Alexa Chung: True Inspiration

English television presenter, model, contributing editor at British Vogue, host of Gonzo for MTV, scheduled to host Thrift America for PBS, previous host of MTV'S It's On With Alexa Chung, face of Lacoste's Joy Of Pink fragrance and Superga's Italian sneakers. Alexa Chung, was by far the 'It' girl of 2010. (I truly envy her.) But you and I both know that she didn't become famous overnight. So here comes the obvious question... How did she become famous?

Well...


Early Life;

Alexa Chung, was born on the 5th November 1983. She was raised in Privett, Hampshire, England by her Chinese/English father, Philip, a graphic designer, and her English mother, Gillian, a housewife. Alexa, is the youngest of four children. She has two brothers, Jamie and Dominic, and one sister, Natalie.

She attended the local comprehensive school,  Perins College, and later the sixth form Peter Symonds College, Winchester. She had been accepted by King's College London to read English, but was scouted by a modelling agency before attending.


Modelling Career;

Alexa, was approached in the comedy tent at Reading Festival at the age of 16 (Seems easy enough) and was taken on by the London-based Storm Model Management. She modelled for teen magazines such as Elle Girl and CosmoGIRL. She also worked for companies including Fanta, Sony Ericsson, Sunsilk, Urban Outfitters and Tampax. She appeared in music videos for artists including The Streets, Westlife, Delta Goodrem, Reuben, Holly Valance and starred as Jake in a scripted reality show called Shoot Me, broadcast on Fashion TV in 2005.

After four years, Alexa, quit modelling with the intention of beginning an art foundation or fashion journalism course, having become disillusioned. Unfortunately, modelling had led her to develop a "Distorted body image" and "Low self-esteem".

After becoming a TV personality, Alexa, made a return to occasional modelling. In 2008, she was the face of both Australian fashion label Antipodium's SS 2008 collection and Oxfam's ethical fashion range (Alexa, makes even second hand clothes look fashionable), Revamped. In September 2008, Alexa, walked the catwalk as part of the Vivienne Westwood Red Label Spring/Summer 2009 show at London Fashion Week. Early on in 2009, she became the face of British high street giant New Look. Alexa, then joined London-based modelling agency, Select. In April 2009, she then modelled Wren's Holiday 2009 collection.

In July 2009, Alexa, moved to Next Model Management and became the face of DKNY Jeans. Alexa, was the face of South Korean brand MOGG'S SS10 campaign. In January 2010, she became the main model of the SS10 Pepe Jeans London campaign and later reprised her role for the FW10 campaign. She was announced as the first celebrity face of Lacoste in June 2010, appearing in both the TV and print advertising campaigns for their "Joy Of Pink" fragrance. In January 2011, Alexa, was announced as the face of Italian sneaker brand Superga, in a campaign to mark their 100th anniversary.

TV Career;

In April 2006, then-model Alexa, was offered the job of co-host on Popworld on Channel 4, a music show known for it's irreverent and awkward style of interviews. Alexa, and co-host Alex Zane, also presented a weekly radio show called Popworld Radio in conjunction with the TV programme. Unfortunately, the last show aired in July 2007, after Channel 4 decided not to recommission the programme, after nearly 7 years.

Following this, Alexa, signed a year-long "Golden handcuffs" deal with Channel 4 in August 2007, worth £100,000. As part of this deal, she guest presented Big Brother's Big Mouth and appeared as a panellist on quiz show 8 out of 10 Cats. She hosted a number of T4 Movie Specials, 4Music Specials, T4 Holiday Mornings, along with T4's coverage of many music festivals.

In January 2008, Alexa, became one of the four anchor T4 presenters. She hosted T4's Vanity Lair, a reality show investigating the concept of "Beauty". Apparently (According to Wikipedia), when the show was mentioned in a later interview, "Chung, raises her eyebrows, indicating embarrassment". As well as her work on T4, she became a long-time host of Channel 4's early morning music programme Freshly Squeezed (Mornings aren't the same without Freshly Squeezed!), beginning in September 2007.

In addition to her Channel 4 commitments, Alexa, presented the ITV1 series Get A Grip and BBC Three's The Wall.

In mid-2008, Alexa, began to host more fashion-orientated programming. She was the "Roving reporter" on Channel 4's "Gok's Fashion Fix". On the programme, Alexa, roadtested the latest fashion trends with members of the public, and interviewed fashion designers. She described it as "Pretty much my dream job". Alexa, also hosted a T4 fashion and music show called Frock Me, with fashion designer Henry Holland.

Alexa, was awarded the Elle Style Award for Best TV Presenter in 2009. As well as receiving the Elle Style Award, she also received Glamour's award for Best TV Presenter at the magazine's annual award ceremony.

Alexa, left Channel 4, and the United Kingdom (Sob!), in April 2009 in order to pursue a stateside career. She presented It's On With Alexa Chung for MTV. The live, daily show, featuring celebrity talk, live music and online interaction with viewers. Unfortunately, the show was cancelled in December 2009.

Alexa, returned to UK TV screens in April 2010 with a second series of the T4 fashion and music series Frock Me. In October 2010, she began hosting Gonzo, an informal UK chat show previously hosted by Zane Lowe, for MTV Rocks.

In January 2011, she co-hosted NBC's "2011 Golden Globe Arrivals Special". The live show featured interviews with television and movie stars as well as segments devoted to fashion on the red carpet.

Journalism Career;

Alexa, wrote a monthly column for British women's magazine Company from October 2007 to June 2008. She then wrote a weekly newspaper column for England's The Independent from November 2008 to June 2009, entitled 'Girl About Town' and later 'New York Doll'.

In June 2009, she was made a contributing editor of British Vogue, interviewing several designers for the publication.


Fashion Icon Status;
Alexa, is a muse to many fashion designers because of her unique personal style. She regularly appears on best dressed lists, is a familiar cover girl for Vogue, Elle and Harper's Bazaar and is often seen in the front row at fashion shows.
In 2009, the designer handbag company Mulberry created a much sought-after bag named after and inspired by Alexa Chung, called the "Alexa".
In February 2010, Alexa, collaborated with J.Crew's Madewell on a womenswear line which was unveiled during New York Fashion Week.
Vogue's Anna Wintour has described Alexa, as "A phenomenon", while the New York Times has declared her "the Kate Moss of the new generation".

So there you have it, Alexa Chung's entire life story. (Not far from it.) More than you bargained for, eh?