What happened to fashion icon Alexa Chung?
By Madhurima Haque|
In the 2000s, you couldn't get through a best-dressed list or photos of a fashion event without feeling Alexa Chung's presence.
Her unique blend of preppy and grunge – characterised by black stockings, peter pan collars, and a choppy fringe with a shoulder length bob – made her synonymous with noughties British fashion.
She carries the style with her to this day, telling Who What Wear in 2020, "Every day, half of my outfit is vintage. It's romantic; it's nostalgic. I'm a magpie for old times."
Speaking of old times, let's go right back to the beginning.
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Alexa Chung's rise to fame
Chung began her career in modelling after she was spotted at the Reading Music festival at the age of 16 in 1999. She started modelling for teen magazines and starring in music videos, even for Aussie artists Delta Goodrem and Holly Valance. Soon she was modelling for brands worldwide, including Fanta, Sony Ericsson, Sunsilk, Urban Outfitters, and more.
But after being propelled to fame so quickly at such a young age, Chung quickly became disillusioned with "straight modelling".
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"Modelling gave me a distorted body image," she told Times Online in 2008.
"As soon as I stopped, I realised how ridiculous it all was. I went on about it because I was really fed up with modelling – it's like I was saying negative things to reinforce in my mind that I had to get out. I never say or think those things now. I've used up all that neurosis – there's none left. It's just really boring. I'd rather have a bigger brain than smaller bones."
Chung instead pivoted to television, preferring roles where she could talk.
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Soon she couldn't get enough of it after launching her career in TV, beginning with a gig co-hosting Popworld, which led her to interview some of the biggest names in music like Paul McCartney and Lilly Allen at the age of just 22.
Soon she couldn't get enough of it, hosting multiple shows across different topics - music, fashion, and more - including morning music program Freshly Squeezed, comedy shows Get a Grip and The Wall, before switching to fashion programs like Gok's Fashion Fix and Frock Me.
In 2009 she moved to New York to host her eponymous web show, It's on with Alexa Chung, staying there for seven years.
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Alexa Chung's relationships
It was over this time period she dated and broke up with Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys. The union of the two charismatic stars, which began in 2007, was considered tabloid fodder – but unfortunately it wasn't meant to be, with the pair ending things in 2011.
It's far from the only newsworthy relationship Chung has been in, with her first being fashion photographer David Titlow, who was 20 years her senior and with whom she lived with for three and a half years until 2006.
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She went on to date Turner, then actor Alexander Skarsgaard from 2015 to early 2017 and later Orson Fry, the then-26-year-old heir to Fry's Chocolate company. She is currently dating and rumoured to be engaged to actor Tom Sturridge after a two year relationship.
What happened to Alexa Chung?
Over her time in the fashion industry, she became a multi-hyphenate before it was even a thing, becoming a contributing editor for Vogue and creating handbags with Mulberry in between appearances at fashion events and music festivals.
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She also became the face of multiple designers and brands, including DKNY, South Korean brand MOGG, Lacoste, Stella McCartney, Tommy Hilfiger, and a number of others.
"People used to say, 'What does she even do?' because I did so many different things. But now, that's a classic Millennial trait. No one goes on about it any more," she told the Sydney Morning Herald in 2021.
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In 2017, eighteen years after her debut in fashion, she launched her eponymous brand focusing on her unique style. However she had to close it's doors in 2022, after operations were irreversibly disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The experience of setting up and being at the helm of my own company has been rewarding and frequently joyful, but the last couple of years have been challenging for small independent businesses and ours is no exception," she wrote on Instagram at the time.
Her latest endeavour was Netflix's Next in Fashion, which she hosted with Queer Eye's Tan France. Her long-awaited return to TV was short-lived, however, with the show being cancelled after one season, and then revived with Gigi Hadid replacing her as a host.
Though she never opened up about why she did not rejoin the show, she did concurrently share about her endometriosis diagnosis and subsequent surgery to get rid of it to her fans, aiming to raise awareness of the issue.
"I understand I had the privilege of being believed and listened to," she shared on Instagram, after thanking her friends and family for looking after her post-surgery, "Maybe let's get some research going into this women's health issue so it can go from something "not clear"... to known about and treatable."
Despite the ups and downs in her career, Chung's status as an "it-girl" has reigned supreme - no matter how much the model, now 40, refutes the label.
"There's no autonomy in being an It Girl," she told SMH, "At least, not in what that term used to mean, when it was like you're a society girl. I was a television presenter – 'It Girl' was a huge insult. I have a job. I work really hard."
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