Heather Marks

Heather Marks is, like Gemma Ward and Lily Cole, one of the baby-faced girls of modeling. Angelic, slender, with a Sailor Moon (Japanese anime) regard, this young Canadian possesses that strange beauty everyone loves at the moment.

Despite being a self-defined tomboy, Marks attracted the attention of Kelly Streit (Mode Models agency director) when she was only 12. She was wearing braces, yet her photogenic quality was so apparent that her future boss was already convinced of having discovered a new pearl. Barely 15, braces-free and ready to smile at the world, Marks, who had never dreamt of becoming a model, found herself booked. According to those who managed her, she was already at the beginning of a career as a top model, and the events that followed proved them right.

Her photos were barely dry when she left for a fashion shoot in Africa. For the frail adolescent, the culture shock was intense. She realized that being a model was perhaps the only way she would be able to travel on such a large scale. She understood the chance she was given and savored more than anything her escapades around the world that her work offered her. Her first show brought her to Paris where she walked for Givenchy. At 16, she appeared in a Levi's ad campaign that made her face known and launched her ascension.

Nevertheless, Marks was very young and found herself far from home in a completely unknown universe, something which would have destabilized many. However, she took advantage of her youth to become the backstage mascot and learned the tools of the trade by watching her older, more experienced colleagues. She quickly understood that in order to stand out and to persevere, she would have to acquire a certain maturity in order to overcome her timidity so that the photographers and designers would perceive her potential. She saw hundreds of amazing girls during the castings and understood that at this stage, personality counts for much more than physical appearance.

She was quickly offered the strategic positions during the fashion weeks. She closed for Christian Lacroix and opened for Marc by Marc Jacobs in New York. In the business, the girls chosen for these positions are the ones who will probably be talked about in the near future, and so it was: Heather Marks was the name on everyone's lips and the ad campaigns confirmed her status as a top model. She became the face of Moschino for summer 2004 and appeared in the Dolce & Gabbana campaign.

The year 2005 was her year. Not only did she go from fashion week to fashion week, she appeared on the covers of Vogue Italy, Germany and Korea in the space of several months. Her ascension to stardom did not go to her head; she decided from the beginning to surround herself with the best of advisors. Instead of the nannies from the agencies, she preferred her own mother who since the beginning had quit her job to supervise her daughter's career. Marks found in her a real comfort as well as a clear, simple and realistic point of view on the events around her.

In 2006, her value increased again when Victoria's Secret brought her into their stable. To appear in the most media-covered show on the planet was an open vote of confidence for the 18-year-old Marks. The same year, she signed a contract with Revlon and was photographed by Steven Klein for Dolce & Gabbana and appeared on the cover of Elle.

Despite being listed as one of the top 20 most promising models of the next generation, Marks showed an impressive clear-headedness for youth. She knew well that modeling is just a career, that she had to be ultra professional to keep her place and most of all, not become a diva; she was also conscious that all of it could end tomorrow.

If that should be the case, Marks sees herself returning to Canada to indulge in a soccer and snowboard marathon, her two passions that her current lifestyle do not allow her the time to do. Nevertheless, H&M having chosen her for the fall-winter 2009 campaign, her star does not seem to have finished shining.