Alessandra Ambrosio

Her paternal grandmother, Joana Eugênia Groch, was an immigrant from Poland, who arrived in Brazil as a child in 1929.

Alessandra Corine Ambrósio (born 11 April 1981) is a Brazilian model.

She is known for her work with Victoria's Secret and was chosen as the first spokesmodel for the company's PINK line.

Alessandra Corine Ambrósio was born on 11 April 1981 in Erechim, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, the daughter of Lucilda and Luiz Ambrósio.

She has a younger sister named Aline.

She is of Italian and Polish descent.

She enrolled at a modeling class at the age of 12, and at the age of 14, she was one of 20 finalists for the 1995 Elite Model Look national competition for Brazil.

Ambrosio was always insecure about her large ears, and at the age of 11, she had cosmetic surgery to have her ears pinned back, though two years later she suffered complications.

When Ambrosio was 12 years old, she partook in modeling classes and then began modeling for Dilson Stein at age 15.

Competing in Brazil's Elite Model Look competition started her modeling career in earnest.

Her first notable modeling job was shooting the cover of Brazilian Elle magazine.

Elite passed along some of her Polaroids to Guess which led her booking the Millennium GUESS?

campaign.

Ambrosio has since appeared in advertising campaigns for Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Calvin Klein, Oscar de la Renta, Christian Dior, Escada, Fendi, Giorgio Armani, Guess, Emporio Armani, Moschino, Gap, Hugo Boss, Ralph Lauren, Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy's, Revlon, and the Pirelli Calendar.

She has walked the catwalks for designers such as Prada, Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Givenchy, Christian Lacroix, Bottega Veneta, Escada, Tommy Hilfiger, Christian Dior, Marc Jacobs, Louis Vuitton, Balmain, Ralph Lauren, Halston, Vivienne Westwood, Giles Deacon, Kenzo, Emanuel Ungaro, Philipp Plein, and Oscar de la Renta.

She was a Victoria's Secret Angel from 2004 to 2017 and has modeled for fashion houses such as Christian Dior, Armani, Ralph Lauren, and Next.

Ambrosio was ranked number five on Forbes' list of the highest-paid models, estimated to have earned $6.6 million every year.

She is often cited by the popular media as one of the world's sexiest women.

In 2004, Ambrosio launched her line of swimwear called Alessandra Ambrosio by Sais, a division of Rosa Chá.

It sold 10,000 units in its first month on the market.

Ambrosio was the face for the UK company Next and starred in their first television campaign in 12 years.

She has appeared in numerous international magazine covers, including Cosmopolitan, Elle, GQ, Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, Ocean Drive, Vogue, and was the only model to appear on the cover of Glamour in the United States in 2006.

In 2006, Ambrosio appeared on The Tyra Banks Show and said that the ear surgery she had as a kid was a bad experience and has discouraged her from ever getting plastic surgery again.

As an "Angel", she was chosen as one of People annual "100 Most Beautiful People in the World" in May 2007.

Ambrosio is considered one of the icons in the fashion industry.

On the July 2009 cover of Marie Claire, Ambrosio appeared in a spread with Sacha Baron Cohen to promote Baron Cohen's 2009 film Brüno.

Ambrosio became the face of Brazilian sportswear brand Colcci costarring with Ashton Kutcher in a denim ad. She was ranked No. 5 on Forbes' The World's Top-Earning Models list, with an estimated earnings of $5 million over 2010–2011.

In October 2011, Ambrosio became Vogue's blogger, commenting on her wardrobe by posting one photo of herself each day for a month.

On 12 August 2012, she appeared in the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony representing the Brazilian fashion tradition on the handover segment to Rio de Janeiro City.

In spring 2014, Ambrosio launched her own fashion and lifestyle brand named Ále by Alessandra in a collaboration with American retailer Cherokee.

The line features casual wear to formal attire and is aimed at females between 18 and 35 years old.

The apparel line was first shown by Southern California-based retailer Planet Blue.

For this brand, Ambrosio used her intellectual property company, Silver Sunrise LLC, which works with Cherokee as its global licensing agent.

Ambrosio appeared in the February 2016 issue of GQ alongside Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ambrosio was chosen by NBC alongside fellow Brazilian model Adriana Lima as the channel's food and culture correspondents for the 2016 Summer Olympics.

She died in 2017, at age 93.

In December 2019, Alessandra Ambrosio collaborated with Madame Tussauds New York to launch an all-new Fashion Experience, inviting guests to learn runway walking tips directly from the Brazilian supermodel.

This interactive exhibit not only features Ambrosio's guidance in both English and Portuguese but also includes a unique camera setup to capture visitors' catwalks, which they can share on social media.

Celebrated alongside fashion icons like Tyra Banks and Heidi Klum within the exhibit, Ambrosio's inclusion as a wax figure marks her significant impact on the fashion world.

This engagement showcases her multifaceted career as a model, mother, designer, and ambassador for charitable causes, further cementing her legacy in the industry.