About
Charlott Cordes is a German fashion model celebrated for her understated elegance and cool, Nordic‐inspired looks. Born on 6 December 1988 in Hamburg, Germany, she balances a 5 ft 9½ in (177 cm) frame, blue-green eyes, and light-brown hair with an easy-going personality that clients admire. Cordes has been signed to a network of top agencies, including Elite (Paris, Milan, Barcelona), Select (London), and Model Management (Hamburg), which keeps her work calendar busy on several continents. When she is not on set, she splits her time between Hamburg, Milan, New York City, and Barcelona, drawing inspiration from each city’s creative pulse.
Before Fame
Growing up in Hamburg, Cordes enjoyed an ordinary childhood filled with school, friends, and weekend trips to the North Sea. Everything changed in 2003, when a friend encouraged her to enter the German edition of Elite Model Look. At just fourteen, she co-won the national competition (alongside Jeanna Krichel) and was swiftly flown to Singapore for the international final, where she finished in the top five. That early spotlight opened doors to runway bookings with Prada, Jil Sander, and Calvin Klein the very next year, and by 2005 she had collected a nomination for Germany’s New Faces Award, confirming her status as one of the country’s most promising newcomers.
Trivia
- Vogue debut: Karl Lagerfeld himself photographed Cordes for the cover of Vogue Russia in April 2005, a dream gig for any teenager.
- Chanel connection: The same month, she fronted a Chanel advertising campaign, cementing a lasting bond with the legendary house.
- Frequent-flier lifestyle: Because her agencies are spread across Europe and the U.S., Cordes often jokes that she spends more nights “somewhere over the Atlantic” than in her own bed.
- Multilingual edge: Years of international work have left her fluent in German and English and conversational in Italian and Spanish, handy skills when navigating fashion weeks.
- Healthy routine: Off the runway she prefers yoga and long bike rides along Hamburg’s Alster lake to stay energized for back-to-back shoots.
Family Life
Cordes was raised in a close-knit Hamburg household that gave her the confidence to pursue modeling while still finishing her schooling. Although she occasionally shares snapshots from family holidays, she keeps specific details—such as her parents’ names or any siblings—strictly private, choosing to let her professional achievements speak for themselves. There is no public record of a spouse or children, and interviews suggest she values a low-key personal life, preferring quiet dinners with lifelong friends when she returns home to Germany.
Associated With
Over the years Cordes has collaborated with a roster of fashion heavyweights:
- Designers & Brands: Prada, Jil Sander, Calvin Klein, Chanel
- Photographers: Karl Lagerfeld (who captured her breakthrough Vogue cover)
- Peers: Jeanna Krichel (her Elite Model Look co-winner) and countless runway regulars she shares backstage camaraderie with season after season.