As a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Coco Rocha never expected to become one of modeling’s biggest and most ubiquitous stars. After being spotted by a modeling scout at an Irish dancing competition, Rocha was introduced to world-renowned photographer Steven Meisel. Shortly after, Coco appeared on the March 2006 cover of Vogue Italia. This was the beginning of Rocha’s meteoric rise into fashion.
Coco quickly began appearing on the runways for Marc Jacobs, Versace, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Anna Sui, Dolce & Gabbana, Chanel, Balenciaga and countless others and ignited a firestorm in the fashion industry when she opened and closed the Fall 2007 Jean Paul Gaultier show by performing an Irish dance down the runway. Fashion editors and photographers were immediately impressed by her instinctive ability to capture the essence of the editorial stories she was shooting, a talent that can be attributed to her background as a dancer. She has worked with leading photographers in the industry including Steven Meisel, Patrick Demarchelier, Mario Testino, Arthur Elgort, Nathaniel Goldberg, Mikael Jansson, Greg Kadel, Steven Klein, Annie Leibowitz, Peter Lindbergh, Craig McDean, Nick Night, David Sims, Mario Sorrenti, Solve Sundsbo, Inez Van Lamsweerde, and Vinoodh Matadin. Her advertising campaigns include CK ONE Fragrance, Christian Dior, Chanel, YSL Beaute, YSL Elle, Balenciaga, Lanvin, Dolce & Gabbana, Diesel, Tommy Hilfiger, The Gap, Banana Republic, Liz Claiborne NY, PHI, Nicole Farhi, DeBeers, Loft, Christian Lacroix, Coca-Cola Lite, Esprit, H & M, MCM, Longchamp, Uniqlo, Albion, Zac Posen, Rimmel London, White House / Black Market, Dennis Basso and Karl Lagerfeld for Macy’s.
In addition to her advertising and runway work, Coco is frequently featured in the pages of top fashion magazines around the world including the many editions of Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, W, Numero and V and has graced the covers of: Vogue (US, Italia, Nippon, Korea, Spanish, Mexico, Latin America and Brazil), Numero (Paris, Korea), Bazaar (Brazil, Russia), ID, Dazed & Confused (British, Japan, Korea), Elle (Canada, Italy, UK, France, Spain, Korea), Allure (Korea), Tatler (Russia), French, Muse, The Sunday Telegraph, Viktor, Time Style & Design, Flair (Germany), Vs., Madame Figaro, Glow, Fashion, and Flare. In December 2008, Rootstein Display Mannequins unveiled the “Coco” mannequin. Coco collaborated with E! Canada as host for a NY Fashion Week special which aired in May 2009 and was ET Canada’s fashion commentator on the red carpet at the 2010 Grammy Awards. MTV recruited Coco to be their red carpet correspondent for MTV.com at the Video Music Awards in 2010.
In December 2009, Vogue Paris named Coco one of the top 30 models of the decade. The following year she was awarded Marie Claire's Prix d’Excellence as their "Model Of The Year' at a ceremony in Paris, France and just three months later she was presented the Elle Style award for 'Model of the Year' by Boy George in London, England.
Coco currently participates in the Seventeen Magazine Body Peace Council, where she helps promote healthy body image to young women. In October of 2011, she appeared on Anderson Cooper's daytime television show "Anderson" to discuss the issues and pressures faced by young models. She now sits on the advisory board of The Model Alliance, which works to establish basic worker rights for models.
In June of 2010, Coco married artist James Conran. The two have collaborated professionally on a number of film and art projects, including a documentary about their February 2011 trip to Haiti, which premiered in Toronto and New York in the fall of 2011. Coco has positioned herself as one of the most digitally-savvy models of her generation; her presence on Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Tencent Weibo, Sina Weibo and various other social media platforms has gained her a total of over 8 million followers.
Rocha will take her modeling expertise to television, appearing in Oxygen’s new series, “The Face,” premiering in early 2013. Coco, along with world-famous supermodels Karolina Kurkova and Naomi Campbell, will star as modeling mentors for this new reality competition series that features aspiring female models in their quest to win the opportunity of becoming “the face” for a well-known brand. This powerhouse trio of supermodel coaches will be responsible for molding, nurturing and transforming the promising contestants as they compete for the career opportunity of a lifetime. Oxygen has tapped Andrew Frank, a veteran showrunner (“The Amazing Race” and “Survivor”), as executive producer.
A resident of New York City, Coco spends her free time with family and friends, working with charities including Lakay Pam, Strut For A Cause, The Model Alliance, and her current collaboration with Senhoa on a charitable jewelry collection.
