Erin O’Connor MBE is a renowned fashion model, writer, broadcaster, and model sanctuary founder. No lesser authority than Karl Lagerfeld once stated that she is “one of the best models in the world”, and with a CV that includes modelling and walking for every name you can imagine — Prada, Versace, Christian Dior, Jean-Paul Gautier, Dolce & Gabbana, Julien McDonald, the list goes on — it’s hard to argue otherwise. In her native Britain, she has been one of the faces of Marks & Spencer for over 15 years and has also graced the cover of the British edition of Vogue. She has also featured in every other major magazine (Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, etc.) and has written and produced two fashion documentaries for BBC Radio 4.

O’Connor hails from the working-class town of Brownhills, near Walsall in the West Midlands, and is by far its most famous daughter. On a trip to the annual Clothes Show Live event at the Birmingham NEC, she was talent-spotted and soon whisked off to London to begin a new life. Her first photographs appeared in i-D magazine in late 1996 when she was just 18 years old.

Since then, O’Connor has become one of Britain’s most highly regarded models, breaking down the boundaries between exclusive fashion shows, popular culture (she appeared in an episode of Absolutely Fabulous), and “serious” broadcasting (Radio 4). She is also a strong activist, helping to found the likes of All Walks Beyond the Catwalk and becoming an ambassador for various charities and campaigns.