Modeling Christensen rose to prominence in the 1990s, becoming one of the most popular models of her time. In 1990, she starred in the music video for
Chris Isaak's song "
Wicked Game". The video was later featured on
MTV's "Sexiest Video of All-Time", voted #4 on
VH1's "50 Sexiest Video Moments", and voted #13 on VH1's "100 Greatest Videos". She appeared on magazine covers including
Vogue,
Elle,
Harper’s Bazaar, and
W, and in fashion campaigns including
Revlon,
Chanel,
Versace,
Lanvin,
Prada,
Sonia Rykiel,
Hermès,
Valentino and
Karl Lagerfeld. One noted campaign featured her in a billboard in
Times Square, naked, "except for a strategically placed banana leaf." She was in the ''
Victoria's Secret'' catalog and in their television commercials as one of the original
"Angels", along with
Tyra Banks,
Karen Mulder,
Daniela Peštová, and
Stephanie Seymour. In 1996, Frank DeCaro of the
New York Times cited Christensen, along with
Linda Evangelista,
Christy Turlington,
Cindy Crawford,
Naomi Campbell,
Elle Macpherson and
Claudia Schiffer, as "The Magnificent Seven". DeCaro reflected, "Known by their first names to legions of fans, they are the
supermodel legends of the modern catwalk, the girl next door pretty underneath all the paint". Christensen has continued to model. She graced the covers of
Vogue Italia (2016), Portuguese
Vogue (2016), British
Tatler (2018), French
Elle (2018). In September 2017, Christensen, along with Schiffer, Campbell, Crawford, and
Carla Bruni, closed the Versace spring/summer 2018 fashion show, which was an homage to the late
Gianni Versace and
supermodel history. She walked the runway for
Dolce & Gabbana and appeared in their spring/summer 2019 advertisement campaign with Carla Bruni,
Eva Herzigová and
Marpessa Hennink. Christensen is signed to ZZO Management in Paris, D Management in Milan, Unsigned Group in London and 1/One Management in New York City. and
Kung Faux creator Mic Neumann. She launched her own clothing line, Christensen & Sigersen, with lifelong friend Leif Sigersen. The pair previously ran Butik, a shop in New York's
West Village. Christensen created a
vintage clothing line, sold in her mother's store, the Yo-Yo Second Hand Shop, in
Christianshavn, Copenhagen, Denmark. In 2012, she created a lingerie collection, Helena Christensen for Triumph, for the UK-based lingerie brand. Christensen's collaboration with Triumph started in 2008 as the face of the Triumph brand. Aside from her modeling work, Christensen is an accomplished photographer herself, whose work has appeared in
Nylon, and HotelArena in Amsterdam, 2007. Her exhibition "Far From, Close" appeared at
Dactyl Foundation in 2008–09, to benefit
International Center of Photography educational programs and
Chernobyl Children's Project International. In 2014, Christensen worked on a photography series: Liberty Ross, Liv Tyler, and The Pursuit of Grace. "I like doing personal, very intimate projects that don't require a lot of pre-meetings". Christensen has traveled extensively and often finds herself on both sides of the camera. In 2016, she was announced as the "Global Explorer" for the Luxury Collection Hotels and Resorts. Her major project for the company was documenting a trip from the seaside town of Paracas to the colonial city of Cusco and the nearby
Urubamba Valley.
Climate change awareness Christensen partnered with
Oxfam in 2009 to document the
impact of climate change in Peru, where her mother was born. "
Climate change in Peru is already devastating and we welcome Helena's commitment to show this to the rest of the world," said Frank Boeren, Oxfam's coordinator in Peru. "Peru is on the frontline of climate change, along with other developing countries, which have played little part in causing the problem".
Breast cancer fundraising In 2006, Christensen launched the second annual
Fashion Targets Breast Cancer campaign, which involves the sale of designer t-shirts to raise money for Ireland's
Action Breast Cancer and
Europa Donna Ireland to help younger women with breast cancer. ==Personal life==