Daria Werbowy Biography

Ukrainian and Canadian model Daria Werbowy is one of the most successful and noted models of the past two decades. Not only has her modeling secured her a multi-million dollar income, but she has also reached considerable milestones such as posing on the coveted cover of Vogue over twenty times.

Daria Werbowy was born November 19, 1983 in Krakow, Poland. At the age of three, she and her parents relocated to Mississauga, Canada. Despite being born in Poland and living in Canada, Werbowy has Ukrainian citizenship.

She obtained her initial education from St Sophia Elementary School followed by Cawthra Park Secondary School. By the age of fourteen, Werbowy had not yet grown into her model’s body. She wore braces, and standing at 5 feet 11 inches, she was taller than all the other children.

Self-conscious about the way she looked, Werbowy had never considered modeling. At the age of fourteen, however, she was introduced to a friend’s mother who ran Susan J Model & Talent Management. Encouraging Werbowy to enter the business, she participated in a national modeling contest on a whim and took top prize.

After signing with Susan J for a year, Werbowy was dissatisfied with the number of jobs she was receiving. Seeking bigger and better things, Werbowy left the agency and quickly found herself under contract with Elite Models.

She immediately began booking projects with notable clients, but Werbowy still desired more international renown.

Elmer Olsen, a head scout for Elite, left the company to head his own modeling agency. Werbowy came with him, and she immediately saw her career take off.

For the next several years, she established herself as a formidable force in the modeling world. She worked with clients such as Miuccia Prada, Roberto Cavalli, Donatella Versace, Louis Vuitton, Coco Chanel, and others. In fact, there were not many of the world’s fashion elite that Werbowy did not showcase.

Werbowy is also noted for making the cover of Vogue an astonishing twenty-one times.

In 2007, she was ranked the ninth highest paid model in the industry, beaten out by Karolina Kurkova, Natalia Vodianova, Carolyn Murphy, Alessandra Ambrosio, Adriana Lima, Heidi Klum, Kate Moss, and Gisele Bundchen.

Outside of modeling, Werbowy is also an established painter. At the age of twenty-five, she even considered leaving the modeling world in order to open her own gallery. She ultimately decided against the career change.

In her personal life, Werbowy has been romantically linked to actor and Hollywood heartthrob Josh Hartnett.