Edie Campbell British model Date of Birth: 25.09.1990 Country: Great Britain

1. Early Life and Education
2. Modeling Career
3. Activism and Advocacy
4. Milan Fashion Week Incident
5. Equestrianism and Charity

Early Life and Education

Edith Blanche "Edie" Campbell was born on September 25, 1990, in the London borough of Westminster and grew up in the Westbourne Grove neighborhood. Her father, Roddy Campbell, is a hedge fund manager, and her mother, Sophie Hicks, is an architect. Edie's younger sister, Olympia Campbell, is a model and feminist activist.

After attending the independent St. Paul's School in London, Edie earned a first-class honors degree in history of art from the Courtauld Institute of Art at the University of London.

Modeling Career

Edie Campbell's modeling career began when she appeared in an issue of Vogue featuring up-and-coming Londoners, photographed by Mario Testino. Testino continued to collaborate with Edie, casting her alongside Kate Moss in a Burberry advertising campaign.

Currently represented by Viva Model Management, Edie has featured in campaigns for Louis Vuitton, Jil Sander, Cacharel, Christian Dior, Marc Jacobs, Hugo Boss, Karl Lagerfeld, and more. She has also walked in runway shows for Hermès, Calvin Klein, Balenciaga, Thakoon, Cacharel, and Yves Saint Laurent, and has graced the pages of Numéro, Love Magazine, British Vogue, Italian Vogue, W, and American Vogue.

A favorite of the late Karl Lagerfeld, Campbell had the unique honor of closing the Chanel Spring/Summer 2012 Haute Couture show as a bride. The Fall/Winter 2013 season saw her open Marc Jacobs, Jil Sander, and Louis Vuitton, while also opening and closing Burberry. In October 2013, Edie opened Marc Jacobs' final show for the French fashion house Louis Vuitton. That same year, she graced the covers of British Vogue and Vogue Italia, later returning as a cover star for Vogue Italia alongside Karen Elson. Edie featured on four different covers of Self Service in February 2014 for the magazine's 20th anniversary issue, and in the spring of 2014, she appeared on the covers of i-D and Vogue Japan.

The Brit was named "Model of the Year" at the British Fashion Awards in London in December 2013. She received the award from acclaimed fashion photographer Tim Walker, with whom she has frequently collaborated. In 2013, Edie made her journalism debut, penning an article for Harpers Bazaar. She took on the role of contributing editor for an issue of Love magazine in 2014. The model made her second appearance on the cover of British Vogue in a pink ensemble for its inaugural spring 2016 issue.

Activism and Advocacy

Campbell penned an open letter to the fashion industry that was published in Women's Wear Daily in November 2017. She wrote about the unfair and abusive treatment of models, calling on the industry to end systemic abuse and neglect.

"We have a problem," the letter reads in part. "We are operating within a culture that not only condones but celebrates humiliation in all its forms. There is the ritual humiliation of models, the belittling of assistants, the wielding of power, the screaming. We have come to believe that this is simply part of the job."

"Of course, not all of us are active participants in upholding this system, but by turning a blind eye time and time again, we are allowing it to continue by our silence. Our inaction makes us complicit."

Campbell focused particular attention on the issue of male models. She noted that sexual abuse of male models is almost never reported in the media, while many men are bravely sharing their stories on Instagram.

The model credited fellow model Cameron Russell with starting "#MyJobShouldNotIncludeAbuse," a campaign to "raise awareness for the prevalence of abuse of models by photographers and industry professionals."

"Abuse of young men is a complicated issue," writes Campbell. "I suspect it is even harder to speak out for victims because there is still no clear path to making a claim. And right now, the spotlight is rightly on young women."

"Perhaps there is more shame attached to it for men because of the mockery and social isolation they might face. Male models who are abused might be seen as unmanly, and there is the thorny issue of homophobia."

Campbell suggested that the prevalence of abuse in the modeling industry is likely similar among men and women. However, she emphasized that she had no firsthand experience of abuse, having encountered only "funny, talented, wonderful, and cultured people" during her years of modeling.

In January 2018, Edie participated in a series of Q&A sessions hosted by Love magazine at Dover Street Market, continuing the conversation about abuse in the fashion business.

Recognized as "one of fashion's icons" by models.com, Edie continues to work with top brands and publications.

Milan Fashion Week Incident

Edie attended the Milan Fashion Week show for Italian fashion house Fendi on February 21, 2019. Afterward, she posted a photo of herself having breakfast with artist Christabel McGreevy in a hotel room.

The model's caption read, "When a brand says you're too big to open the show but you turn up the next day for breakfast and eat all the pastries." Edie later clarified that she meant "big" in the sense of "fat," not "fabulous."

Equestrianism and Charity

Campbell is an accomplished equestrian and has been riding horses since the age of five. She has competed in races at the Glorious Goodwood racecourse, winning the inaugural running of the Magnolia Cup charity race in 2011. She repeated her victory in 2014 in the See the Storm race. In December 2013, Campbell competed in the prestigious Gucci Masters equestrian event.

Campbell is an ambassador for The Reading Agency, a charity that uses "the power of reading" to address issues such as illiteracy, loneliness, and poverty.