Coco Rocha (born September 10, 1988 in Toronto, Ontario) is a professional Canadian Irish dancer turned model. She is best friends with well-known model Behati Prinsloo.

Early life

Rocha was born in Toronto, Ontario, but moved to Richmond, British Columbia at a very young age. She is of Irish, Russian, and Welsh descent.

She was discovered at the age of 14 when competing in an Irish dance competition. She went to Dixon Elementary school where she was enrolled in the French immersion program then transferring to Tomekichi Homma Elementary. Later, she went to continue her education in Hugh McRoberts Secondary School. Agent Charles Stuart approached her and asked her if she would consider modeling for him. At that point, she had never thought of modeling before. When she did begin to model, her knowledge of fashion was limited. She eventually gained insight into the fashion world after her best friends crammed in fashion study sessions in between studying for exams.

Career

Rocha met legendary fashion photographer Steven Meisel in February 2006. Soon, she was featured in an editorial with Gemma Ward and Amanda Moore. The editorial kickstarted her career, landing her the cover of the February 2006 issue of Italian Vogue. The week after, she walked the Spring/Summer 2006 New York runways for a handful of designers, most notably Anna Sui and Marc Jacobs. Backstage at the Anna Sui show, Rocha met supermodel Naomi Campbell, who held her hands and told her she was "her new favorite model." After the New York Fashion Week, she soon followed by taking part in the Paris Fashion Week as well. She walked for esteemed designers like Stella McCartney, Christian Lacroix, and Emanuel Ungaro, and was chosen by Marc Jacobs to open and close his Louis Vuitton show.

During Jean Paul Gaultier's Fall/Winter 2007 show in February 2007, Rocha famously opened the show by Irish-dancing down the runway, showcasing her talents outside of modeling. This event, along with Hilary Rhoda walking for Balenciaga in 2006, was cited in US Vogue as the indication that "supermodels" have returned.

In the May 2007 issue of US Vogue she was featured on the cover with fellow models Doutzen Kroes, Caroline Trentini, Raquel Zimmermann, Sasha Pivovarova, Agyness Deyn, Jessica Stam, Hilary Rhoda, Chanel Iman, and Lily Donaldson as the new crop of supermodels.

In the May 2008 issue of US Vogue she was featured in a spread called Superheroes and Fantasies.

Rocha also appeared on the cover of Numero, W, Vogue Italia, Vogue Korea, and the 2006 TIME Style&Design issue with fellow top model Du Juan.

She works with modeling agencies Charles Stuart Agency (her mother agency), Elite Model Management, Why Not Model Agency, and Marilyn Agency.