With their long legs, lean lines, and striking beauty, models are often likened to Thoroughbreds. Stunner Noot Seear rode these amazing creatures as an award-winning equestrian before she started modeling. She also was taught how to play chess by her father at a young age, and she has taken this skill with her as she travels the world for her modeling career. Being with chess lovers around city-park chessboards makes Noot feel a little bit at home, no matter the time zone.

Her first home, however, was Vancouver, British Columbia, where she was born Renata Seear on October 5, 1983, to parents of Scottish, English, and Swedish heritage. Agent and former model Selena Wallace discovered Noot in a Vancouver shopping mall when she was barely a teen. At 14, Noot moved to New York for exposure and made her runway debut the following year for Calvin Klein, Daryl K, and Ralph Lauren. She very quickly became the face of Yves Saint Laurent and worked with some of the industry’s top photographers, including Patrick Demarchelier, who shot her for a Cosmopolitan editorial.

Next came a Giorgio Armani campaign, three covers of Italian D, a namesake snowboard created by Canadian snowboard company Endeavor, and by 2001, Calvin Klein's CK One fragrance campaign. In 2003, Noot appeared in editorials for German Marie Claire and German Vogue, photographed by Russell James and Raymond Meier, respectively, and she became the face of Vera Wang Bridal. By 2006, Noot had signed a contract for Vera Wang Parfum and was showing off her gorgeous mane as a spokesmodel for Pantene Pro-V. After a two-year break, Noot returned to the runway to walk the fall 2007 Alexander Wang show in New York.

Noot gives back through her many charitable efforts. She founded the New York branch of Rose Charities, an organization originally started by her father and uncle many years before. They inspired Noot to get involved, and she now brings hope to many with humanitarian missions. As part of her work with Rose Charities, she helps organize BeBare, which raises money for the charity by hosting fashion shows and auctioning the outfits off the models' backs, literally. Noot has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars and is proud that every dollar goes directly to making a difference across the globe.