Eileen Ford, Ford Models founder, dies at 92

(Image credit: Brad Barket/Getty Images)

last updated 8 January 2015

Eileen Ford, regarded as the inventor of the modern modeling business, has died. She was 92.

Ford founded Ford Models with her husband Jerry in 1946. The two split the duties, with Eileen finding the talent while Jerry ran the business side of things. Ford Models transformed modeling from a part-time hobby to a sophisticated occupation, giving Candice Bergen, Lauren Hutton, Brooke Shields, Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, and Rachel Hunter their starts.

While her track record wasn't perfect — she rejected Grace Kelly — Ford took responsibility for the rise of the American model. "There's no question I did that," Ford told People in 1983. "I create a look and I create a style." She wanted only the best for her models, and treated them like her own children. "Many stayed with her and her family in their Manhattan town house at East 78th Street," author Robert Lacey said. "With her husband Jerry she worked to improve models' working conditions and wages."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

Subscribe to The Week

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox