Julia Stegner

Julia Stegner, born on November 2, 1984, in Munich, is a German supermodel recognized as one of the most successful fashion models from Germany. Throughout her career, she has appeared on the cover of international editions of Vogue twenty-seven times. In 2010, she was listed by Forbes as one of the highest-paid models in the industry.

Stegner was raised in Munich alongside her older sister, Jeanette, who works in film production, in an animal-loving household with many dogs. Her father, Günter Stegner, served as the Director Central and Eastern Europe for LSI Corporation, while her mother, Erika Stegner, worked as an accountant. During her childhood, Stegner worked as a child model for seven years in commercials and children's catalogs, while also receiving nine years of dance training. While in high school, she developed a passion for basketball and joined a club team in Munich. Standing 182 centimeters tall at the time, her classmates nicknamed her "Beanpole."

Shortly before her fifteenth birthday, Stegner was discovered by Louisa von Minckwitz of Louisa Models while celebrating Oktoberfest in Munich. Her first modeling booking came from Tilla Lindig, a couture label based in Munich and London. Although she planned to study accounting upon finishing high school, Stegner ultimately relocated to Paris to pursue modeling professionally.

After moving to Paris, Stegner made her first major cover appearance on Elle magazine and signed with Supreme Management. Within four months, she opened the fall 2003 Yves Saint Laurent show and appeared in an advertising campaign photographed by Craig McDean. Steven Meisel subsequently photographed her for two covers of Vogue Italia. That debut season, Stegner walked in seventy fashion shows. In 2003, she appeared in campaigns for Strenesse and Sportmax, as well as on the covers of the French, Italian, German, and Nippon editions of Vogue.

By the summer of 2004, Stegner had completed advertisement work for Celine, Yves Saint Laurent, Dolce & Gabbana, Ralph Lauren, and Dior. She served as the Hugo Boss house model for several seasons and was featured in a 2005 campaign for Chloé. Her runway engagements included walking for Stella McCartney in autumn 2004, alongside shows for Anna Sui, Shiatzy Chen, Lanvin, Gucci, Versace, and Valentino. She also walked in the annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Shows every year from 2005 through 2011.

Throughout her career, Stegner has appeared in varied print and brand projects. She modeled half-nude for the 2005 Pirelli Calendar and performed print and runway work for the fur industry, including American Legend Minks. In a 2005 evaluation by BBDO to determine model valuations, Stegner ranked second behind Karolina Kurkova with a market value of 36.5 million. Stegner served as the face of Aquascutum, Guerlain KissKiss, Hugo Boss Eyewear, Hugo Boss perfume, and Femme. In 2008, she became a face of Maybelline and Gianfranco Ferré, and in 2009, she became the face of Mercedes-Benz advertising.

Stegner returned to the runway in 2022 walking for Carolina Herrera, followed by the Isabel Marant Fall/Winter 2023 show, and has participated in advertising campaigns for Mango and Victoria Beckham. In her personal life, Stegner began dating Australian photographer Benny Horne in 2009. The couple married in 2014, and Stegner gave birth to their daughter in May 2014, shortly after their wedding.