Supermodels from Missouri

When it comes to fashion, most people don’t immediately think about the Show Me State. But when you look at Missouri’s history, you soon realize we have an high number of fashion icons from here. Here’s how I came to this realization. I was researching a recent story about the old garment district in downtown St. Louis and how it impacted clothing trends over the years.

As I looked into fashion trends over the years, I kept stumbling across men and women from Missouri who rose to the top of the modeling industry. And here’s a little nugget that blew me away. At one point, the top male and top female supermodels in the world grew up about 15 miles apart in the St. Louis area! Karlie Kloss grew up in Webster Groves while Brad Kroenig grew up in Oakville (but at different times). These little sidebars turned into an interesting story by itself. So here you have it, the models and supermodels from Missouri.

Evelyn Tripp

One of the early supermodels, Evelyn Tripp graced the cover of more than 40 major magazines during her career. The Desloge High School alum was born in 1927 in the mining area south of St. Louis in the town of Flat River.

Her story is like that of other models: she was “discovered” while out running errands in New York City. That chance encounter led to the covers of Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and other publications that showcased beauty in the post-World War II era. People may not know her name, but they certainly recognize her face as the woman who graced the cover of many pattern books and packages in the ’50s and ’60s.

In fact, when I was giving a speech recently in Farmington, her “much younger” sister came up to me and introduced herself and told me that the entire story as it appears above is entire true.

Karlie Kloss

Karlie Kloss was raised in Webster Groves and graduated from Webster Groves High School in 2011. But much of her high school years were spent traveling the world working as a full-time model after she was discovered. She has been the face of brands ranging from Abercrombie to Calvin Klein, and even Target and Victoria Secret and was named a top model before she could even drive. She is one of the most successful and recognizable supermodels of her generation and has graced the covers of top fashion magazines worldwide.

But Kloss has taken her success to a level that few others have ever achieved. She is also now a business icon, too. Her business ventures range from cookies to fashion. And in 2015, she established Kode with Klossy, a computer science program that teaches girls to code and shows them the ropes of STEM-related fields.

Brad Kroenig

Brad Kroenig is one of those faces you recognize in magazines yet seem to know little about. In the early 2000’s, he was one of the top fashion models in the world, commanding $40,000 a day for a photo shoot. Throughout 2004 and 2005, Brad was ranked as the top male model in the world by an industry ranking service.

Kroenig grew up in the St. Louis suburb of Oakville. He attended college in Miami, which is where he signed with the world-famous Ford Modeling Agency. In the span of a year, he went from relative obscurity to a worldwide modeling phenomenon. He graced the covers of dozens of major fashion magazines and appeared in ad campaigns for Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, and Perry Ellis and has been called the most famous male supermodel in the world.

Devon Windsor

Devon Windsor is a highly successful model who has worked with renowned designers and brands during her tenure in the fashion industry. She graduated from MICDS in 2012 while she was already working as a model. She signed with West Model and Talent Management in St. Louis in 2008 and began working around the globe before finishing high school.

After graduation, she worked fulltime as a model all over the world. She modeled for numerous designers and worked her first New York Fashion Week, even being named the top newcomer by Models.com. In 2013, she did her first Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. Being one of the top supermodels in the world enabled her to appear on the covers of dozens of magazines and on the “Celebrity Showdown” episode of MasterChef USA in 2016. In 2018, she got her first starring role in a television series with E! Entertainment’s docuseries Model Squad. She launched her own swimwear line in 2019.

Angela Lindvall

Angela Lindvall was one of the “it” girls of the ’90s, appearing on the covers of magazines around the globe while also walking the most high-profile catwalks. She began modeling at 14 after IMG Models discovered her and put her on the fast-track to fame. She graduated from Lee’s Summit High School as a worldwide celebrity.

Angela eventually broke onto the big screen in movies such as Kiss Kiss Bang Bang in 2005, while also hosting TV shows such as Project Runway: All Stars. Her success enabled her to create eco-friendly businesses. Her younger sister, Audrey, also a working model, was tragically killed in an accident while riding her bike in their hometown near Kansas City.

Shandi Finnessey

Shandi Finnessey, the tall, strikingly beautiful woman garnered attention all over the world. The accomplished musician, author, academician, and model put several promising careers on hold while competing in pageants. Finnessey grew up in Florissant and graduated from Incarnate Word Academy in 1996. She then began her college studies at Lindenwood University in St. Charles. As a college student, she gained attention for her stellar academic performance and her skills playing piano and violin.

The hard work paid off in 2004 when the St. Louis native was on TV around the country winning the title of Miss USA, then later the runner-up in the Miss Universe pageant. She has since parlayed that honor into numerous TV shows and movies, along with a memorable appearance on “Dancing with the Stars.”

Christian Boeving

Christian Boeving is one of those guys that you have likely seen dozens of times, yet you may not know his name – or the fact that he grew up in Missouri. He is a fitness model that has been on more than 400 magazine covers. That means he is second only to Arnold Schwarzenegger when it comes to having the most magazine covers for fitness models.

He grew up in Poplar Bluff, then headed for Los Angeles where he became a star. He has also appeared in dozens of movies and TV shows during his decades in the public eye.

Kimora Lee-Simmons

Kimora Lee grew up in the St. Louis area. And when we say grew up, we mean that literally, because she was nearly six feet tall as a young teenager. Her height and unique looks of Japanese and African American descent were soon paying dividends as she started working as a model at age twelve. Despite the heavy time commitment of being a teenage model, she still graduated from Lutheran North High School in St. Louis. After completing her education, she hit the road full time and built a multimillion-dollar empire in the process. Lee later married famous hip hop producer Russell Simmons.

The fashion world and Hollywood were becoming synonymous during the 1980s and 1990s, where stars in each field were successfully crossing over. This was the perfect combination for Kimora, who was already a superstar model with savvy business skills. By her 30’s, she was a proven entity in modeling, fashion, music, television, movies, cosmetics, jewelry, books, and housewares, but she wasn’t done yet!

Brad Pitt

Yes, it’s hard to classify Brad Pitt as a model anymore, although that is basically how it all started. His good looks were what opened the door for him and he could easily have taken that route had he not landed a gig in the movie Thelma and Louise. He grew up in Springfield and graduated from Kickapoo High School, then went off to Mizzou. As most have heard by now, he dropped out a few weeks shy of graduating to head to California to pursue his dreams of stardom.

In college, he did get one memorable modeling role in the “Men of Mizzou” calendar. Pitt also modeled for Levi’s and Calvin Klein in his 20’s. That lasted for a few years before he finally established himself as an actor. And if there is any doubt if Pitt could have continued on the path to Supermodel fame, he was the first person to be named People Magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive” twice.

Rachel Stuhlmann

The newest star to come from the Show Me State is Rachel Stuhlmann. She didn’t take the traditional route to stardom. That’s because the traditional route has drastically change with the advent of social media. She graduated from Kirkwood High School, then played Tennis at Missouri.

She moved back to St. Louis after college where she began using her various platforms like Instagram and Facebook to build a brand that got the attention of top brands, magazines, and venues. In the short time she has been working as a fashion influencer, she has already been named the “world’s Number 1 tennis influencer” and has spreads in major publications like Maxim magazine.

Charlie Weber

Charlie Weber was born in 1978 in mid-Missouri and grew up in Jefferson City. He was a hometown boy, through and though. In fact, he played football for the Jefferson City Jays and then went on to play for the Mizzou Tigers. But the lure of fame got in the way. He quit after one year of college and headed for New York to purse a career in modeling and acting.

Weber’s first big campaign that put him on the map was with Abercrombie & Fitch with the 1998 Christmas catalog. He did the photo shoot with the world famous photographer Bruce Weber (no relation), and his career trajectory was set. Charlie was soon traveling for magazine spreads for top brands around the world. He later broke into acting and has since played several memorable roles on both TV and film.

April Scott

Hailing from Campbell in the Missouri bootheel, April Scott has gone from small town girl to cover girl. She graduated from Campbell High School in 1997 where she had already won numerous beauty pagents as a teen. Scott then enrolled at the College of the Ozarks near Branson to pursue a degree in theater. And once she finished there, it was off to Hollywood.

It didn’t take long for talent scouts to notice the girl from the Midwest. Scott became the face of Merle Norman Cosmetics and began doing national ad campaigns for several major companies. She was even named one of People Magazine’s 100 Most Beautiful People in 2006 and Maxim’s Hot 100 for a couple of years. That was followed by even more magazine covers and eventually parts in TV shows and movies.

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