Born on May 10, 1990 in Estonia, Karmen Pedaru took after her family in the sports world. Her grandfather was a professional basketball player, and she picked up the dribbling habit when she was 6 years old. On top of that, she also practiced soccer, handball, and took dance for four years.

But though sports would remain her passion, Karmen found an additional calling: In 2005 she was discovered at a drama theater in Tallinn, and she started her modeling career by signing with Next Model Management.

Her debut on the runway came in 2006 in London, and two years later Karmen made her first appearance in New York at the February 2008 shows. She's walked for the likes of Phi, Chanel, Jean Paul Gaultier, Gucci, Valentino, Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton, and Marni, while posing for glossies like Muse, Vogue Italia, V Magazine, British Vogue, Numéro, Harper’s Bazaar, as well as the Vogue Paris calendar. Karmen even had the distinct honor of being chosen as the first face of Derek Lam’s campaigns.

And once she feels she's ready for her next career move, Karmen will stay in the industry, she'll just take on a slightly different role: as a makeup artist.