In the 1990s, Eva Herzigova was known as the Marilyn Monroe of fashion. Born on March 10, 1973 in Litvínov (Czech Republic), the model, who turns 50 today, stood out in that decade thanks to a bra with which she achieved world fame and a sculptural body that conquered the most famous designers.
As a teenager, Eva had no plans to go into the fashion industry. In fact, she had planned to study Economics in college. But everything changed when she, at the age of 16, was encouraged by a friend of hers to enter a contest organized by the Madison agency in Prague. The young woman herself won the contest and a few months later she moved to Paris, fleeing a then communist Czech Republic.
Eva Herzigova when she was 16 years old
Her first notable job as a model was to replace Claudia Schiffer in the Guess campaign dedicated to her denim clothing collection. Though she began modeling with a long brown hair, Herzigova decided to go blonde, a change that quickly led to her being dubbed the ’90s Marilyn Monroe.
Eva Herzigova dyed herself blonde when she started working as a model
Wonderbra, the bra that changed your life
But her big break was the campaign she starred in for Wonderbra in 1994. The bra that increased the size and enhanced the breasts without undergoing surgery revolutionized the life of the top, which became the great claim of designers, firms and magazines of the moment. The message “Hello, boys” (“Hello guys”) that appeared in the Wonderbra advertising campaign caused a great impact in the United Kingdom. Legend has it that the billboard that showed a very young Eva looking at her breasts caused more than one traffic accident in the area.
Eva Herzigova in the Wonderbra campaign that changed her life
The campaign arrived in the United States a few months later. New messages such as “look into my eyes…I said into my eyes” were shown, with Herzigova posing sensually. The bra began to sell every 15 seconds, only in its first year in the country it reached 120 million dollars in sales. In fact, the Council of Fashion Designers of America paid tribute to the Wonderbra for “creating a phenomenon never before experienced in the industry.”
Eva Herzigova poses in the Wonderbra bra
Gianni Versace, Vivienne Westwood, John Galliano, Paco Rabanne or Giorgio Armani were some of the designers who signed the Czech top after the success of this campaign. He starred on several magazine covers and walked the most prominent catwalks in the industry.
Eva Herzigova in the 90s
She was also a Victoria’s Secret angel, appearing in several of its spectacular shows that registered million-dollar audiences. Another of his achievements was appearing in the Pirelli calendar and in the swimwear edition of Sports Illustrated for three consecutive years.
Eva Herzigova at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in 2001
In 1999, the Czech woman announced her withdrawal from the catwalks. However, in 2008 she resumed her profession posing for Louis Vuitton and Roberto Cavalli and in recent years she has continued to walk for brands such as Thierry Mugler or Schiaparelli. Eva is, along with Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss or Cindy Crawford, one of the few iconic 90’s models that is still active today.
Eva Herzigova at the Schiaparelli show at Paris Fashion Week
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The cinema, his other passion
In addition to fashion, Eva also had a passion for the world of cinema. Her dream was to be an actress and in the 90s, when she had not yet starred in the Wonderbra campaign, she made her acting debut on the television sitcom hellalong with other colleagues such as Kate Moss or Helena Christensen, the latter one of her great friends.
Eva Herzigova on the cover of ‘Elle’ magazine
In 1995 he made his big screen debut with guardian angelsalong with Gérard Depardieu, and three years later she was one of the protagonists of the film The friend of the heart. Also appeared in Just for the time being (2000), Cha Cha Cha (2013) and storyteller (2014).
Eva Herzigova in a romantic image with her husband
As for her personal life, the top married Tico Torres, drummer for the Bon Jovi group, in 1996. They separated two years later. But the great love of her life is the businessman Gregorio Marsiaj, whom she met in 2002. The couple, who said “yes, I do” in 2017, have three children: George (2007), Philippe (2011) and Edward (2013).
