Daria Werbowy was born in Kraków, Poland, on November 19, 1983, but is of Ukrainian decent. When she was 3, her parents moved the family to Mississauga, a suburb west of Toronto, Canada, and that’s where Daria was raised.

Daria had never seriously considered modeling, but found herself launched into the business after meeting a schoolmate’s mother who headed Toronto’s Susan J. Model & Talent Management. Daria worked with the agency for a year, but switched over to Elite Models after winning a national modelling contest at the age of 14.

Although she landed several prominent bookings in Canada, Daria did not reach international success until TK’s head scout, TK, started his own agency. She followed him, and her career began to flourish. In 2005 she set the record for opening and closing more than 12 shows—a record she still holds. In July 2007, Forbes listed Daria as the ninth-highest-earning model in the world, with earnings of $3.5 million between June 2006 and June 2007.

Daria describes Fashion Week as like “coming back to school every season... You don’t see a lot of people for six months, then you come back and everything's like it was.”

Her clients have included Lancôme, Prada, Yves Saint Laurent, Pepe Jeans, Roberto Cavalli, Gucci, Hermès, Valentino, David Yurman, Missoni, Versace, Louis Vuitton, and Chanel. In her first season, Fall/Winter 2003, Daria captured two of the modeling world’s most envied assignments: Vogue Italia, thrice (July, August, and October); and Prada's Fall/Winter ad campaign.

Daria has also been a model and spokesperson for Lancôme, a highly coveted contract. Through that relationship, Daria has done an enormous amount of charity work, including through Lancôme’s partnership with Carbonfund.org, a nonprofit dedicated to educating people on climate change. Lancôme sponsors its models through the organization to offset the environmental impact of their travel. Daria explains, “As a model, you get used to a certain lifestyle and become comfortable with certain things, so you forget how much you actually consume in the long run—just with travel alone. We’re so fortunate, but at the end of the day, we are really part of the problem.” She describes her own efforts: “I walk or ride my bike. I recycle. I do the things I can at home, like compost. It’s just little things. Being green is about educating yourself and being interested in finding out all the different ways of helping. I try to eat organic as much as I can. And I tried to feed my cat organic food, but he didn’t like it. I’ll be honest: I fed it to him and he threw it up.”

In 2008, Daria created “Brazilian Earth Colors” for Lancôme, a range that she mixed herself—she didn’t just consult! It’s a three-piece collection inspired by the natural beauty of Brazil, and the proceeds go to Centro Espacial Vik Muniz, a Rio de Janeiro nonprofit program for at-risk teens that focuses on art, education, and training. The collection consists of an eye shadow quad, lip gloss, and lipstick.

When asked what advice she would give young models, Daria replies, “I know it’s a cliché, but you’ve got to be yourself... There’s going to be ups, there’s going to be downs, there’s going to be great days, but really crappy ones, too. So just try to find a balance, stay true to yourself, and enjoy every little bit of it along the way.”