Mona Tougaard

Mona Tougaard
Tougaard in 2020
Born
Mona Tougaard

(2002-04-03) April 3, 2002 (age 24)
Aarhus, Denmark
OccupationModel
Years active2019–present
Modeling information
Height5 ft 10+1⁄2 in (1.79 m)
Hair colorBrown
Eye colorBrown
Agency

Mona Tougaard (born April 3, 2002) is a Danish fashion model. She made her runway debut in 2019 at a Prada fashion show. She was nominated for Model of the Year at the 2024 Fashion Awards. Models.com has added Tougaard to its 'New Supers' list.

Early life

Tougaard was born in Aarhus, Denmark, to a half Turkish, half Danish father and a Somali-Ethiopian mother. She has two older siblings from her mother's previous marriage. Her mother died when she was 9. She was scouted at age 12, and won the Elite Model Look Denmark contest when she was 15. She was a finalist in the global competition. Tougaard is part of the LGBTQ+ community, and has said that working in fashion helped her understand her sexuality.

Career

Tougaard was discovered when she was 12 years old in Aarhus, Denmark and 3 years later she won the Elite Model Look in Denmark.

Tougaard debuted as a Prada exclusive in 2019. That season, she closed Karl Lagerfeld's final collection for Chanel. Between two seasons she opened for Loewe and Fendi, also walking for Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Stella McCartney, Valentino, Miu Miu, Versace, Burberry, Dior, Victoria Beckham, Max Mara, Lanvin (which she closed), Salvatore Ferragamo, Alberta Ferretti, Givenchy, Dries Van Noten, Paco Rabanne, Chloé, and Saint Laurent among 40 shows. She appeared in Prada's F/W 2019 "Anatomy of Romance" advertising campaign.

She has appeared in advertisements for Prada, Louis Vuitton, Loewe, Chanel, Max Mara, Chloé and Ports 1961. She appeared on the cover of i-D's Post Truth Truth issue with contributions by American model Adesuwa Aighewi.

For the F/W 2019 season, models.com deemed her a "top newcomer", with Vogue noticing, she "swept Paris Fashion Week, landing nearly all the city's key shows". She also ranked as the "Breakout Star" in models.com's "Model of the Year" Awards. She was previously ranked among the site's "Top 50" models, and was later added to its "New Supers" list.

She appeared on a cover for British Vogue's April 2021 issue and on the Italian Vogue in August 2021. Both she and Somali-American model Ugbad Abdi appear on the August 2022 cover of Vogue France.

In 2023, Tougaard appeared on the covers of British Vogue and Vogue France. For the F/W 2023 season Tougaard walked 39 shows and booked advertising campaigns and for the S/S 24 season Tougaard walked 22 shows.

In July 2024, Tougaard appeared on the cover of British Vogue alongside rapper Central Cee. In December 2024, she was nominated for Model of the Year at the Fashion Awards; the award went to Alex Consani. In 2025, she appeared on the cover of the October issue of Harper's Bazaar, photographed by Luis Alberto Rodriguez, and on the cover of the December 2025/January 2026 issue of Vogue France with Irina Shayk.

She appeared in the music videos for FKA Twigs' "Perfect Stranger" (2024) and Doja Cat's "Gorgeous" (2025). In 2025, Tougaard made her feature film debut in Alice Winocour's drama Couture, which screened in the Special Presentations section of the Toronto International Film Festival.

Filmography

Films

List of film credits
Year Title Director Role Note
2019 Prada: Anatomy of Romance Willy Vanderperre Advertising short
2024 Chanel: Watches and Fine Jewelry Holiday Oliver Hadlee Pearch Advertising short
2025 Couture Alice Winocour Mona

Music videos

List of music video credits
Year Title Artist Director Role Note
2024 Perfect Stranger FKA Twigs Jordan Hemingway
2025 Gorgeous Doja Cat Bardia Zeinali

References

  1. ↑ "Mona Tougaard - Model". models.com. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Mona Tougaard - Model". MODELS.com. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Mona Tougaard - the story of the breathtaking Danish fashion model". July 30, 2020. Retrieved May 17, 2025.
  4. ↑ Cary, Alice (March 11, 2021). "18 Ways To Master Off-Duty Model Style, According To Mona Tougaard". British Vogue. Retrieved May 17, 2025.
  5. ↑ "The Fashion Awards - 2024 Nominees". fashionawards.com. Retrieved May 17, 2025.
  6. 1 2 "New Supers". models.com. Retrieved October 14, 2026.
  7. ↑ Graham, Georgia (June 5, 2019). "After a killer first season, the teen model just getting started". Dazed. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  8. 1 2 "Mona Tougaard Is the Moment". W Magazine. September 6, 2023. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  9. ↑ Hartman, Jenny (December 10, 2020). "Model Mona Tougaard on the Challenges of Being Multiracial on the Runway". Wall Street Journal.
  10. ↑ "Five Up And Coming Models You'll Want To Keep Your Eyes On". Harper's Bazaar Singapore. March 12, 2019. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  11. ↑ "Valeria Chenskaya e Antonio Freitas sono i vincitori di Elite Model Look 2017" [Valeria Chenskaya and Antonio Freitas are the winners of Elite Model Look 2017]. Vogue Italia (in Italian). November 30, 2017. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  12. 1 2 "'I Never Really Started Fancying Girls Until I Started Working': Mona Tougaard On Coming Up – And Coming Out – In Fashion". British Vogue. June 13, 2023. Retrieved October 14, 2026.
  13. 1 2 Trochu, Eugénie (July 21, 2022). "Mona Tougaard and Ugbad Abdi: The model revolution on the cover of the August 2022 edition of Vogue France". Vogue France.
  14. ↑ "Fresh face: Mona Tougaard é a modelo-sensação da temporada internacional de verão 2020". Vogue Brasil. September 26, 2019. Archived from the original on October 2, 2019.
  15. ↑ "Prada Presents the 'Anatomy of Romance' for Fall '19 365 Campaign". The Fashionisto. June 12, 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2026.
  16. ↑ "Prada Fall/Winter 2019 Mens and Womens Campaign". Prada Group. Retrieved October 14, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Mona Tougaard". Business of Fashion. April 24, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  18. ↑ Adesuwa (September 4, 2019). "model mona tougaard wants to fuck shit up". i-D. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  19. ↑ "TOP NEWCOMERS F/W 2019". models.com. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  20. ↑ Okwodu, Janelle (April 12, 2019). "In Europe, the Model Age Debate Rages On". Vogue. Condé Nast. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  21. ↑ "Breakout Star: Women". models.com. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  22. ↑ "Top 50 Models". models.com. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  23. ↑ McDermott, Kerry (March 5, 2021). "Allow British Vogue's Exuberant April Cover Story To Help You Find Your Joy". British Vogue. Condé Nast Britain. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  24. ↑ "House Party! Actors, Models, Designers & Editors Star In A Glamorous Salute To Vogue House". British Vogue. October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 14, 2026.
  25. ↑ "Mona Tougaard is the cover star of the May 2023 edition of Vogue France". Vogue France (in French). April 28, 2023. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  26. ↑ "MODELS.com's Runway". MODELS.com. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
  27. ↑ "Central Cee Is British Vogue's July 2024 Cover Star". British Vogue. June 13, 2024. Retrieved October 14, 2026.
  28. ↑ "Anok Yai Speaks Out After Losing Model of the Year to Alex Consani at the 2024 Fashion Awards: 'Don't Want It Anymore'". People. December 3, 2024. Retrieved October 14, 2026.
  29. ↑ "Just Can't Get Enough". Harper's Bazaar. September 18, 2025. Retrieved October 14, 2026.
  30. ↑ "Mona Tougaard et Irina Shayk, cover stars aux allures 90's, pour le Vogue France décembre-janvier 2026" [Mona Tougaard and Irina Shayk, 90s-Style Cover Stars, for Vogue France December-January 2026]. Vogue France (in French). November 24, 2025. Retrieved October 14, 2026.
  31. ↑ "Empfehlung des Tages: FKA twigs – Perfect Stranger" [Recommendation of the Day: FKA twigs – Perfect Stranger]. Diffus (in German). October 24, 2024. Retrieved October 14, 2026.
  32. ↑ Velasco, Matthew (September 26, 2025). "Doja Cat's 'Gorgeous' Video: A Guide To All The Supermodel Cameos". W Magazine. Retrieved October 14, 2026.
  33. ↑ Rooney, David (September 8, 2025). "'Couture' Review: Angelina Jolie Explores Her Vulnerability in a Vacuum in Alice Winocour's Wispy Mood Piece". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 14, 2026.