Japanese style icon Rinko Kikuchi shot to international fame following her Oscar-nominated breakout performance in the 2006 "Babel," quickly capturing the public eye for her sophisticated and fashion forward sartorial choices. Kikuchi’s fondness for Chanel made her an unofficial ambassador for the luxury label. In late 2007, following a Vogue Nippon editorial shot by Karl Lagerfeld , Kikuchi was cast to front the Chanel handbag Cruise 2008 campaign. Kikuchi has served as a style ambassador for the brand ever since and, in 2012, was also cast to appear in Karl Lagerfeld’s and Carine Roitfield’s The Little Black Jacket travelling exhibition.
The talented muse, who began her career in modelling aged fifteen in her hometown of Hadano near Tokyo, has also appeared in campaigns for Yves Saint Laurent and Louis Vuitton jewellery. In 2011, Kikuchi was selected by Tom Ford to star in his debut womenswear presentation alongside established models Natalia Vodianova , Anja Rubik and Daria Werbowy . Kikuchi has also fronted the campaign for Kenzo’s Autumn/Winter 2013 collection, alongside model Sean O’Pry.
A regular on street-style blogs, Kikuchi has also featured editorials for publications such as i-D, American Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar shot by prominent photographers such as Mario Testino and Pierpaolo Ferrari. Kikuchi also hosted a blog on fashion and style website Style.com, before it shut down in June 2017.
Kikuchi married Japanese actor Shōta Sometani in December 2014. Their first child was born in October 2016.
