed Issue issue of i-D in December 1996. She has modelled on the catwalk for John Galliano, Christian Dior, Donna Karan, Prada, Versace, Miu Miu, Jasper Conran, Giorgio Armani, Julien Macdonald, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Chado Ralph Rucci, Badgley Mischka, and Dolce & Gabbana. She has worked with many leading fashion photographers including Patrick Demarchelier, Steven Meisel, Steven Klein, Nick Knight, Mario Testino, David Sims, Bryan Adams, Nadav Kander and featured in magazines including Vogue, W, Elle, Harper's Bazaar, Harpers & Queen, i-D, and Visionaire. She was on the January cover of British Vogue. Since 2005 she has been one of the faces of the British high-street chain Marks and Spencer and in 2008 she launched the haircare line model.me for Toni & Guy, alongside Jamelia and Helena Christensen which has been already ceased.

Karl Lagerfeld has described her as "one of the best models in the world."

She is signed to Tess Management in London.

Television and radio

In 2001 she appeared as herself in the "Paris" episode of Absolutely Fabulous. In March 2003, O'Connor was featured in a three-part Channel 4 documentary This Model Life. O'Connor wrote and presented two documentaries on fashion, Erin's Model World and In Search of Beauty, for BBC Radio 4. In April 2009, she appeared as a mentor and judge on the Irish reality TV series The Model Agent for RT Two. In the autumn of 2013, Erin O'Connor made her television debut, starring on 'The Face' on Sky Living HD alongside fellow supermodel Naomi Campbell and Caroline Winberg. The hugely successful series followed the three supermodel mentors, as they competed with each other to find 'the face' of Max Factor beauty. Erin subsequently appeared on the cover of YOU Magazine and The Independent on Saturday magazine.

Journalism

She writes a column for London Fashion Week paper The Daily Rubbish, contributes a regular blog to the British Vogue online and has written for The Sunday Times and the Daily Mail.

All Walks Beyond The Catwalk

In 2009, O'Connor co-founded All Walks Beyond the Catwalk alongside Caryn Franklin and Debra Bourne. An award winninginitiative, All Walks set out to challenge the fashion industry"?s dependence on unachievable and limited body and beauty ideals. For the launch campaign Erin swapped roles and stood behind the camera for the first time to photograph models holding the slogan 'Size Me Up'. She was recently recognised in the Houses of Parliament by Lib Dem Minister Jo Swinson for her dedication to models working within the industry.

Erin was a spokesperson for the fair trade charity Traid. Erin was an ambassador for the RED initiative. In 2011, Erin became an Ambassador for 'Save the Children'. Erin travelled to Delhi and Jaipur as part of the 'No Child Born to Die' campaign. The trip was documented by The Independent magazine newspaper to highlight the need for resources in clinics and schools.

Other ventures

O'Connor launched her own line of fairtrade and eco friendly cotton T-shirts and bags with stylist Kate Halfpenny, She Died of Beauty, featuring quirky slogans such as 'She died of Beauty'.