About
Coco Rocha, born Mikhaila Rocha on September 10, 1988, in Toronto and raised in Richmond, British Columbia, is one of Canada’s most recognizable fashion models. Nicknamed the “Queen of the Pose,” she gained global fame in the mid‑2000s for her expressive style on the runway and in editorials. Rocha helped usher in the era of the “digital supermodel” by embracing social media long before it was industry standard, opening a direct line to fans and giving a behind‑the‑scenes look at fashion’s fast‑moving world. In addition to walking for power‑house houses such as Versace, Chanel, and Jean Paul Gaultier, she co‑authored the photographic book Study of Pose and founded the Coco Rocha Model Camp, a four‑day intensive in New York that teaches aspiring talent the art of posing, professionalism, and self‑advocacy.
Today she splits her time between modeling, mentoring, and running Nomad Management, the agency she co‑owns, while continuing to use her platform to push for fair treatment of younger talent in an industry she loves.
Before Fame
Rocha’s childhood passion was Irish step dancing. She trained for roughly ten years and competed across Canada; that discipline shaped her signature sharp, rhythmic movements in front of a camera. During a 2002 dance competition in Vancouver, model agent Charles Stuart noticed her stage presence and offered to develop her career. Rocha was just fourteen and had never considered fashion, but the prospect of creative performance outside the dance floor intrigued her, so she began test shoots while finishing high school.
Her first major booking—a 2006 editorial photographed by Steven Meisel for Italian Vogue—catapulted her onto runways in New York, London, Milan, and Paris the following season. By twenty, she was opening or closing shows for Christian Lacroix, Gaultier, and Marc Jacobs, earning a reputation for theatrical walks and camera‑ready angles.
Trivia
- Pose pioneer: Rocha once demonstrated 50 distinct poses in 30 seconds during a television segment, a performance that still circulates online. She later expanded that concept into Study of Pose, capturing 1,000 full‑body positions shot by photographer Steven Sebring.
- Runway riverdance: At Jean Paul Gaultier’s Fall 2007 show she surprised the audience by stepping onto the catwalk performing an Irish jig—a playful nod to her roots that fashion writers still reference when discussing memorable runway moments.
- Advocate at heart: A longtime Jehovah’s Witness, Rocha has spoken out against underage pressures in modeling, lobbied for eating‑disorder awareness, and championed laws that classify models under sixteen as child performers entitled to tighter labor protections.
- Teacher and TikToker: Through Coco Rocha Model Camp and daily TikTok tips, she coaches established and emerging talent on everything from contract fine print to nailing a dramatic over‑the‑shoulder glance. Her candid “model hacks” videos routinely draw millions of views.
- SCAD runway coach: In 2023 the Savannah College of Art and Design invited her to train student designers’ models during SCAD FASHION, underscoring her shift from muse to mentor.
Family Life
Rocha married British‑born artist and interior designer James Edward Conran on June 9, 2010, in a small New York ceremony. Conran soon became her creative partner and occasional casting director, collaborating on brand campaigns and managing the visual identity of her model camp.
The couple have three children, all of whom occasionally pop up on Rocha’s social feeds in coordinated outfits or adorable behind‑the‑scenes snaps:
- Ioni James Conran (born March 2015) inherited her mother’s flair for the camera and has already model‑walked in children’s fashion presentations.
- Iver Eames Conran (born April 2018) loves Lego sets and, according to Rocha, has “the best comedic timing in the household.”
- Iley Renae Conran (born November 2020) completed the trio and quickly became a tiny star on Instagram Reels, smiling alongside her siblings during photo shoots and family travels.
Parenting, Rocha says, grounds her hectic schedule and fuels her advocacy: “If I want fashion to be better for my own kids one day, I have to keep pushing for healthy standards now.”
Associated With
Rocha’s career has woven through fashion’s biggest names. Early campaigns for photographer Steven Meisel led to covers of Vogue and Numéro. She opened shows for Jean Paul Gaultier, became a favorite of Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel, and later starred in Versace and Dior ads. Off the runway, she forged friendships with fellow Canadian models Linda Evangelista and Jessica Stam, and often teams up with Karlie Kloss on philanthropic initiatives that use fashion to raise funds for coding camps, maternal‑health programs, and refugee aid.
Her digital savvy also placed her alongside influencers such as Naomi Campbell on the Amazon series The Face, where she coached contestants on authenticity in front of the lens. More recently, she collaborates with design schools like SCAD and TikTok creators to demystify casting calls for the next generation.
