Nicole Trunfio

Trunfio was born on 16 March 1986 in Dubbo, New South Wales, Australia to father, Giuseppe and mother, Kim. She is the youngest of three siblings. Her father was of Italian descent and she says her Italian upbringing made her feel "more Italian than Australian growing up".[3] She would ride dirt bikes and make Italian sausage, pasta sauce and wine with her grandparents. Trunfio grew up poor but never felt poor as “there was always food on the table and love in the household". When she was a child, her father played music around the house and "had every instrument around". She played piano growing up.[4]

Trunfio attended St. Mary's Primary School, in Merredin, Western Australia. Later, she attended Parkfield Primary and finally, attended Australind Senior High School in Australind, Western Australia.[5]

Sixteen-year-old Trunfio worked at Australian supermarket, Coles, packing shelves before she dropped out of school in Year 11 to move to New York City, after winning a modelling competition, with only 5000 dollars in her bank account. She was going to come back to Australia and study law at university after she was told that a model had a five-year shelf life. However, she studied acting in New York City for three years and also attended the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), in Sydney.

Trunfio began dating Texan blues musician, Gary Clark Jr., in 2012 after they met at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California. In November 2014, when she was seven months pregnant, Trunfio announced their engagement. The pair married on 19 April 2016, at the Colony Palms Hotel in Palm Springs, California, with a Coachella style wedding, inspired by the location they met. Her wedding dress was designed by Australian designer, Steven Khalil.[6]

In 2015, Trunfio announced on Instagram the birth of her first child, a son. In an interview with Vogue, she said “my first [child birth] was a breeze—I was working until about six months in, shooting lingerie campaigns, flying to promote a movie I’d just shot [for] the Toronto International Film Festival and then onto Dubai for a TV commercial.”[7] The pair's second child, a daughter, was born in 2018. For her second pregnancy, Trunfio chose to give birth at home. “It did not go smoothly and I almost died,” she told Vogue. In 2020, Trunfio and Clark's third child, another daughter was born.

Trunfio has been living on a 50-acre horse ranch near Austin, Texas with her husband and their three children since 2017.

Trunfio was the winner of the third installment of the Australian television series Supermodel of Australia in 2002 and came second in the international version, Supermodel of the World.[16]

She has modelled for various Australian as well as international designers including Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Versace, Christian Dior, Gucci, Fendi, Missoni, Roberto Cavalli, Vivienne Westwood, Valentino, Victoria's Secret, Sweetface, and Neiman Marcus. She has appeared in campaigns for Karl Lagerfeld, D&G, Sonia Rykiel, Lacoste, Sisley, Anne Taylor, BCBG Max Azria, Chadwick's and Guess. Trunfio has worked with photographers such as Richard Avedon for Kenneth Cole campaign, Patrick Demarchelier for Harpers Bazaar, Steven Klein for D&G campaign, Peter Lindbergh for Italian Vogue, Terry Richardson for British Vogue, Greg Kadel, Melvin Sokosky, Russell James, and is the current face of Ulta.

In 2006, Trunfio began several years of studying acting in New York City at Stella Adler Studio. She attended NIDA, and was featured in the Australian movie Two Fists, One Heart playing the role of Italian temptress Jessica.

She served as a mentor for the female models in the second season of the American version of Make Me a Supermodel. She was also a mentor for one of the three teams on the first season of The Face Australia.[17] Trunfio replaced Miranda Kerr as the face of David Jones' winter 2011 launch.

Trunfio is represented by IMG Models in New York City, Iconic Management in Berlin and Viviens Model Management in Australia.

Trunfio was scouted when she was fifteen years old as she was shopping with her best friend in Perth, Western Australia by Christine Fox from Vivien's Model Management. When asked if she wanted to be a model, Trunfio responded “Absolutely not!” but eventually let Fox take her photo.

In 2002, Trunfio won the third season of the Australian talent show television series, Search for a Supermodel. When she was sixteen, Trunfio moved from Dubbo to New York and signed a contract with modelling agency, Ford, in New York, after placing third place in Supermodel of the World, an international version of the show.

In 2012, Trunfio left her agency Chic Management and signed a contract with high-profile modelling agency IMG Models.[18] She is represented by IMG Models in New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Milan and Sydney.

She has worked with and walked for high-fashion Australian and international designers including, Chanel, Versace, Christian Dior, Gucci, Fendi, Missoni, Valentino and Dolce & Gabbana.[19]

In 2015, Trunfio featured on the June issue cover of Elle Australia, photographed by Australian fashion photographer, Georges Antoni. This cover story sparked controversy as Trunfio was photographed breastfeeding her four-month-old son.[20]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nicole Trunfio.

• Official website
• Nicole Trunfio at Fashion Model Directory
• Nicole Trunfio at IMDb