Daria

1983 Daria Werbowy was born in Ukraine on November 19 1983 to a Ukranian engineer father and a mother who was a teacher. At three years of age she relocated to Mississauga, Ontario with her family, sister Oksana and brother Orest. She spent an active childhood and in the October 2008 issue of Annabelle she was quoted as saying “ I play basketball, rugby, beach volleyball and ice hockey. As soon as there was snow I went snowboarding, but most of the time I was sailing.”

1998 At age 14, Daria was a gigantic 5′11″, slim with narrow hips and sporting braces. She had never seriously considered modeling, but entered in a modeling competition where she won. She found herself launched into the business after being discovered by a schoolmate’s mother who headed Toronto’s Susan J. Model & Talent Management. After a year working with Susan J. however, Daria thought she could be doing more with another agency.

2001 After switching over to Elite Models, Daria began landing several prominent bookings in Canada, but still wasn’t meeting with much international success. She traveled throughout Milan and Paris visiting designer after designer, but met no success. In a Vogue Paris February 2004 interview she was quoted as saying “ … It was hard. People would tell me I would never be a model or walk on the runway, despite my best efforts.” Her efforts were also deterred by the September 11^th 2001 bombings, in her first runway season.

2002 Daria returned to Canada, where she caught up on much needed rest, and abandoned her modeling efforts for a while.

2003 Daria was quoted as saying “In 2003, I changed; I was stronger and I was more sure of myself. I wanted to work again, above all to finance my art studies. I called IMG and returned to New York. Three days later, I did Marc Jacobs' fashion show and a week later I worked for Steven Meisel for Prada.” With her new outlook on life, Daria decided to give modeling another shot and snagged a spot in the fall 2003 Marc Jacobs fashion show. She quickly nabbed her first of many Prada campaigns (Fall 2003) and a close relation to Steven Meisel catapulted her career.

2003 was the beginning of something big, as Daria appeared on five Vogue Italia covers, and later on V 24. She opens the spring Jil Sander, Prada, Alessandro Dell’acqua, Nina Ricci, and Chloé shows in Milan and Paris and closes Marni in Milan. 2003 also marked her first Vogue US editorial appearance in the November issue (at left) along with Eugenia Volodina. Editors and designers began to take notice ...

2004 It was the year of Daria as she renewed her contract with Prada and replaced Hana Soukapova in the Spring 2004 Gucci campaign. She established a now infamous relationship with photographers Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin when she was captured for an appearance in the February 2004 issue of French Vogue. She appears on the cover of Italian Vogue, photographed by Steven Meisel for the fifth and last time. Appears in Vogue editorial with Jake Gyllenhaal, and British Vogue editorial, photographed by Corrine Day in the May 2004 issue of Vogue US and goes on to star in 24 editorials in the fashion bible. She also steals the cover of Vogue US September 2004, along with Natalia Vodianova, Gisele Bundchen, Isabeli Fontana, Karolina Kurkova, Liya Kebede, Hana Soukupova, Gemma Ward and Karen Elson.

2005 This year cements Daria as one of the top earning models in the world as she becomes the face of Missoni and Chanel and signs a contract with David Yurman which would go on to last for four years. She appears on the cover of British Vogue, photographed by Nick Knight as well as the March issue of Vogue Paris. She also graces V and Numero later in the year. 2005 marks one of Daria's most lucrative contracts yet - she signs on as a Lancome spokesperson (the holy grail of modeling) and becomes the face of perfume Lancome Hypnose, one of many perfume and makeup campaigns to come. 

TO BE CONTINUED >>>

a small collection of rare candids - I'll keep updating this as I find them :)
FUN FACTS
- Daria has a brother, Orest Werbowy, who was featured along with her in the Vogue US ed "Ticket to Paradise"
- Daria's last name is pronounced Wer-bo-ee, like David Bowie
- Daria's thread on tFS is the fourth most viewed
- During her infamous Helmut Newton shoot with the grass and the bed of nails, Daria had the flu so Helmut ketp a ten-foot distance from her!
- Her favourite past time is sailing
- Her last name means Willow in Ukranian
- Most embarrasing runway moment? Walking into the wall during a Burberry show, and almost passing out backstage!
- She has a winding tattoo of waves on her foot (a symbol of her love for sailing), and another one on her neck
- She has been romantically linked to Josh Hartnett
- She took off the summer of 2009 to sail around the world with her family (and she broke her foot along the way)!
- She is the second model, after Linda Evangelista to be inducted into the Canadian Hall of Fame!

RARE CANDIDS