 |
Maggie Rizer's career began when her mother mailed family photos to an agency in New York during her senior year in high school. Though she planned to attend college to become a veterinarian, Maggie deferred college after one year to pursue a highly anticipated career in modeling. During her first months as a model, she appeared in three editorials and a cover for Italian Vogue photographed by Steven Meisel; this brought her straight to the top of fashion almost over night. During her career, Maggie has been featured on the covers of top fashion magazines including American Vogue, Italian Vogue, Citizen K, Glamour, and Elle. She has posed for top fashion magazines including Vogue (Italian, French, UK), Harper's Bazaar, Allure, ID, and W. Maggie has worked with the best photographers in the fashion industry from Steven Meisel, Mario Testino, Patrick Demarchelier, Craig McDean, and Irving Penn to the late Avedon and Herb Ritts. In the winter of 1999, Maggie was featured as the only model in the Victor and Rolf couture show. She was dressed as a Russian doll while rotating on a pedestal in front of the audience. Victor and Rolf layered a total of nine layers of jewel encrusted layers on Maggie. After each layer, the small pedestal would rotate, giving the audience a chance to see before the next layer was laid on. By the end of the performance, she was carrying a total of 70 kilos on her shoulders. Maggie has walked the runways of fashion's top designers including Calvin Klein, Marc Jacobs, Versace, Chanel, Dolce and Gabbana, and Dior. She has appeared in top advertising campaigns for Louis Vuitton, Yohji Yamamoto, Max Mara, Versace, Calvin Klein, Fendi, Chanel, Tommy Hilfiger, and Clinique. Maggie's ability to transform her look has given her the extra edge as a model to appear as both a quirky redhead as well as the all-American girl next door. She has been nominated five times for the fashion industry's highest acclaim, Model of the Year at the VH-1 Fashion Awards. Growing up, Maggie had a very good relationship with her openly gay and HIV positive father, Kevin Rizer. He lived in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, where he raised golden retrievers after is retirement until the time of his death in 1992 when Maggie was fourteen. When she began modeling, it was extremely important for Maggie to work with AIDS organizations to raise awareness and funds in memory and honor of her father. She worked together with her sister Julia to create an event with the Design Institute Foundation Funding AIDS (DIFFA). Their event lasted from 2000-2006 and raised millions of dollars to help others fight this disease. After working so long with DIFFA, Maggie feels that working with organizations to help others is something that will always be a part of her life. Recently, she became an ambassador for Operation Smile, and she is a vice chairman of both New Yorkers for Children and the ASPCA. She has been working with Alexandra Kerry on a documentary to raise teens' awareness of AIDS. Maggie has recently shot ads for Sephora, worked with designer Nicole Miller and appeared as a guest host on the CW's Stylista. She is also training for a half-marathon and working on a memoir. Maggie currently lives in Manhattan with her two golden retrievers, Henry and Albert. |
|
