Alexa Chung

Alexa Chung (born 5 November 1983) is a British television presenter, model and contributing editor at British Vogue. She is currently the host of 24 Hour Catwalk on the Lifetime channel in the U.S. Previously, Chung was the host of MTV's It's On with Alexa Chung. She is the face of Lacoste's "Joy of Pink" fragrance and Superga's Italian sneakers.

Early life

Alexa Chung was born in Privett, Hampshire, England to a three-quarters Chinese father, Philip, a graphic designer, and her English mother, Gillian (née Burgess), a housewife. She has two older brothers, Jamie and Dominic, and one older sister, Natalie. She attended secondary school at the local Perins School and spent sixth form at Peter Symonds College, Winchester. She was accepted at King’s College London to read English, but was scouted by a modelling agency before attending, and chose to pursue modelling for a while instead.

Modelling

Chung was approached in the comedy tent at Reading Festival at the age of 16 and was taken on by the London-based Storm Model Management. She modelled for teen magazines such as Elle Girl and CosmoGIRL! and worked for companies including Fanta, Sony Ericsson, Sunsilk, Urban Outfitters and Tampax. She appeared in music videos for artists including The Streets, Westlife, Delta Goodrem, Reuben and Holly Valance and starred as Jake in a scripted reality show called Shoot Me, broadcast on Fashion TV in 2005. After four years, Chung quit modelling with the intention of beginning an art foundation or fashion journalism course, having become disillusioned. She had developed a “distorted body image” and “low self-esteem” through modelling.

After becoming a TV personality, Chung made a return to occasional modelling. In 2008, she was the face of both Australian fashion label Antipodium's SS 2008 collection and Oxfam's ethical fashion range, Revamped. In September 2008, Chung walked the catwalk as part of the Vivienne Westwood Red Label Spring/Summer 2009 show at London Fashion Week. In early 2009, she became the face of British high street giant New Look. Chung then joined London-based modelling agency, Select, and, in April 2009, she modelled Wren's Holiday 2009 collection, alongside her friend Tennessee Thomas. In July 2009, Chung moved to Next Model Management and became the face of DKNY Jeans. Chung was the face of South Korean brand MOGG's SS10 campaign. In January 2010, she became the main model of the SS10 Pepe Jeans London campaign and later reprised her role for the FW10 campaign. She was announced as the first celebrity face of Lacoste in June 2010, appearing in both the TV and print advertising campaigns for their "Joy of Pink" fragrance. In January 2011, Chung was announced as the face of Italian sneaker brand Superga, in a campaign to mark their 100th anniversary. In February 2012, she took part in the London Fashion Week show for designer Stella McCartney, where she acted as a guest assistant to magician Hans Klok in a number of illusions including being levitated and sawed in half.

TV career

In April 2006, then-model Chung was offered the job of co-host on Popworld on Channel 4, a music show known for its irreverent and awkward style of interviews. Chung and co-host Alex Zane also presented a weekly radio show called Popworld Radio in conjunction with the TV programme. The last show aired in July 2007, after Channel 4 decided not to recommission the programme, which had been on air for nearly seven years. Following this, Chung signed a year-long "golden handcuffs" deal with Channel 4 in August 2007, worth £100,000. As part of this deal, she guest presented Big Brother’s Big Mouth and appeared as a panellist on quiz show 8 out of 10 Cats. She hosted a number of T4 Movie Specials, 4Music Specials, T4 Holiday Mornings along with T4's coverage of many music festivals.

In January 2008, Chung became one of the four anchor T4 presenters. She hosted T4’s Vanity Lair, a reality show investigating the concept of "beauty". When the show was mentioned in a later interview, "Chung raises her eyebrows, indicating embarrassment". As well as her work on T4, she became a long-time host of Channel 4’s early morning music programme Freshly Squeezed, beginning in September 2007. In addition to her Channel 4 commitments, Chung presented the ITV1 series Get a Grip (2007) and BBC Three's The Wall (2008). In mid-2008, Chung began to host more fashion-oriented programming. She was the "roving reporter" on Channel 4's "Gok's Fashion Fix". On the programme, Chung roadtested the latest fashion trends with members of the public, and interviewed fashion designers such as Roberto Cavalli, Karl Lagerfeld, Jean Paul Gaultier, Margherita Missoni and Christian Lacroix. She described it as 'pretty much my dream job'. Chung also hosted a T4 fashion and music show called Frock Me, with fashion designer Henry Holland. She was awarded the Elle Style Award for Best TV Presenter in 2009. Also in 2009, she received Glamour's award for Best TV Presenter at the magazine's annual award ceremony.

Chung left Channel 4, and the United Kingdom, in April 2009 in order to pursue a stateside career. She presented It's On with Alexa Chung for MTV. The live, daily show - billed as TRL's replacement- featured celebrity talk, live music and online interaction with viewers. The show was cancelled in December 2009. She returned to UK TV screens in April 2010 with a second series of the T4 fashion and music series Frock Me. In October 2010, she began hosting Gonzo with Alexa Chung, an informal UK chat show previously hosted by Zane Lowe, for MTV Rocks. In January 2011, she co-hosted NBC's "2011 Golden Globe Arrivals Special" with Carson Daly and Natalie Morales. The live show featured interviews with television and movie stars as well as segments devoted to fashion on the red carpet. Chung presented the iTunes Festival in July 2011.

Print journalist

Chung wrote a monthly column for British women’s magazine Company from October 2007 to June 2008. She then wrote a weekly newspaper column for England's The Independent from November 2008 to June 2009, entitled 'Girl About Town' and later 'New York Doll'. In June 2009, she was made a contributing editor of British Vogue and has interviewed designers such as Karl Lagerfeld and Christopher Kane for the publication.

Style

Chung is a muse to many fashion designers because of her distinctive personal style. She frequently appears on best dressed lists, is a regular cover girl for Vogue, Elle and Harper's Bazaar and is often seen in the front row at fashion shows. In 2009, the designer handbag company Mulberry created a much sought-after bag named after and inspired by Chung, called the "Alexa". In February 2010, Chung collaborated with J.Crew's Madewell on a womenswear line which was unveiled during New York Fashion Week. She is collaborating with Madewell once again for a second collection, set to debut on September 22nd, 2011.

Vogue's Anna Wintour has described Chung as "a phenomenon" while the New York Times has declared her "the Kate Moss of the new generation". Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld has described her as "beautiful and clever..a modern girl". In December 2010, Bryan Ferry, on behalf of the British Fashion Council, presented Chung with the British Style Award which "recognises an individual who embodies the spirit of British fashion and is an international ambassador for the UK as a leading creative hub for fashion" at a ceremony at the Savoy Theatre in London. At the British Fashion Awards 2011, Chung won the British Style Award, which was voted for by the public.

Personal life

Chung lived with fashion photographer David Titlow (born September 10, 1963), twenty years her senior, for three and a half years until their break-up in 2006. Following that split, she briefly dated Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins and Klaxons keyboard player James Righton. She dated The Horrors frontman Faris Badwan for six months in late 2006 and early 2007. Chung was in a relationship with Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner from April 2007 until July 2011.

Filmography

• Fashion Police (2012) (Guest star)
• 24 Hour Catwalk (2011)
• Thrift America (2011)
• NBC's 2011 Golden Globe Arrivals Special (2011)
• Gonzo for MTV Rocks (2010)
• Frock Me with TK Maxx (2010)
• Channel 4 NME Awards Backstage (2010)
• Autotune the News (2009)
• It's On with Alexa Chung (2009)
• Freshly Squeezed (2007–2009)
• T4 Weekends (2008–2009)
• T4 Holiday Mornings (2007–2009)
• T4 Movie Specials (2006–2009)
• 4Music Specials (2006–2009)
• T4 on the Beach coverage (2006–2008)
• Gok's Fashion Fix (2008)
• Frock Me (2008)
• The Wall (2008)
• Vanity Lair (2008)
• T4 NME Awards coverage (2008)
• V Festival coverage (2007–2008)
• The Devil Wears Primark (2008)
• Big Brother's Big Mouth (2007)
• Fashion Rocks is Coming (2007)
• T in the Park coverage (2007)
• Get a Grip (2007)
• Popworld (2006–2007)
• Rip Curl Festival coverage (2006)
• Shoot Me (2005)

External links

Template:External links

• ELLEuk.com Meets Alexa Chung
• Alexa Chung Today I'm Wearing Photo Blog
• The Guardian - We Can Do It! interview
• The Observer - Who's Hot Now
• The Telegraph - The One To WatchTemplate:Dead link
• The Guardian - She's the One
• The Independent - Television's Hottest Property
• The Times - Small Screen Goddess
• It's On with Alexa Chung
• Alexa Chung - News and Pictures
• The Internet Fashion Database