Ashley Graham

Ashley Graham was born in Lincoln, Nebraska and was discovered in a mall at the age of 12. Her natural beauty and effervescent personality led to her signing with an international modeling agency at the age of 13, launching her successful, diverse career.

Graham has worked in numerous areas of the fashion industry including editorial, catalogue, runway, commercial, television and film. In February 2015, she starred in #CurvesinBikinis, a campaign with swimsuitsforall that made her the first plus size model to appear in an ad in Sports Illustrated’ s Swimsuit edition. In 2015, she also starred in two highly publicized Lane Bryant campaigns: #ImNoAngel and #PlusIsEqual. In February 2016, Graham made history by becoming the first plus-size model to grace the cover of the coveted Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

Graham has been featured on the covers of Elle Quebec, London Times, Cover Magazine, Style Magazine and The Edit and has been featured in the Shape Issues of Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Glamour and Elle UK. She has appeared regularly in several Levi’s, Calvin Klein and Marina Rinaldi campaigns, and her list of regular clients includes Nordstrom, H&M, Old Navy, Bloomingdale’s and more. In 2015 Graham secured an exclusive partnership with swimsuits for all, for who she will design three annual swimsuit collections with the first launching in May 2016. In January 2016, Graham was named to Forbes Magazine’s coveted “30 Under 30” list and was featured on the cover of the magazine’s January issue alongside top celebrities and entrepreneurs.

A business-savvy entrepreneur, Graham has collaborated with Canadian brand Addition Elle on her own line of seductive, size-conscious lingerie. Featuring sexy pieces designed to fit and accentuate women of various sizes, the line is now available at Nordstrom and on AshleyGrahamCollections.com.

As a role model and body activist, Graham is regularly invited to speak at numerous high schools and girls’ groups about body image, self-acceptance and female empowerment. Her first TEDx talk “Plus Size? More Like My Size” was given at TedxBerleeValencia in April 2015. She is also a co-founder of ALDA, a collective of models that represents beauty beyond size and challenges conventional notions within the fashion industry.

Graham currently hosts Lifetime's American Beauty Star, a competition series to find the next best hair or makeup artist.

Graham currently resides in Brooklyn, New York, and travels the world for various jobs. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband Justin.