Joan Smalls

In the world of fashion, there may be no one bigger than Joan Smalls. After bursting into the modelling world with a 2010 Spring/Summer catwalk show for Givenchy Couture, Smalls became the first Latina model to represent Estée Lauder cosmetics in 2011 and in 2012 was named Model of the Year at the 9th Annual Style Awards, as well as being ranked the number 1 model in the world by Models.com. The following year, Smalls placed at number 8 on the Forbes magazine list of the World’s Highest-Paid Models with over US $3 million in earnings. 2014 saw Smalls appear on the cover of American Elle in a story titled Return of the Supermodel, in which Smalls was described as a ‘very real woman behind the planet’s most perfect face’.

Beyond modelling, Smalls has branched her career out into the realms of fashion design, TV, film and charity work. In 2015, she designed the denim collection Joan Smalls x True Religion and in 2017 joined forces with popular brand Smart & Sexy to create a line of swimwear and lingerie for sale at Walmart. In the same year, Smalls was appointed as the first ever Global Fashion Innovator for W Hotels, an upscale hotel chain owned by Marriott International that is targeted at young adults.

2017 was also the year in which Smalls made her TV and movie debuts, appearing as a guest judge on the 9th season of reality phenomenon RuPaul’s Drag Race and playing an assassin in the 2nd installment of the Lionsgate action-thriller John Wick. In 2018, she featured in the Netflix Original romcom Set It Up, starring Zoey Deutch and Lucy Liu. Smalls has been involved with non-profit organizations including Project Sunshine, the International Rescue Committee and The Garden of Dreams Foundation.