Nina Cornelia Marker (born 1997) is a Danish fashion model who speaks frequently on

neurodevelopmental disorder Neurodevelopmental disorders are a group of disorders that affect the development of the nervous system, leading to abnormal brain function which may affect emotion, learning ability, self-control, and memory. The effects of neurodevelopmental ...

s and

mental health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental health ...

issues. A top-ranked runway model who has worked internationally with luxury brands such as

Chanel Chanel ( , ) is a French high-end luxury fashion house founded in 1910 by Coco Chanel in Paris. Chanel specializes in women's ready-to-wear, luxury goods, and accessories and licenses its name and branding to Luxottica for eyewear. Chanel is ...

and

Versace Gianni Versace S.r.l. (), usually referred to as Versace ( ), is an Italian luxury fashion company founded by Gianni Versace in 1978 known for flashy prints and bright colors. The company produces Italian-made ready-to-wear and accessories, as w ...

, she is known within the industry for her "refreshingly unpretentious approach" to her work and more broadly in her

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

profile.

Early life

Marker was born in

Copenhagen, Denmark Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

. She struggled in school and was diagnosed with

Asperger syndrome Asperger syndrome (AS), also known as Asperger's, is a former neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant difficulties in Interpersonal relationship, social interaction and nonverbal communication, along with restricted and re ...

, a form of

autism The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

, after seeking help for depression when she was 15 years old.

Career

Marker was scouted while riding the subway on the way to

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechri ...

. In 2014, she won the Copenhagen round of the

Elite Model Look Elite Model Look (formerly known as Look of the Year from 1983 to 1995) is a yearly fashion modeling event held by Elite Model Management, an international model management group. It is used to discover and launch female fashion models in the int ...

competition. Her major break came as a runway model for Anthony Vaccarello's collection for Saint Laurent. She has appeared on catwalks at the New York, London, Paris, and Milan fashion weeks, and has modeled for brands such as

Dolce & Gabbana Dolce & Gabbana (), also known by initials D&G, is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in 1985 in Legnano by Italian designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana. The house specializes in ready-to-wear, handbags, accessories, and cosmetic ...

Fendi Fendi () is an Italian high-end luxury fashion house producing fur, ready-to-wear, leather goods, shoes, fragrances, eyewear, timepieces and accessories. Founded in Rome in 1925, Fendi is known for its fur, fur accessories, and leather goods. ...

Stella McCartney Stella Nina McCartney (born 13 September 1971) is an English fashion designer. She is a daughter of British singer-songwriter Paul McCartney and the late American photographer and animals rights activist Linda McCartney. Like her parents, McCa ...

, and

. In September 2017, as one of the top models at

Milan Fashion Week Milan Fashion Week ( it, Settimana della moda) is a clothing trade show held semi-annually in Milan, Italy. The autumn/winter event is held in February/March of each year, and the spring/summer event is held in September/October of each year. It ...

, she gained international attention when she posted a photograph of herself on

wearing a t-shirt that said, "Bee Kind, I Have

Autism The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

". In the message to her followers, she wrote, "It's possible for us to be successful and have a good time...Stay safe and protect your mind." The post quickly went viral on social media, particularly among family and friends of children with Aspergers and other

s, and caused a stir in the fashion world. Marker was subsequently featured in the American edition of ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

'' magazine, and has since spoken regularly about mental health issues, sharing her frustration in school, which she says was ill-equipped to deal with her condition. In 2021, she told ''Vogue Business'' that she constantly needs to remind people how her neurodivergence affects her on set, where there are many stimuli that could lead to

sensory overload Sensory overload occurs when one or more of the body's senses experiences over-stimulation from the environment. There are many environmental elements that affect an individual. Examples of these elements are urbanization, crowding, noise, mass ...

, because of misconceptions that her "normal" appearance means she is

neurotypical Neurotypical (NT, an abbreviation of neurologically typical) is a neologism widely used in the neurodiversity movement as a label for non-neurodivergent people. That is, anyone who has a typical neurotype, so excluding autistic people, those wit ...

. She works with her agents at The Society and

Elite In political and sociological theory, the elite (french: élite, from la, eligere, to select or to sort out) are a small group of powerful people who hold a disproportionate amount of wealth, privilege, political power, or skill in a group. D ...

to ensure that she has breaks between jobs to allow her to decompress, and that her travel plans are arranged to minimize stress and avoid possible triggers. She practices yoga to improve her ability to cope with work pressures. ''Vogue'' listed Marker as a breakout model for the Spring 2018 season, describing her as "delivering confidence and attitude aplenty", and said that "by using her social media platforms to raise awareness about autism in the midst of everything, Marker made her impact on and off the runway". As of 2022, Marker is ranked on the Models.com Money List of models with commercial clients.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marker, Nina Living people Danish female models People from Copenhagen People with Asperger syndrome The Society Management models Elite Model Management models Mental health activists 1997 births