“…I called my dad and mom from Miami—
I said I quit school and am going to start modeling,
and they almost fell over.
I told mom I would be the number one model…someday.
So it‘s kind of funny that it worked out.”
-Brad Kroenig to Modelresource.com
Brad Kroenig is one of those faces you recognize in magazines yet seem to know little about. In the early 2000s, he was one of the top male fashion models in the world, commanding upwards of $40-thousand dollars a day for a photo shoot. The St. Louisan is a reluctant celebrity, yet hangs out with the likes of Mike Tyson, Tom Cruise, and Paris Hilton.
Throughout 2004 and 2005, Brad was ranked as the top male model in the world by an industry ranking service. Not bad for a South County boy who didn’t really want to get into the modeling industry in the first place.
Brad Kroenig was born on April 23, 1979, and grew up in the St. Louis suburb of Oakville. He excelled in basketball and soccer at Oakville High School, which earned him a scholarship to play soccer at Southern Illinois University–Edwardsville.
He transferred after two years to Florida International University in Miami, which was also the modeling capital of the world at the time. The combination of being in the right place at the right time with the right “look” soon took him from the soccer field to the runway in just a matter of months.
Brad was good-looking with a chiseled body, so a friend at the university urged him to meet with the modeling agencies on South Beach. Most prospective models have to meet with a number of agents before finding one that will sign them. But Brad was accepted by practically every agency he visited. He ended up signing with the world-famous Ford Modeling Agency.
In the span of a year, he went from relative obscurity to worldwide popularity. Accordingly, his formal university education was put on hold just three months after being “discovered.” As a result, he became a full-time businessman and turned his attention to the business of modeling.
Brad rose through the modeling ranks at remarkable speed. He graced the covers of dozens of major fashion magazines and appeared in ad campaigns. Brad posed for Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Perry Ellis, and others. He was suddenly the most sought after male model in the world and commanded millions of dollars a year.
Brad spent the next few years on top of his industry, bouncing around the world on a weekly basis. Despite his huge success, he claims to have no interest in launching an acting career. He always said his true passion isn’t fashion, but rather real estate. In time, he shifted gears and began selling homes in Florida as he wound down his modeling career.
This website uses cookies.