Carla Bruni Tedeschi was born on December 23, 1967, in Turin, Italy. Born to concert pianist Marisa Borini and Brazilian magnate Maurizio Remmert, Carla was adopted by industrialist Alberto Bruni Tedeschi and is heiress to his manufacturing fortune. When she was a child, her family moved to Paris, and Carla was sent to boarding school in Switzerland. At 19, Carla gave up art and architecture studies at the University of Paris to sign with City Model Management. It wasn't long before the model was garnering much attention from industry insiders. Taken by her undeniable beauty, Paul Mariano of Guess? chose Carla to star in the brand's campaigns alongside fellow French mannequin Estelle Lefébure.

Carla then tackled the runway. She walked for major designers like Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Versace, Chanel, and Givenchy, establishing herself as one of the top models of the moment. In 1997, after 10 years of modeling, Carla quit to focus on making music. The chanteuse has released three successful studio albums and is currently working on her fourth. In 2008, the model married French president Nicolas Sarkozy. As First Lady, she devotes much time to international diplomacy and philanthropic endeavors, and while she has no immediate plans to return to modeling, Carla continues to leave her imprint on the fashion industry as a veritable style icon.