Ambrosio, Alessandra Ambrosio

Ambrosio, Alessandra

Alessandra Ambrosio (Erechim, April 11, 1981) is a Brazilian supermodel, famous for being one of the testimonials of Victoria’s Secret from 2004 to 2017.

Brown hair, hazel eyes, deep, doe-like, contagious smile and magnetic gaze. This is Alessandra Ambrosio, a lucky mix of ethnicities, which made her one of the most popular supermodels on the scene.

Index

  1. Biography
  2. The beginnings
  3. The years 2000
  4. Ale by Alessandra
  5. 2014-today
  6. Victoria’s Secret
  7. Fantasy Bra

NEW YORK NY JUNE 04 Alessandra Ambrosio arrives to the 2018 CFDA Fashion Awards at Brooklyn Museum on June 4 2018 in ...

Biography

Brazilian by birth, Alessandra Ambrosio was born on 11 April 1981 under the sign of Aries, in a town in the Rio Grande do Sul region. Her father has Italian origin, from Padua, while her mother has Polish origin.

At the tender age of 11, in 1992, Ambrosio underwent cosmetic surgery to correct her protruding ears that created her complex and psychological discomfort.

The beginnings

After the surgery, the young Alessandra regains confidence in herself and in 1996 she begins to take her first steps in the world of fashion. She enrolls at the Elite Model Brasil-Look of the Year competition. She does not get the victory, but in return the Elite fashion agency puts her under contract.

Her first job was the shooting for the cover of the Brazilian version of Marie Claire .

alessandra ambrosioMarie Claire, 1999

 

This is where the roundup of his successes begins: she becomes a testimonial for  Guess? and RoccoBarocco . Subsequently, she is also the witness of Revlon .

Her debut on the international catwalk took place in 2002. The catwalks she walked on, are numerous since the beginning. Notably, Laura Biagiotti , Nicole Miller , Byblos , Oscar de la Renta , Christian Lacroix , Issey Miyake , Fendi , Christian Dior , Chanel , Ralph Lauren .

 

alessandra ambrosioChanel Spring-Summer 2000
alessandra ambrosioFendi Spring-Summer, 2000

In this period, his shooting portfolio also began to grow: he posed for the covers of Elle , Wallpaper and Harper’s Bazaar . In 2003 she was chosen as one of the protagonists of the Pirelli Calendar and she was photographed by Bruce Weber .

alessandra ambrosioPirelli calendar 2003

In addition, it has signed various contracts for cosmetic campaigns such as the aforementioned Revlon, but also GapCalvin Klein and Giorgio Armani .

The years 2000

In 2003, FHM magazine ranked her 83rd among the 100 sexiest women in the world, while the AskMen.com website ranked her 6th out of 99 women in 2007 and 2nd in 2008.

The following year, Forbes named her the 5th highest paid model in the world. This will happen again in 2010. Subsequently, in 2012, she will be 6th and 5th again in 2016.

Meanwhile, Ambrosio continues her brilliant career and in 2010 becomes a testimonial for Moschino for the Autumn-Winter campaign.

Forbes reconfirms her 5th in the ranking of the highest paid supermodels, thanks to her earnings of 5 million dollars.

In 2011 she appears in the Dolce & Gabbana advertising campaign , inspired by the Sicilian female tradition, together with Izabel Goulart, Isabeli Fontana and Maryna Linchuk.

Supermodel Alessandra Ambrosio in Dolce & Gabbana Spring 2011 Campaign

The Brazilian clothing brand Colcci chooses Ambrosio as the protagonist of its advertising campaign for Autumn-Winter 2011-2012, together with actor Ashton Kutcher.

Image may contain Human Person Clothing Apparel Female Sleeve Woman and Pants

In 2012 she particapates in the closing ceremony of the Games of the XXX Olympiad in London, in the segment dedicated to Brazil.

The London Fog brand chooses Ambrosio and her daughter Anja as sponsor of the brand.

In 2013 she becomes the testimonial of Rimowa , a luggage brand, while the following year she is chosen as testimonial for Pinko ‘s Spring-Summer campaign, as well as, again, as the protagonist of the Pirelli Calendar.

alessandra ambrosioPinko Spring-Summer 2014 campaign
alessandra ambrosioPirelli Calendar 2014

Ale by Alessandra

The Brazilian supermodel is not limited only to her career as a model, but she is also characterized by a creative streak.
In fact, in 2014, she also begin to try her hand as a designer and she inaugurates her own brand: “ Ale by Alessandra ”.

She launches the first capsule collection in collaboration with Cherokee, inspired by the angel mood of Victoria’s Secret. The style of the brand is bohemian-chic, suitable for a young target, also given the vivacity of the colors and the wide range of shades.

2014-today

In 2014, she is named again by  Forbes as the 5th highest paid model. In December she is the covergirl of the US edition of the period for men, Maxim . The following year she appears on the cover of GQ in the company of the footballer Cristiano Ronaldo. For the Spring-Summer 2016 collection, Cesare Paciotti chooses her as testimonial of the brand, while in the month of July she is among the protagonists of the music video of MILF $ by pop singer Fergie.

That summer, NBC chooses Ambrosio and her colleague Adriana Lima as hosts the Best of Rio de Janeiro format , to tell the public about the Olympics, as well as to talk about food, culture and fashion.

In October 2019 she is on the cover of GQ Middle East magazine, together with the footballer Mohamed Salah.

Victoria’S Secret

Alessandra’s first Victoria’s Secret fashion show takes place in 2000. Four years later she becomes one of the Angels of the American lingerie brand and she is selected to be the first spokesmodel of the Pink line, a role she hold until 2006.

Also in 2004, together with colleagues Tyra Banks, Heidi Klum , Gisele Bündchen and Adriana Lima , she takes part in the  Angels Across America tour .

In 2005 she walks the runway with a lingerie made entirely of candies.

Alessandra Ambrosio and the look made with candies on the occasion of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.

Two years later, Alessandra and her colleagues receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles.

In 2008, she walks the catwalk while pregnant with her first daughter and the following year she opens the brand’s show, an experience that is repeated again in 2009.

In November 2011, Australian designer Manik Mecian creates a pair of wings for the show, made up of 105,000 Swarovski crystals set on a 24-karat gold-plated frame. The wings are worn by Alessandra.

Fantasy Bra

Alessandra has the opportunity to wear the famous Victoria’s Secret bras, made entirely of precious stones, twice.

– In 2012 she wears the Floral Fantasy Bra , embroidered and made up of 5200 gems, including amethysts, sapphires, rubies and diamonds. The bra is in 18-karat yellow and rose gold and has a 20-karat diamond in the center. Its value amounts to 2.5 million dollars.

-The experience is repeated in 2014, when Victoria’s Secret creates a collection with two Fantasy Bra, in two color variations: one red, made entirely with rubies and worn by Ambrosio, and the other blue, made with sapphires, worn , on the other hand, by my colleague Adriana Lima. Both bras are created by jeweler Pascal Mouawad and are worth $ 2 million each.

Two years later she participates in the commercial created for the Superbowl, in which she and the other models wear football uniforms and is set on a football field.

In November 2017 he announces her farewell to the fashion house after 17 years of collaboration.

To date, she is still one of the most popular models ever and, even if no longer on the catwalk, we see her parading in all her beauty at events such as the Met Gala  or the Cannes festival.

alessandra ambrosioAlessandra Ambrosio at the Cannes Film Festival 2022

You may also like: 

Lima, Adriana

Klum, Heidi

Hosk, Elsa

SHAYK, IRINA

 

To read the item in Italian click here.