Stella Tennant


Stella Tennant is a British model. The granddaughter of Andrew Cavendish, 11th Duke of Devonshire and Deborah Mitford, one of the well-known aristocratic siblings, the Mitford sisters, Tennant was born in Scotland and attended St Leonards School in St Andrews. Her parents are The Hon. Tobias William Tennant, son of the 2nd Baron Glenconner, and Lady Emma Cavendish.
In 1993, she attracted the attention of photographers such as Steven Meisel and Bruce Weber and soon achieved success as a fashion model, posing for magazines such as French, British and Italian Vogue as well as Harper's Bazaar and Numero.

Career

Tennant studied sculpture at Winchester School of Art. In 1993 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.
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 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 turned osteopath David Lasnet in her hometown of Oxnam, Roxburghshire in the Borders of Scotland, on 22 June 1999. They have four children together. 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.