Agyness Deyn (; born Laura Michelle Hollins, 16 February 1983) is an English model and actress. She is best known for her successful modelling career in the 2000s, and has been called one of the decade's top models. Since her retirement from modelling in the 2010s, she has pursued acting and design, among other ventures.

Early life

Laura Michelle Hollins was born in Littleborough, Greater Manchester to Roman Catholic parents who later divorced. She spent her early childhood in

Failsworth Failsworth is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, north-east of Manchester and south-west of Oldham. The M60 motorway, M60 ring-road motorway skirts it to the east. The population at the United Kingdom C ...

. The second of three children, Deyn grew up in Cloughfold next to

Rawtenstall Rawtenstall () is a town in the borough of Borough of Rossendale, Rossendale, Lancashire, England. The town lies 15 miles (24 km) north of Manchester, 22 miles (35 km) east of Preston, Lancashire, Preston and 45 miles (70 km) south east of Lanca ...

in Rossendale Valley, Lancashire. She attended All Saints Roman Catholic High School and completed her

A Levels The A-level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational a ...

Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School (BRGS) is a selective school, selective co-educational Academy (English school), academy grammar school in Waterfoot, Rossendale, Lancashire, England. The school is named after the two main towns either side ...

. Deyn's name was apparently coined to further her modelling career after she consulted her mother's friend, a

numerology Numerology (known before the 20th century as arithmancy) is the belief in an occult, divine or mystical relationship between a number and one or more coinciding events. It is also the study of the numerical value, via an alphanumeric system, ...

expert, who advised her of the most 'fortuitous' way to spell the name 'Agnes'. It was reported that her mother, Lorraine (a nurse), and her sister Emily both changed their surname to Deyn, while Lorraine has changed the I in her first name to Y. Deyn's working life started at a

fish and chip Fish and chips is a hot dish consisting of battered and fried fish, served with chips. Often considered the national dish of the United Kingdom, fish and chips originated in England in the 19th century. Today, the dish is a common takeaway ...

shop in Stubbins, Rossendale, where she was a part-time server at the age of 13. Even at an early age she had an eye for style and by 17 she had already had her head shaved. "I've had short hair since I was 13, and when I was 17, I had a skinhead." In 1999, she won the '' Rossendale Free Press'' "Face of '99" competition, aged just 16. Deyn had her first modeling experience for Sunday Best, a local

boutique. When her close friend Henry Holland moved to London to study fashion, Deyn would stay with him at his university halls. She worked in a fast-food restaurant during the day and a bar at night.

Career

Modelling

Deyn's biography claims that she was "spotted" while shopping with fashion designer Henry Holland in

Kentish Town Kentish Town is an area of northwest London, England, in the London Borough of Camden, immediately north of Camden Town, close to Hampstead Heath. Kentish Town likely derives its name from Ken-ditch or Caen-ditch, meaning the "bed of a waterw ...

, London. She then signed with SELECT Model Management. In May 2007, she was featured on the cover of American ''Vogue'', alongside Doutzen Kroes, Caroline Trentini, Raquel Zimmermann,

Sasha Pivovarova Aleksandra ''Sasha'' Igorevna Pivovarova (; born 21 January 1985) is a Russian supermodel and artist. She is best known as the longest appearing fashion model for Prada, posed for 19 advertisement campaigns, a record Pivovarova has set for the ...

, Jessica Stam, Coco Rocha, Hilary Rhoda, Chanel Iman and Lily Donaldson as "The World's Next Top Models." She has also been featured on the covers of: UK '' Vogue'', the ''Observer Woman'' supplement, ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...

Style'', '' Pop'', ''

Grazia ''Grazia'' (; ; stylized in all caps) is a weekly women's magazine that originated in Italy with international editions printed in Albania, Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Colombia, France, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, In ...

'', ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'', ''Style & Life'', ''

Vogue Italia ''Vogue Italia'' is the Italian edition of '' Vogue'' magazine owned by Condé Nast International. In publication since 1964, it has been called the top fashion magazine in the world. The publication is currently edited by Francesca Ragazzi and ...

'' and numerous other international publications. She has walked the runways for

Chanel Chanel ( , ) is a French luxury fashion house founded in 1910 by Coco Chanel in Paris. It is privately owned by French brothers, Alain and Gérard Wertheimer, through the holding company Chanel Limited, established in 2018 and headquarte ...

Dolce & Gabbana Dolce & Gabbana (), also known by initials D&G, is an Italian Luxury goods, luxury fashion house founded in 1985 in Legnano by Italian designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana. The house specializes in ready-to-wear, handbags, accessories, ...

Burberry Burberry Group plc is a British luxury fashion house established in 1856 by Thomas Burberry and headquartered in London, England. It designs and distributes ready to wear, including trench coats, leather accessories, and footwear. It is l ...

, Hermés,

Dior Christian Dior SE (), commonly known as Dior, is a French Multinational corporation, multinational luxury goods company that is controlled and chaired by French businessman Bernard Arnault, who also heads LVMH. , Dior controlled around 42% of ...

, Lanvin,

DKNY DKNY is a New York City–based American fashion house for men and women, founded in 1984 by Donna Karan. The company specializes in a wide range of fashion products, including clothing, footwear, accessories and fragrances. A major misconcepti ...

Karl Lagerfeld Karl Otto Lagerfeld also called Kaiser Karl (; 10 September 1933 – 19 February 2019) was a German fashion designer, photographer, and creative director. Lagerfeld began his career in fashion in the 1950s, working for several top fashion hous ...

Moschino Moschino () is an Italian Luxury goods, luxury fashion house founded in 1983 by Franco Moschino in Milan known for over-the-top, Camp (style), campy designs. The company specializes in ready-to-wear, handbags, and fashion accessories. Moschino's ...

Versace Gianni Versace S.r.l. (), usually referred to as Versace ( ), is an Italian luxury elite fashion company founded by Gianni Versace in 1978. The company produces Italian-made ready-to-wear and accessories, as well as '' haute couture'' under it ...

Michael Kors Michael David Kors (born Karl Anderson Jr. August 9, 1959) is an American fashion designer. He is the chief creative officer of his brand, Michael Kors, which sells men's and women's ready-to-wear, accessories, watches, jewelry, footwear, and f ...

Zac Posen Zachary E. Posen (; born October 24, 1980) is an American fashion designer. Early life Zachary E. Posen was born and raised in a American Jews, Jewish family in New York City, residing in the SoHo neighborhood of lower Manhattan. He is the son ...

, Celine, Roberto Cavalli,

Bottega Veneta Bottega Veneta S.r.l () is an Italian luxury fashion house based in Milan, Italy. Its product lines include ready-to-wear, handbags, shoes, accessories, jewellery and fragrances. Bottega Veneta is headquartered in Milan, Italy, with its main at ...

Proenza Schouler Proenza Schouler is a womenswear and accessories brand founded in New York City in 2002 by designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez. In October 2024 Proenza Schouler appointed Shira Suveyke Snyder as chief executive officer, succeeding Kay ...

Tommy Hilfiger Thomas Jacob Hilfiger ( ; born March 24, 1951) is an American fashion designer and the founder of Tommy Hilfiger (company), Tommy Hilfiger Corporation. After starting his career by co-founding a chain of jeans/fashion stores called People's P ...

, Stella McCartney,

Viktor & Rolf Viktor & Rolf is a Dutch avant-garde luxury fashion house founded in 1993 by Viktor Horsting (born 1969, Geldrop) and Rolf Snoeren (born 1969, Dongen). For more than twenty years, Viktor & Rolf have sought to challenge preconceptions of fashion an ...

Max Mara Max Mara (Italian aks 'ma:ra is an Italian fashion business that markets upscale ready-to-wear clothing. It was established in 1951 in Reggio Emilia by Achille Maramotti (7 January 1927 – 12 January 2005). As of October 2024 the company ha ...

Oscar De La Renta Óscar Arístides Renta Fiallo (22 July 1932 – 20 October 2014), known professionally as Oscar de la Renta, was a Dominican fashion designer. Born in Santo Domingo, he was trained by Cristóbal Balenciaga and Antonio del Castillo. De la Renta ...

Ralph Lauren Ralph Lauren ( ; ; born October 14, 1939) is an American fashion designer, philanthropist, and billionaire businessman, best known for founding the brand Ralph Lauren (brand), Ralph Lauren, a global multibillion-dollar enterprise. He stepped do ...

Giles Deacon Giles David Deacon (born 14 December 1969) is a British fashion designer, illustrator, creative director and founder of Giles Deacon group, a fashion enterprise. Deacon joined the Paris Fashion Week in 2016. Deacon has been known to challenge the ...

, Alexander Wang,

Jean Paul Gaultier Jean Paul Gaultier (; born 24 June 1952) is a French haute couture and Ready-to-wear, prêt-à-porter fashion designer. He is described as an "enfant terrible" of the fashion industry and is known for his unconventional designs with motifs in ...

, Alberta Ferretti,

Carolina Herrera Carolina Herrera (born María Carolina Josefina Pacanins y Niño, 8 January 1939) is a Venezuelan Americans, Venezuelan American fashion designer. Known for her personal style, she founded her namesake brand in 1980. Herrera has designed for va ...

, and Yves Saint Laurent. Deyn has appeared in advertisements for

, Burberry, Emporio Armani,

Calvin Klein Calvin Richard Klein (born November 19, 1942) is an American fashion designer. In 1968, he launched the company that later became Calvin Klein. In addition to clothing, he has also given his name to a range of perfumes, watches, and jewellery. ...

Moncler Moncler S.p.A. is an Italian luxury fashion brand specialized in ready-to-wear outerwear headquartered in Milan, Italy. Its core branding includes the Rooster#Terminology, cockerel, "M" monogram, felt appliqué badge, crossed skis and cartoon duc ...

Anna Sui Anna Sui (; born August 4, 1955) is an American fashion designer. Her brand categories include several fashion lines, footwear, cosmetics, Perfume, fragrances, eyewear, jewelry, Fashion accessory, accessories and home goods. Sui was named one ...

Giorgio Armani Giorgio Armani (; born 11 July 1934) is an Italian fashion designer and a billionaire. He first gained renown working for Cerruti 1881. He formed his company, Armani, in 1975, which eventually expanded into music, sport, and luxury hotels. By 200 ...

John Galliano John Charles Galliano (born 28 November 1960) is a British fashion designer. He was the creative director of his eponymous label John Galliano and French fashion houses Givenchy and Dior. From 2014 to 2024, Galliano was the creative director ...

Gianfranco Ferré Gianfranco Ferré (; 15 August 1944 – 17 June 2007) was an Italian fashion designer also known as "the architect of fashion" for his background and his original attitude toward creating fashion design. Early life and education Ferré was born ...

, Blumarine,

Vivienne Westwood Dame Vivienne Isabel Westwood (; 8 April 1941 – 29 December 2022) was an English fashion designer and businesswoman, largely responsible for bringing modern punk and new wave fashions into the mainstream. In 2022, ''Sky Arts'' ranked her the ...

, Cacharel, Doc Martens,

Shiseido is a Japanese multinational cosmetic company founded in Tokyo, Japan in 1872. Its product categories consist of: skin care, makeup, body care, hair care, and fragrances. The company is one of the oldest cosmetic companies in the world an ...

Mulberry ''Morus'', a genus of flowering plants in the family Moraceae, consists of 19 species of deciduous trees commonly known as mulberries, growing wild and under cultivation in many temperate world regions. Generally, the genus has 64 subordinat ...

, Paul Smith,

Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized in all lowercase since 1949) is a German athletic apparel and footwear corporation headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany. It is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe, and the second largest in the ...

, and

Reebok Reebok International Limited ( ) is an American footwear and clothing brand that is a part of Authentic Brands Group. It was established in England in 1958 as a companion company to J.W. Foster and Sons, a sporting goods company which had bee ...

. She has been the face of

fragrance An aroma compound, also known as an odorant, aroma, fragrance, flavoring or flavor, is a chemical compound that has a smell or odor. For an individual chemical or class of chemical compounds to impart a smell or fragrance, it must be sufficien ...

''The Beat'' by Burberry, ''Gold by Giles Deacon'' at New Look replacing

Drew Barrymore Drew Blythe Barrymore (born February 22, 1975) is an American actress, talk show host, and businesswoman. A member of the Barrymore family of actors, she has received multiple List of awards and nominations received by Drew Barrymore, awards a ...

's fragrance ''Ma Dame'', ''

'' (replacing

Angelina Jolie Angelina Jolie ( ; born Angelina Jolie Voight, , June 4, 1975) is an American actress, filmmaker, and humanitarian. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Angelina Jolie, numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards ...

), ''Rock Me!'' by Anna Sui, and childhood friend Henry Holland's label '' House of Holland''. In 2009, Deyn landed a Uniqlo campaign and appeared in a commercial with Gabriel Aubry. In May 2008, Deyn was guest editor of '' i-D'' magazine. The issue was devoted to her and includes articles written by and about Deyn, as well as interviews she conducted with fashion designers such as

. Deyn's was on one of the fourteen covers of '' V magazine'' autumn issue. Each cover employs a

head shot A head shot or headshot is a photographic portrait in which the focus is on the subject's face. The term is usually applied to professional profile images on social media, images used on online dating profiles, and promotional images of actors, ...

of a famous model, either from new models or established

supermodel A supermodel is a highly paid fashion model who has a worldwide reputation and background in ''haute couture'' and commercial modeling. The term became popular in the 1990s. Supermodels usually work for prominent fashion designers and clothin ...

s; it was photographed by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin. In June 2009, the ''

Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily Tabloid journalism, tabloid newspaper. Founded in 1903, it is part of Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), which is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the tit ...

'' reported that Deyn had quit modeling to spend more time with her then boyfriend, singer-songwriter

Miles Kane Miles Peter Kane (born 17 March 1986) is an English singer and musician, best known as a solo artist and the co-frontman of the Last Shadow Puppets. He was also the former frontman of the Rascals, before the band announced their break-up in Au ...

. The newspaper quoted a source as saying that modeling had started to bore Deyn and that she had hired an acting agent to pursue an acting career in British

independent film An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is film production, produced outside the Major film studios, major film studio system in addition to being produced and distributed by independ ...

s. '' Vogue Paris'' described her as one of the top 30 models of the 2000s. Deyn appeared in the May 2011 British ''Vogue'' editorial, photographed by Tim Walker. In October 2012, Deyn once reiterated that she had retired from modeling in an interview with ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

''. She stated, "I suppose I have stopped modeling officially. I've not done any for a good long while now. I think it was about four years ago when my feelings were changing towards the industry. I didn't hate it, but I was yearning to do something different. I was on a gradient. It was a gradual thing." She intends to focus on her acting career. Deyn made an appearance on the Yves Saint Laurent stage in 2015. Deyn later reunited with Burberry, walking the runway for the brand at

London Fashion Week London Fashion Week (LFW) is a clothing trade show that takes place in London, England, twice a year, in June and September. Showcasing over 250 designers to a global audience of influential media and retailers, it is one of the 'Big Four' fash ...

in 2019 and 2024.

Music

Deyn provides vocals for the single "Who" by Five O'Clock Heroes as well as featuring in the video. The single was poorly received by ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'', who gave it only a 2/10. The single charted at No. 109 in the UK. Until recently she was a member of the now defunct group Lucky Knitwear. Deyn's voice can be heard at the beginning of Rihanna's music video for "

We Found Love "We Found Love" is a song by Barbadian singer Rihanna released as the lead single from her sixth studio album, '' Talk That Talk'' (2011). The song features Scottish DJ Calvin Harris, whose 2012 album '' 18 Months'' also includes the track. Produ ...

Acting

In the 2010 film '' Clash of the Titans'', Deyn played

Aphrodite Aphrodite (, ) is an Greek mythology, ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion, procreation, and as her syncretism, syncretised Roman counterpart , desire, Sexual intercourse, sex, fertility, prosperity, and ...

, Greek goddess of beauty, love, and sex. In March 2011, Deyn appeared as an owl-bearing warrior in

Woodkid Yoann Lemoine (; born 16 March 1983), known professionally as Woodkid, is a French music video director, graphic designer and singer-songwriter. His most notable works include his music video direction for Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream (Katy Perry ...

's debut music video, "Iron". In 2012, Deyn starred opposite

Richard Coyle Richard Coyle (born 6 February 1972) is an English actor. He portrayed the lead role of Father Faustus Blackwood in the Netflix series '' Chilling Adventures of Sabrina'', and Jeff Murdock in the sitcom '' Coupling''. Early and personal life ...

in ''Pusher'', an English language remake of Nicolas Winding Refn's Danish film of the same name, where she played Flo, a strong-minded stripper. On 28 February 2012, Deyn played her first role on the West End stage, as Paula in François Archambault's comedy, ''The Leisure Society''. After receiving excellent reviews for her role in that play, Deyn was cast to play the main female role, Chris Guthrie, in a film adaptation of the Scottish-set novel '' Sunset Song''. In 2013, Deyn played the lead role in ''

Electricity Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...

'', a film adaptation of the novel by Ray Robinson, about the journey of a young woman with epilepsy. In 2015, she starred in the fantasy-horror thriller film '' Patient Zero''. In 2017, Deyn began filming ''

Hard Sun ''Hard Sun'' is a pre-apocalyptic British crime drama television series, created and written by Neil Cross, starring Agyness Deyn and Jim Sturgess as the principal characters, DI Elaine Renko and DCI Charlie Hicks. The series is a BBC co-pro ...

'', a pre-apocalyptic crime drama for the BBC at Hanstead Park in

Bricket Wood Bricket Wood is a village in the county of Hertfordshire, England, south of St Albans city centre (though in said city's contiguous built-up area) and north-northeast of Watford. History The area of Bricket Wood was mostly occupied by farme ...

, Hertfordshire. In 2018, Deyn appeared in the Netflix original movie '' The Titan'' as Dr. Freya and starred in

Alex Ross Perry Alex Ross Perry is an American filmmaker and actor. Prolific in independent film, he is best known for writing and directing ''Listen Up Philip'' (2014) and ''Her Smell'' (2018). Early life Perry is Jewish. He grew up in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania ...

's ''

Her Smell ''Her Smell'' is a 2018 American drama film written, co-produced and directed by Alex Ross Perry. It stars Elisabeth Moss, Cara Delevingne, Dan Stevens, Agyness Deyn, Gayle Rankin, Ashley Benson, Amber Heard, Dylan Gelula, Eka Darville and ...

'' as Marielle Hell, bassist for the fictional band Something She.

Design ventures

In 2010, Deyn collaborated with her younger sister Emily to create a line of T-shirts and tank tops for high street chain

Uniqlo ( ; ) is a Japanese casual wear designer and retailer. The company is a subsidiary of Fast Retailing, Fast Retailing Co., Ltd. Clare Waight Keller is the creative director. History Men's Shop OS was founded in Ube, Yamaguchi. It was rebrand ...

. In 2012, Deyn began a design partnership with Dr. Martens called Agyness Deyn for Dr. Martens, a line of accessories, shoes, and clothing. In spring of 2014, she planned to release a third collaboration with the brand.

Personal life

Deyn was married to American actor Giovanni Ribisi from 2012 to 2015. In August 2016, Deyn married hedge fund marketer Joel McAndrew in New York. In the 2000s, she dated musicians Josh Hubbard of The Paddingtons, Albert Hammond Jr. of

the Strokes The Strokes are an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1998. The band is composed of lead singer and primary songwriter Julian Casablancas, guitarists Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond, Jr., Albert Hammond Jr., bassist Nikola ...

Alex Greenwald Alex Greenwald is an American musician, actor, and record producer. He is the lead vocalist of the California rock band Phantom Planet. Life and career Greenwald is American. In 1994, Greenwald formed Phantom Planet in his teens with four fri ...

Phantom Planet Phantom Planet is an American Rock music, rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1994. The band consists of Alex Greenwald (vocals, rhythm guitar), Darren Robinson (lead guitar), Sam Farrar (bass guitar) and Jeff Conrad (drums). The band is bes ...