The question that every supermodel gets asked repeatedly is 'how were you discovered?' Fans love to hear how, where and why their icons were plucked from reality and thrown into the hyper-glamorous world of high fashion. Many of the most famous women in the industry have fairytale-like origin stories. Several faced challenging upbringings, coming from obscurity or poverty before being scouted by chance in a supermarket or airport.

Some became celebrities overnight, others fought their way up from a very young age. Hundreds of good models are discovered annually but very few manage to capture public attention and keep it. Many of the supermodels who feature in this book upturned industry norms and beauty ideals, and faced tremendous rejection before finding success.

Includes exclusive interviews with Claudia Schiffer, Pat Cleveland, Beverly Johnson, Janice Dickinson, Stephanie Seymour, Amber Valletta, Karen Elson, Coco Rocha and Halima Aden. Features stunning photography taken during the early days of each supermodel's career, shot by some of the greatest names in fashion photography.