Frankie Rayder

Francesca "Frankie" Rayder (born Heidi A. Rayder; January 26, 1975) is an American model. She has a portfolio of covergirl appearances for high fashion magazines and was once a VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards for Model of the Year nominee. She has performed in runway shows, including the annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show four times and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue twice. She has also been featured in print ad campaigns. At the peak of her fame, she was an it girl according to The New York Times and GQ once named her the Sexiest Woman in the World. She is known for her print work for Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues, The Gap holiday ads, a Godiva Chocolatier ad campaign, and the 50th anniversary Ann Taylor ad campaign. She has appeared on the cover of Vogue, Vogue Paris, Vogue Italia, British Vogue, German Vogue and Vogue España. Rayder was engaged to Red Hot Chili Peppers bass player, Flea, with whom she has one child. After giving birth in 2005, she took a hiatus from modeling until 2008. At first, she returned only to print work, but she also returned to runway modeling in 2009. She has a younger sister, Missy Rayder, who is also a fashion model. Early years Rayder was born in River Falls, Wisconsin, where she was known as Heidi Rayder. As a teenager, she moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, a large city close to her home town, where she was first approached by a model scout who spurred her interest in the industry. Her first major success came in 1992, when she met photographer Steven Meisel. Meisel booked her for a photo session, which became the first of many. Rayder's first session was soon featured in the magazine Italian Glamour. She is a graduate of River Falls High School, where she played for the basketball team, and she began her modeling career with Caryn Modeling & Talent Agency in Minneapolis. She worked at a golf clubhouse in her youth. She was given the stage name Francesca to seem more exotic.