STECKBRIEF


Lydia Marie Hearst-Shaw (born 19 September 1984) is an American model and an heiress to the publishing fortune established by her maternal great-grandfather William Randolph Hearst.

Biography

A daughter of kidnapping victim and publishing heiress Patricia Campbell Hearst and Bernard Shaw, she was born and raised in Wilton, Connecticut. Her father, who was her mother's bodyguard before the couple's marriage, is now the head of security for the Hearst Corporation.

She briefly attended the Lawrenceville School. Since graduating from Wilton High School she attended Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut where she majored in communications and technology before being discovered by fashion photographer Stephen Meisel. Her first modeling assignment was for the cover of the Italian edition of Vogue.

She prefers to use the surname Hearst, rather than Hearst-Shaw, which is on her birth certificate.

After shooting for Puma's French 77 collection for a limited edition book called "The Last Playboys Wear Puma" Lydia teamed up in a creative partnership between Puma and long-time friends Heatherette to design a high-end limited edition handbag. The bag designed by Lydia is luxurious, custom version of Puma's French 77 vintage racket bag. She designed the bag in three color waves Delicate, Night and Wild. The PUMA Lydia Bag made its debut on the Heatherette runway February 6, 2007. Puma has given Lydia the opportunity to see behind the curtain into the design process. Only 100 handbags are being made with a total of 30 being sold internationally in Selfridges, Puma Black Store Tokyo and the Meatpacking District NYC, while 70 bags will be distributed among various celebrities and magazine editors. She has continued her partnership with Puma and is set to release a New Holiday Collection of handbags as of November 27, 2007. And she is also set to design and release her own line of athletic gear in association with PUMA in spring 2008.