Career

Tennant was studying sculpture at the Winchester School of Art when she was "discovered". She sent photographs of herself to a high fashion magazine, and a friend introduced her to fashion writer Plum Sykes. She had recently had her nasal septum pierced, which was an unusual look for models at the time, and Sykes was taken aback.

"One key shoot she (Isabella Blow) did was photographer Steven Meisel's Anglo-Saxon Attitudes in 1993, informally known as the 'London babes' shoot. At a cost of around £80,000, it is still the most expensive shoot for British Vogue. Isabella Blow's brief was to find beautiful aristocratic English girls to inspire Meisel. The girls who made the final cut were Blow's cousin, Honor Fraser, the designer Bella Freud, Blow's new assistant Plum Sykes, and Tennant." During the Babes shoot, Issie told Tennant, "If I make you famous, I want a bottle of my favourite perfume.' A bottle of Fracas duly arrived".

Meisel then used her on the cover of Italian Vogue. Soon after, Karl Lagerfeld announced Tennant as the new face of Chanel, with an exclusive contract.

Tennant has appeared on fashion runways for Shiatzy Chen, Chanel and is a muse of the designer Karl Lagerfeld. She has also appeared in numerous advertising campaigns, including Calvin Klein, Chanel, Hermès, and Burberry. In 2010, she starred in L.K.Bennett's new Spring Summer campaign photographed by Tim Walker.

During the Closing Ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics, Tennant was one of the British models wearing fashions created by British designers specifically for the event.

Personal life

Tennant married French photographer David Lasnet in her hometown of Oxnam, Scotland, on 22 June 1999. They have four children together (Marcel, born 1998; Cecily, born 2001; Jasmine, born 2003; and Iris, born 2005). The family lives near Duns, in the small village of Edrom in Berwickshire, in the Scottish Borders.

Activism

In 2009, Tennant worked with green lifestyle organisation Global Cool to promote using less energy at home. She made a video with them and became one of the faces of their Turn Up The Style, Turn Down The Heat campaign.

In August 2014, Tennant was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to The Guardian opposing Scottish independence in the run-up to September's referendum on that issue.

Honours, awards

In June 2012, Tennant was inducted as Model of the Year into the Scottish Fashion Awards Hall of Fame at their annual awards event.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]