Chung was born in
Winchester, Hampshire, England, the youngest of four children, and was raised in nearby
Privett. ==Career==
Modelling (left) and Chung in 2009 Chung was scouted after being seen in the comedy tent at the
Reading Festival at the age of 16. She modelled for
teen magazines, such as
Elle Girl and
CosmoGIRL!, and worked for companies including
Fanta,
Sony Ericsson,
Sunsilk,
Urban Outfitters, and
Tampax. She appeared in music videos for artists including
The Streets,
Westlife,
Delta Goodrem,
Reuben and
Holly Valance and starred as Jake in a
scripted reality show called
Shoot Me, broadcast on
Fashion TV in 2005. After four years, Chung quit modeling with the intention of studying an art
foundation or
fashion journalism course, having become disillusioned with her career. She had developed a "distorted
body image" and "low
self-esteem" through modelling. After she became a TV personality, Chung made a return to occasional modelling. In 2008, she was the face of Australian fashion label Antipodium's SS 2008 collection and
Oxfam's ethical fashion range, Revamped. In September 2008, Chung walked the catwalk as part of the Vivienne Westwood
Red Label Spring/Summer 2009 show at
London Fashion Week. In early 2009, she became the face of British
High Street giant
New Look. Chung then joined London-based modelling agency
Select Model Management and, in April 2009, she modeled Wren's Holiday 2009 collection, alongside her friend
Tennessee Thomas. In July 2009, Chung moved to
NEXT Model Management and became the face of
DKNY Jeans. Chung was the face of South Korean brand MOGG's Spring/Summer 2010 campaign. In January 2010, she became the main model of the Spring/Summer 2010
Pepe Jeans London campaign and reprised her role for the Fall/Winter 2010 campaign. She was announced as the first celebrity face of
Lacoste in June 2010, appearing in both the TV and print advertising campaigns for their "Joy of Pink" fragrance. In January 2011, Chung was announced as the face of Italian sneaker brand
Superga, in a campaign to mark their 100th anniversary. In February 2012, she took part in the
London Fashion Week show for designer
Stella McCartney, where she acted as a guest assistant to magician
Hans Klok in a number of illusions including being levitated and
sawed in half. Chung worked with
Tommy Hilfiger as a guest editor for their Fall 2014 collection, and modeled their clothes. Chung became the face of
Longchamp in 2013 and by 2015 she had appeared in her fourth campaign for the fashion brand.
Style Chung has been cited as a muse to many fashion designers because of her distinctive personal style. She frequently appears on best-dressed lists, is a regular model for
Vogue,
Elle and ''
Harper's Bazaar'', and is often seen in the front row at fashion shows. In January 2010, the designer handbag company
Mulberry debuted the "Alexa", a popular bag named after and inspired by her. According to
The Guardian, 380 "Alexa" bags were sold in one week alone in November 2010, and the company cited the bag's popularity for increased sales at its UK and international stores that year. In February 2010, Chung collaborated with
J.Crew's Madewell on a womenswear line which was unveiled during New York Fashion Week. She collaborated with Madewell for a second collection, released in September 2011. In December 2010,
Bryan Ferry, on behalf of the
British Fashion Council, presented Chung with the British Style Award which "recognises an individual who embodies the spirit of British fashion and is an international ambassador for the UK as a leading creative hub for fashion" at a ceremony at the
Savoy Theatre in London. At the British Fashion Awards of 2011, 2012 and 2013, Chung won the British Style Award, for which the public voted. In 2015, Chung collaborated with
AG Jeans on two collections.
Alexachung Chung launched her own fashion label, Alexachung, in May 2017. In March 2022 Chung announced the closure of the Alexachung brand, stating that "the last couple of years have been challenging for small independent businesses and ours is no exception."
TV presenting In April 2006, the then-model Chung was offered the job of co‑host on
Popworld on
Channel 4, a music show known for its irreverent and awkward style of interviews. Chung and co‑host
Alex Zane also presented a weekly radio show called
Popworld Radio. Chung then moved to Channel 4, where she guest presented ''Big Brother's Big Mouth
and appeared as a panellist on quiz show 8 out of 10 Cats. She hosted a number of T4 Movie Specials
, 4Music Specials
, T4 Holiday Mornings'' along with T4's coverage of many music festivals. In January 2008, Chung became one of the four anchor
T4 presenters. She hosted T4's
Vanity Lair, a reality show investigating the concept of "beauty". When the show was mentioned in a later interview, "Chung raise[d] her eyebrows, indicating embarrassment". As well as her work on T4, she became a long-time host of Channel 4's early morning music programme
Freshly Squeezed beginning in September 2007. On the programme, Chung roadtested the latest fashion trends with members of the public, and interviewed fashion designers such as
Roberto Cavalli,
Karl Lagerfeld,
Jean Paul Gaultier,
Margherita Missoni and
Christian Lacroix. She described it as "pretty much my dream job". She hosted the
Diesel U Music Awards and the
Elle Style Awards. She returned to UK TV screens in April 2010 with a second series of
Frock Me. In October 2010, she began hosting
Gonzo with Alexa Chung, an informal British chat show previously hosted by
Zane Lowe, for
MTV Rocks. In January 2011, she co‑hosted
NBC's "2011 Golden Globe Arrivals Special" with
Carson Daly and
Natalie Morales. The live show featured interviews with television and film stars as well as segments devoted to fashion on the
red carpet. Chung presented the
iTunes Festival in July 2011. Chung has since worked on 24 Hour Catwalk, acting as the host and a judge. In 2012, Chung soon became the founding co-host for the nightly music show Fuse News. In December 2013, it was announced that Chung would be leaving Fuse News to focus on other endeavours. In September 2015, Chung hosted an online documentary series for
Vogue UK. She launched her own YouTube channel in May 2019; in a statement, she said: "It's an incredibly exciting prospect as I can't wait to share unfiltered original content through a host of videos spanning fashion, art, travel and other random things." Chung joined
Queer Eye
s
Tan France as co-host of the
Netflix original fashion competition show
Next in Fashion, which debuted on 29 January 2020. In June 2020, Netflix announced it was cancelling the show after one season.
Writing and other ventures Chung wrote a monthly column for British women's magazine
Company from October 2007 to June 2008. She then wrote a weekly newspaper column for Britain's
The Independent from November 2008 to June 2009, titled "Girl About Town" and later "New York Doll". In June 2009, she was made a contributing editor of British
Vogue. She has interviewed designers such as
Karl Lagerfeld and
Christopher Kane for the publication, and wrote a cover story about
Kate Upton. Chung's first book,
It, was released on 5 September 2013. From 2009 to 2010 Chung was a member of the indie band The Stray with her close friend, model Misty Fox. She was credited as playing keyboards. ==Personal life==