Australian supermodel Gemma Ward has made her long-awaited comeback to the catwalk in Milan.
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The Perth-born beauty, who was the youngest ever model to grace the cover of US Vogue, opened the Prada spring/summer 2015 show at Milan Fashion Week after a six-year break from modelling.
Prada creative director Miuccia Prada sent her down the catwalk, which was surrounded by dunes of lilac sand, wearing a midnight blue, raw cotton jacket and platform clogs with grey knee high socks, setting the tone for the 1970s inspired collection.
In 2008, Ward retreated from the runway and public life after the death of close friend Heath Ledger and chose to focus on her acting career and personal life. She defected from her original modelling agent, Vivian's, last year and signed with IMG Models – which also represents Gisele Bundchen, Miranda Kerr, Kate Upton and Joan Smalls – before giving birth to her daughter, Naia.
The news of her comeback caused mass hysteria in the fashion industry and peaked on social media after Ward's close friend, former Perth model and artist Amy Finlayson, posted a photo from backstage.
"Like a f--kin boss! So proud of my incredible, inspiring, insanely beautiful friend Gem who opened Prada last night," she wrote.
After being discovered and scouted in 2002, Ward made her fashion debut in 2003 at Australian Fashion Week before establishing herself overseas where she graced the covers of nearly every Vogue in the world.
She also fronted campaigns for numerous fashion houses including Prada, replaced Kate Moss as the face of Calvin Klein's top-selling fragrance and was in high demand for international collection shows.
Before hanging up the haute couture to pursue an acting career she graced the cover of Vanity Fair with George Clooney and went on to star alongside Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.
Her desire to focus on acting followed her critically acclaimed performance in the indie film, The Black Balloon, where she earned a Film Critics Circle of Australia nomination.
In 2011 she made her stage debut for the Perth Theatre Company in The Ugly One before appearing alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in Baz Luhrmann's blockbuster, The Great Gatsby.
