Abbey Lee
Encyclopedia
Abbey Lee Kershaw also known as Abbey Lee, is an Australian fashion model
. Following several years of success leading up to the 2011 fashion seasons, V
magazine dubbed Kershaw a supermodel
.
and had to have two spinal taps
. She also had a tumor
on the knee, and several broken bones from climbing trees. She "grew up with 42 nationalities" explaining in an interview that her primary school of 150 children was very multicultural. She later went on to win the Australian 2004 Girlfriend Model Search. After high school, in 2005, she moved from Melbourne to Sydney
to begin modeling. She lived 100 meters from the beach
and it was while at the beach where she got scouted by Chic Management's Kathy Ward, the model scout that also discovered Miranda Kerr
and Samantha Harris
. She signed with Chic Management within weeks.
Kershaw made her debut in the 2008 New York Fashion Week
, managing to walk a total of 29 shows for designers such as Oscar de la Renta
, Halston
, and notably closing for Rodarte
. For her first time in Milan Fashion Week
, she was booked as a Gucci
exclusive. Later that year, in September, she fell in her high heels at the Rodarte
show in New York
. Then, a month later in Paris
, she fainted at the Alexander McQueen
show due to a super-tight leather corset. Regardless of these two incidents, it did not affect her from booking more runways shows. Kershaw was one of new faces to appear on one of the fourteen covers of V magazine's
fall issue. On 15 November 2008, in Miami, she made her international TV appearance at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, modeling in the Pink Planet segment.
Kershaw has starred in the fragrance ads for Gucci
's new "Flora" scent since 2008.
In November 2009, Fashion TV placed her first in their First Face Countdown for Spring/Summer 2010. Kershaw had to sit out the fall 2009 shows due to a knee injury: she had torn ligaments and could barely walk. Kershaw was featured in the explicit shoot for the French magazine Purple Fashion published fall/winter 2009. The infamous spread, shot by photographer Terry Richardson
, caused outrage in the blogosphere
, where Richardson was accused of cajoling the girls for his own sexual satisfaction. In his defense, Kershaw said, “Terry doesn’t force girls to do anything they don’t want to. He puts you in a G-string
in a pile of mud because you want to do it. You touch yourself because you want to. For me, that shoot was the truth about how things were between us both, and I felt good doing it. I’m not ashamed of it — why should I be?” After skipping the fall 2009 season owing to a knee injury, Kershaw reappeared in Milan Fashion Week
, opening D&G to having the first and last looks at Fendi
and Versace
, prompting New York Magazine to name her "Milan’s Top Model". On 1 December 2009, for the second time, she participated in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, but this time she had three outfits, modeling in the "Star Trooper," "Pink Planet", and in the "Enchanted Forest" segment.
photographed by Terry Richardson, and the 2011 Pirelli Calendar
photographed by Karl Lagerfeld
. In March 2010, it is announced that she will be the face of Chanel's Fall/Winter 2010/2011 ready-to-wear ad campaign. This news comes after she closed the Chanel Spring 2010 couture show, and opened the Chanel Fall/Winter 2010/2011 ready-to-wear show. In November, for the fourth time, she became the cover model of Australian Vogue (her previous covers of the same publication were in March 2010, March 2009, and September 2008).
She took her own self-portrait for the new Rag & Bone
Do-It-Yourself ad campaign spring 2011 along with models Sasha Pivovarova
, Edita Vilkeviciute
, and Lily Aldridge
. She earned $100,000 as an exclusive for Chanel
, walking for their spring-summer collection in Paris
. She skipped New York Fashion Week
for London
. V
Magazine's "The Discovery Issue" crowned Abbey Lee Kershaw as the new Supermodel
. The magazine called Kershaw "the biggest fashion export from Down Under since Elle Macpherson
joined the ranks of Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer, Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington."
she ranks fifth on the Top 50 Models Women list by models.com, and is ranked 21st on the "Top Money Girls" list by models.com.
Kershaw has been on the May 2011 cover of Numero, photographed by Tom Munro.
. She is friends with models Daisy Lowe
, Freja Beha Erichsen
, Rebecca Seidel and Catherine McNeil
. She has a pet lizard
named Annie Hall. Kershaw has 10 piercings in total: on her nose (her left nostril), on the nipple, a pierced belly button, and seven on her ears. She also has various tattoos, including; a small peace sign on the palm of her hand, an owl on her middle finger, the symbol for Gemini on her ankle, and a tattoo reading "truth", hidden on the inside of her bottom lip. She has recently added two on the side of her stomach done in white ink. Kershaw is also an artist who does abstract painting and uses oil pastels.
On her sexual orientation she mentioned she has "always swung both ways" but she does not call herself bisexual, "just experimental". Her boyfriend is musician Matthew Hutchinson from the band Our Mountain, and in 2011, it became clear that Abbey had become a part of the band. The pair met when both were modelling in Melbourne
and reunited in 2009, in the Big Apple
.
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
. Following several years of success leading up to the 2011 fashion seasons, V
V (American magazine)
V magazine is an American fashion magazine published since 1999. The magazine is printed seasonally and highlights trends in fashion, film music and art. A men's fashion quarterly entitled VMAN started as an offshoot in 2003.-History:...
magazine dubbed Kershaw a supermodel
Supermodel
The term supermodel refers to a highly-paid fashion model who usually has a worldwide reputation and often a background in haute couture and commercial modeling. The term became prominent in the popular culture of the 1980s. Supermodels usually work for top fashion designers and labels...
.
Early life
As a child, Kershaw says she was "always in the hospital." When she was four she suffered from meningitisMeningitis
Meningitis is inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, known collectively as the meninges. The inflammation may be caused by infection with viruses, bacteria, or other microorganisms, and less commonly by certain drugs...
and had to have two spinal taps
Lumbar puncture
A lumbar puncture is a diagnostic and at times therapeutic procedure that is performed in order to collect a sample of cerebrospinal fluid for biochemical, microbiological, and cytological analysis, or very rarely as a treatment to relieve increased intracranial pressure.-Indications:The...
. She also had a tumor
Tumor
A tumor or tumour is commonly used as a synonym for a neoplasm that appears enlarged in size. Tumor is not synonymous with cancer...
on the knee, and several broken bones from climbing trees. She "grew up with 42 nationalities" explaining in an interview that her primary school of 150 children was very multicultural. She later went on to win the Australian 2004 Girlfriend Model Search. After high school, in 2005, she moved from Melbourne to Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
to begin modeling. She lived 100 meters from the beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
and it was while at the beach where she got scouted by Chic Management's Kathy Ward, the model scout that also discovered Miranda Kerr
Miranda Kerr
Miranda May Kerr is an Australian model. She is best known as one of the Victoria's Secret Angels since mid-2007. She is the first Australian to participate in the Victoria's Secret campaign and also represents Australian fashion chain David Jones...
and Samantha Harris
Samantha Harris (model)
Samantha Harris is an Australian fashion model born to Aboriginal mother and German-English father. Harris featured prominently during Australian Fashion Week 2010 where she appeared in a record number of shows...
. She signed with Chic Management within weeks.
2007-09
In 2007, Kershaw signed with Next Management and by March had moved to New York City. On 11 December, Models.com named her the “Next Superstar”.Kershaw made her debut in the 2008 New York Fashion Week
New York Fashion Week
The semi-annual New York Fashion Week, branded Mercedes-Benz FashionWeek in 2009, is held in February and September of each year in New York City. It is one of four major fashion weeks held around the world .-History:The first New York Fashion Week, then called Press Week, was the world's first...
, managing to walk a total of 29 shows for designers such as Oscar de la Renta
Oscar de la Renta
Oscar de la Renta is one of the world's leading fashion designers. He was named to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1973.-Career:...
, Halston
Halston
Roy Halston Frowick, also known as Halston was a clothing designer of the 1970s. His long dresses or copies of his style were popular fashion wear in mid-1970s discotheques.-Early life and career:...
, and notably closing for Rodarte
Rodarte
Rodarte is a brand of clothing and accessories founded by Kate and Laura Mulleavy. The Mulleavy sisters are U.C. Berkeley graduates from Aptos, California, and have received a number of industry awards since the line's inception in 2005...
. For her first time in Milan Fashion Week
Milan Fashion Week
Milan Fashion Week is a famous fashion week held semi-annually in Milan, Italy Spring/Summer event held in February - March of each year and Autumn/Winter event held in September - October of each year....
, she was booked as a Gucci
Gucci
The House of Gucci, better known simply as Gucci , is an Italian fashion and leather goods label, part of the Gucci Group, which is owned by French company PPR...
exclusive. Later that year, in September, she fell in her high heels at the Rodarte
Rodarte
Rodarte is a brand of clothing and accessories founded by Kate and Laura Mulleavy. The Mulleavy sisters are U.C. Berkeley graduates from Aptos, California, and have received a number of industry awards since the line's inception in 2005...
show in New York
New York Fashion Week
The semi-annual New York Fashion Week, branded Mercedes-Benz FashionWeek in 2009, is held in February and September of each year in New York City. It is one of four major fashion weeks held around the world .-History:The first New York Fashion Week, then called Press Week, was the world's first...
. Then, a month later in Paris
Paris Fashion Week
Paris Fashion Week is a famous fashion week held semi-annually in Paris, France with Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter events held each year. Dates are determined by the French Fashion Federation...
, she fainted at the Alexander McQueen
Alexander McQueen
Lee Alexander McQueen, CBE was a British fashion designer and couturier best known for his in-depth knowledge of bespoke British tailoring, his tendency to juxtapose strength with fragility in his collections, as well as the emotional power and raw energy of his provocative fashion shows...
show due to a super-tight leather corset. Regardless of these two incidents, it did not affect her from booking more runways shows. Kershaw was one of new faces to appear on one of the fourteen covers of V magazine's
V (American magazine)
V magazine is an American fashion magazine published since 1999. The magazine is printed seasonally and highlights trends in fashion, film music and art. A men's fashion quarterly entitled VMAN started as an offshoot in 2003.-History:...
fall issue. On 15 November 2008, in Miami, she made her international TV appearance at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, modeling in the Pink Planet segment.
Kershaw has starred in the fragrance ads for Gucci
Gucci
The House of Gucci, better known simply as Gucci , is an Italian fashion and leather goods label, part of the Gucci Group, which is owned by French company PPR...
's new "Flora" scent since 2008.
In November 2009, Fashion TV placed her first in their First Face Countdown for Spring/Summer 2010. Kershaw had to sit out the fall 2009 shows due to a knee injury: she had torn ligaments and could barely walk. Kershaw was featured in the explicit shoot for the French magazine Purple Fashion published fall/winter 2009. The infamous spread, shot by photographer Terry Richardson
Terry Richardson
Terrence "Terry" Richardson is an American fashion photographer.-Early life:Richardson was born in New York City, the son of Bob Richardson, a fashion photographer who struggled with schizophrenia and drug abuse...
, caused outrage in the blogosphere
Blogosphere
The blogosphere is made up of all blogs and their interconnections. The term implies that blogs exist together as a connected community or as a social network in which everyday authors can publish their opinions...
, where Richardson was accused of cajoling the girls for his own sexual satisfaction. In his defense, Kershaw said, “Terry doesn’t force girls to do anything they don’t want to. He puts you in a G-string
G-string
A G-string is a type of thong underwear or swimsuit, a narrow piece of cloth, leather, or plastic, that covers or holds the genitals, passes between the buttocks, and is attached to a band around the hips, worn as swimwear or underwear by women and men...
in a pile of mud because you want to do it. You touch yourself because you want to. For me, that shoot was the truth about how things were between us both, and I felt good doing it. I’m not ashamed of it — why should I be?” After skipping the fall 2009 season owing to a knee injury, Kershaw reappeared in Milan Fashion Week
Milan Fashion Week
Milan Fashion Week is a famous fashion week held semi-annually in Milan, Italy Spring/Summer event held in February - March of each year and Autumn/Winter event held in September - October of each year....
, opening D&G to having the first and last looks at Fendi
Fendi
Fendi is an Italian high fashion house best known for its "baguette" handbags. It was launched in 1925 as a fur and leather shop in Rome, but today is a multinational luxury goods brand owned by LVMH...
and Versace
Versace
Gianni Versace S.p.A. , usually referred to as Versace, is an Italian fashion label founded by Gianni Versace in 1978.The first Versace boutique was opened in Milan's Via della Spiga in 1978, and its popularity was immediate. Today, Versace is one of the world's leading international fashion houses...
, prompting New York Magazine to name her "Milan’s Top Model". On 1 December 2009, for the second time, she participated in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, but this time she had three outfits, modeling in the "Star Trooper," "Pink Planet", and in the "Enchanted Forest" segment.
2010-present
In 2010, Kershaw was heavily in demand for campaigns, shoots and shows. Kershaw was featured in the 2010 Pirelli CalendarPirelli Calendar
The Pirelli Calendar is a trade calendar published by the Pirelli company's UK subsidiary. It has become an annual publication that dates back to 1964....
photographed by Terry Richardson, and the 2011 Pirelli Calendar
Pirelli Calendar
The Pirelli Calendar is a trade calendar published by the Pirelli company's UK subsidiary. It has become an annual publication that dates back to 1964....
photographed by Karl Lagerfeld
Karl Lagerfeld
Karl Lagerfeld is a German fashion designer, artist and photographer based in Paris. He has collaborated on a variety of fashion and art related projects, most notably as head designer and creative director for the fashion house Chanel...
. In March 2010, it is announced that she will be the face of Chanel's Fall/Winter 2010/2011 ready-to-wear ad campaign. This news comes after she closed the Chanel Spring 2010 couture show, and opened the Chanel Fall/Winter 2010/2011 ready-to-wear show. In November, for the fourth time, she became the cover model of Australian Vogue (her previous covers of the same publication were in March 2010, March 2009, and September 2008).
She took her own self-portrait for the new Rag & Bone
Rag & bone
rag & bone is an American fashion label founded in 2002. Currently the brand is based in New York City and is headed by business and design partners David Neville and Marcus Wainwright.-Background:...
Do-It-Yourself ad campaign spring 2011 along with models Sasha Pivovarova
Sasha Pivovarova
Sasha Pivovarova is a Russian model. She is perhaps best known for her consecutive 6-season run with Prada.-Modeling career:As an art history student at the Russian University for the Humanities, Pivovarova never dreamed of becoming a model until friend and photographer Igor Vishnyakov took photos...
, Edita Vilkeviciute
Edita Vilkeviciute
-Career:A Lithuanian model. After her discovery, she signed to Women Management in Milan, and later, VIVA in Paris in 2006. Her runway debut was at Just Cavalli for the spring/summer 2007 shows. She later walked for Paul Smith, Preen, and Marios Schwab in London...
, and Lily Aldridge
Lily Aldridge
Lily Aldridge is an American model best known for her work with Victoria's Secret.-Personal life:Aldridge was born at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California and hails from a fashion-oriented family. She is the daughter of English artist Alan Aldridge and Playboy Playmate of the month...
. She earned $100,000 as an exclusive for Chanel
Chanel
Chanel S.A. is a French fashion house founded by the couturier Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, well established in haute couture, specializing in luxury goods . She gained the name "Coco" while maintaining a career as a singer at a café in France...
, walking for their spring-summer collection in Paris
Paris Fashion Week
Paris Fashion Week is a famous fashion week held semi-annually in Paris, France with Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter events held each year. Dates are determined by the French Fashion Federation...
. She skipped New York Fashion Week
New York Fashion Week
The semi-annual New York Fashion Week, branded Mercedes-Benz FashionWeek in 2009, is held in February and September of each year in New York City. It is one of four major fashion weeks held around the world .-History:The first New York Fashion Week, then called Press Week, was the world's first...
for London
London Fashion Week
London Fashion Week is an apparel trade show held in London, England twice each year, in February and September. It is one of the "Big Four" fashion weeks, along with New York Fashion Week, Milan Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week.-Organization:...
. V
V (American magazine)
V magazine is an American fashion magazine published since 1999. The magazine is printed seasonally and highlights trends in fashion, film music and art. A men's fashion quarterly entitled VMAN started as an offshoot in 2003.-History:...
Magazine's "The Discovery Issue" crowned Abbey Lee Kershaw as the new Supermodel
Supermodel
The term supermodel refers to a highly-paid fashion model who usually has a worldwide reputation and often a background in haute couture and commercial modeling. The term became prominent in the popular culture of the 1980s. Supermodels usually work for top fashion designers and labels...
. The magazine called Kershaw "the biggest fashion export from Down Under since Elle Macpherson
Elle Macpherson
Elle Macpherson is an Australian model, actress, and businesswoman nicknamed "The Body". She is perhaps best known for her record five cover appearances for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue beginning in the 1980s...
joined the ranks of Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer, Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington."
she ranks fifth on the Top 50 Models Women list by models.com, and is ranked 21st on the "Top Money Girls" list by models.com.
Kershaw has been on the May 2011 cover of Numero, photographed by Tom Munro.
Personal life
She currently resides in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. She is friends with models Daisy Lowe
Daisy Lowe
Daisy Rebecca Lowe is an English fashion model who has modelled for editorial photo shoots and commercial advertising campaigns and has worked as a runway model...
, Freja Beha Erichsen
Freja Beha Erichsen
Freja Beha Erichsen also known as Freja Beha, is a Danish model.-Career:Discovered on the streets of her native Denmark by a modeling agent passing by in a taxi, Erichsen made her debut as a model in 2005 at the fall Paris and Milan shows of Prada, Louis Vuitton, and Miu Miu...
, Rebecca Seidel and Catherine McNeil
Catherine McNeil
Catherine McNeil is an Australian fashion model. At fourteen years old, she won a model search contest hosted by Girlfriend.-Career:...
. She has a pet lizard
Lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...
named Annie Hall. Kershaw has 10 piercings in total: on her nose (her left nostril), on the nipple, a pierced belly button, and seven on her ears. She also has various tattoos, including; a small peace sign on the palm of her hand, an owl on her middle finger, the symbol for Gemini on her ankle, and a tattoo reading "truth", hidden on the inside of her bottom lip. She has recently added two on the side of her stomach done in white ink. Kershaw is also an artist who does abstract painting and uses oil pastels.
On her sexual orientation she mentioned she has "always swung both ways" but she does not call herself bisexual, "just experimental". Her boyfriend is musician Matthew Hutchinson from the band Our Mountain, and in 2011, it became clear that Abbey had become a part of the band. The pair met when both were modelling in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
and reunited in 2009, in the Big Apple
Big Apple
"The Big Apple" is a nickname for New York City. It was first popularized in the 1920s by John J. Fitz Gerald, a sports writer for the New York Morning Telegraph...
.