Agyness Deyn Biography

Agyness Deyn (born Laura Michelle Hollins; 16 February 1983) is an English fashion model, actress and singer.

Early life

Deyn is from Littleborough, near Rochdale in Greater Manchester. Deyn later moved to Failsworth near Oldham. The daughter of a nurse, Lorraine, and second of three children she moved to Rossendale, Lancashire, and attended All Saints Roman Catholic High School, as well as Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School and Sixth Form in Waterfoot, Rossendale.

Deyn's name was apparently coined to further her modelling career after she consulted her mother's friend, a numerology expert who advised her of the most 'fortuitous' way to spell the name 'Agnes'. It was reported that her mother Lorraine and sister Emily have both changed their surname to Deyn, while Lorraine has changed the I in her first name to Y.

Deyn's working life started at a fish and chip shop in Stubbins, Rossendale, where she was a part-time server at the age of 13. Even at an early age she had an eye for style and by 17 she had already had her head shaved. "I've had short hair since I was 13, and when I was 17, I had a skinhead." In 1999, she won the Rossendale Free Press "Face of '99" competition, aged just 16. She then moved to London, working in a fast-food restaurant during the day and a bar at night but admits: "It didn't quite work." During this time she says she was also at college in Hull, studying drama and music.

Career

Modeling

Deyn's biography states that she was spotted while shopping with fashion designer Henry Holland in Kentish Town, London. She then signed with SELECT model management.

In May 2007, she was featured on the cover of American Vogue, alongside Doutzen Kroes, Caroline Trentini, Raquel Zimmermann, Sasha Pivovarova, Jessica Stam, Coco Rocha, Hilary Rhoda, Chanel Iman and Lily Donaldson as the new crop of supermodels. She has also been featured on the covers of: UK Vogue, the Observer Woman supplement, The Sunday Times Style, Pop, Grazia, Time, Style & Life, Vogue Italia and numerous other international publications.

Deyn has appeared in advertisements for Anna Sui, Blugirl by Blumarine, Burberry, Cacharel, Doc Martens, Gianfranco Ferré, Shiseido, Giorgio Armani, Mulberry, Paul Smith, Reebok and Vivienne Westwood. She has been the face of fragrance The Beat by Burberry, Gold by Giles Deacon at New Look replacing Drew Barrymore, Jean Paul Gaultier's fragrance Ma Dame, Shiseido (replacing Angelina Jolie) and childhood friend Henry Holland's label House of Holland. In 2009, Deyn landed a Uniqlo campaign and appeared in a commercial with Gabriel Aubry.

In May 2008, Deyn was guest editor of i-D magazine. The issue was devoted to her and includes articles written by and about Deyn, as well as interviews she conducted with fashion insiders such as Vivienne Westwood. Deyn was one of the faces to land in one of the fourteen covers of V magazine autumn issue. Each cover boasts a head shot of a famous model, either from the new crop of leading models or the supermodel era; it was photographed by duo Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin.

In June 2009, the Daily Mirror reported that Deyn had quit modelling to spend more time with her then boyfriend, Singer-songwriter Miles Kane. The newspaper quoted a source as saying that modelling had started to bore Deyn and that she had hired an acting agent to pursue an acting career in British independent films.

Vogue Paris declared her one of the top 30 models of the 2000s.

Deyn is known for being something of a chameleon and constantly changing her looks. Her hair has been blonde, red, brown and black during her modelling career. Although she usually sports short hair, she has been seen with a bob and a bowl cut. In April 2010, she caused headlines when she arrived at the Coachella Music Festival with her head shaved to a "skinhead" style similar to that of Sinéad O'Connor in the early '90s.

In 2010, Deyn collaborated with her younger sister Emily to create a line of T-shirts and tank tops for high street chain Uniqlo.

Deyn appeared in the May 2011 British Vogue editorial, photographed by Tim Walker.

In October 2012, Deyn once again announced that she has retired from modelling in an interview with The Independent. She stated, "I suppose I have stopped modelling officially. I've not done any for a good long while now. I think it was about four years ago when my feelings were changing towards the industry. I didn't hate it, but I was yearning to do something different. I was on a gradient. It was a gradual thing." She intends to focus on her acting career.

Music

Deyn provides vocals for the single "Who" by Five O'Clock Heroes as well as featuring in the video. The single was poorly received by NME, who gave it only a 2/10. The single charted at #109 in the UK. Until recently she was a member of the now defunct group Lucky Knitwear. Deyn's voice can be heard at the beginning of Rihanna's music video for "We Found Love".

Acting

In the 2010 film Clash of the Titans, Deyn played Aphrodite, Greek goddess of beauty, love, and sex.

In March 2011, Deyn appeared as an owl-bearing warrior in Woodkid's debut music video, "Iron".

In 2012, Deyn starred opposite Richard Coyle in Pusher, an English language remake of Nicolas Winding Refn's Danish cult classic, where she played Flo, a strong-minded stripper.

On 28 February 2012, Deyn played her first role on the West End stage, as Paula in François Archambault's comedy, The Leisure Society. After receiving excellent reviews for her role in that play, Deyn has moved from the stage to the big screen and is set to play the main female role, Chris Guthrie, in a film adaptation of the iconic Scottish-set novel Sunset Song.

Agencies

• Elite New York City " New York
• Why Not Model Agency " Milan
• Oui Management " Paris

Personal

On 16 June 2012, Agyness married American actor Giovanni Ribisi.