Born 1984
Děčín, Czechoslovakia
-Model, Actress-
Czech supermodel Karolina Kurkova is an accomplished professional best known as one of the Victoria's Secret Angels. Born in communist-era Czechoslovakia to Josef Kurka -a Czech basketball player- and a Slovak mother in 1984, a friend sent photos of her to an agency in Prague, where she immediately landed a runway appearance, as well as a commercial and print ad. She later traveled to Milan, Italy to gain more experience. There, Miuccia Prada, the designer behind the brand Prada, signed her to a contract.
In 1999, Kurková met with Vogue editors in New York City, then moved to NYC permanently. At seventeen, she landed a spot on the cover of Vogue. Kurková was now recognized at haute couture fashion shows, and lingerie brand Victoria's Secret chose her to be a part of that year's televised fashion show special. Prominent fashion houses such as Yves Saint Laurent signed Kurková to modeling contracts, then later designers including Ralph Lauren, Óscar de la Renta, Chanel and Balenciaga.
The leggy Czech beauty currently resides in New York's TriBeCa district, and enjoys courtside basketball games at Madison Square Garden... along with the rest of the Manhattan social scene, of course-