NAME: Carmen Kass
NATIONALITY: Estonian
HEIGHT: 5'10.5"
MEASUREMENTS: 35-23.5-35
WEIGHT: 114 lbs
HAIR: Blonde (naturally brown)
EYES: Blue
BORN: September 14, 1978 in Tallinn, Estonia but grew up in Paide, Estonia.
DISCOVERED: Carmen won several beauty pageants, including Miss Paide and Miss Jarvamaa County, before she was discovered by an Italian model scout in a supermarket in Paide, a village outside Tallinn, Estonia. She started modeling for a local agency, called "Baltic Models" when she was 14. Her single mother, a waitress, refused to sign the papers that would allow her daughter to fly to Milan for three months so "I faked her signature!" says Kass.
AGENCY: New York - Woman Model Management, Paris - City Models
RÉSUMÉ: Won the 2000 VH1/Vogue Model of the Year award (the year after Gisele won it.) Models for Christian Dior, Versace, Chanel, Max Mara, Valentino, Donna Karan, Ungaro, the Gap and Victoria's Secret.
KNOWN FOR: Being one of the biggest, newest up-and-coming supermodels.
HOME: New York City and Paris
SWEETIE: Richie Akiva, 23, does public relations/marketing for Nike.
OTHER: She has now bought part of her previous model agency in Tallinn, and is reported to be addicted to email. "If you meet her, you can be sure she is stuck to her cellular phone and connected to her computer at home to check her email." She also loves the game of chess.
Images of Carmen Kass are copyright © left to right: Vogue magazine, Christian Dior perfume, Harpers Bazaar
Amber Valetta