Edie Campbell has had quite the year! The 23-year-old model, known for her pixie look and doe-like eyes, beat out it-girl Cara Delevingne to win the British Fashion Awards’ 2013 Model of the Year and walked in 21 shows during last year’s Paris Fashion Week, including opening Marc Jacob’s last show for Louis Vuitton wearing just a G-string and body paint that took seven hours to apply. But surprisingly enough, the nearly-naked runway show isn’t the most controversial moment in the young model’s career.
A fashion shoot alongside pop heartthrobs One Direction managed to land Campbell in some hot water after making comments about not being instantly smitten with the band. Engraged Directioners instantly took to Twitter and began sending Campbell death threats, which resulted in her shutting down her Twitter account for a few months. Aside from angering boy band fans, Campbell’s been keeping pretty busy. She’s recently appeared in campaigns for Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton and Yves Saint Laurent fragrance, to name a few. But there’s more to this multi-faceted model than meets the eye – check out these sides of Edie Campbell you may not have known about!
Campbell has been riding horses since the age of five but has taken her passion for riding to a whole new level as a jockey, participating in several charity races and events over the years. In 2013 she appeared in the Gucci Paris Masters horse show, displaying her show jumping skills (and a seriously awesome Black Swan-inspired costume) alongside professional showjumper Jessica Springsteen (daughter of rocker Bruce Springsteen).
Most recently Campbell won the Magnolia Cup at the 2014 Glorious Goodwood ladies charity event, which she also won in 2011. Tom Cruise was on hand to present Campbell with her award: a cup designed by jewelry designer Theo Fennel, and money for her favorite charity. Speaking of which…
Campbell serves as a Young People’s Ambassador for The Reading Agency, a charity that promotes literacy education and community programs that encourage reading. The model supports the charity’s Reading Activists program, which aims to give children and youth opportunities for reading, writing and volunteering in their local libraries. “I am so grateful to have had a fantastic education which has made me passionate about reading, and not afraid to pick up a difficult book,” said Campbell. “I want to see young people everywhere get the chance to develop a life changing reading habit, and a deep connection with their local library.”
Even with her break-neck modeling schedule over the past few years, Campbell somehow found time to study between the photo shoots and fashion shows. Campbell studied for three years at The Courtauld Institute of Art, part of the University of London, earning her degree in the history of art in June 2013. When asked by Vogue what she plans on doing with the degree, Campbell said she had no idea, adding “it might come in handy when I get a serious job later in life.” As if being an award-winning model wasn’t serious enough!