Frida Aasen: From Kristiansand to the Victoria’s Secret Runway
Every year, thousands of teenagers in small Norwegian towns are told they should try modelling. Almost none of them end up walking the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show — twice — and building a decade-long international career from it. Frida Aasen, born 5 December 1994 in Kristiansand on Norway’s south coast, is the exception that makes the rule interesting. Her path from a quiet coastal city to the most-watched runway in fashion is a case study in how a modelling career actually gets built: slowly, city by city, casting by casting.
The Kristiansand start
Aasen grew up in Kristiansand with her younger sister Amalie, far from the fashion capitals. Before modelling, she was an amateur equestrian — the kind of disciplined, outdoorsy upbringing that shows up later in the work ethic models need and rarely get credit for. She is 5 feet 9 inches, blue-eyed and blonde, the classic Scandinavian look that international agencies have scouted for decades. But the look is only the entry ticket. What followed was the unglamorous machinery of the industry: signings with agencies across the fashion map, including Women Management in New York and Paris, Select in London, and representation in Milan, Barcelona, Hamburg, Copenhagen and Gothenburg.
Her early credits included magazine work — she modelled for CR Fashion Book back in 2012 — and a steady accumulation of editorial and runway jobs that built her book the old-fashioned way. There was no viral moment, no reality-show shortcut. Just castings.
The Victoria’s Secret breakthrough
The turning point came in 2017, when Aasen was cast in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show — then still the single most career-defining runway in commercial modelling, watched by millions worldwide. She walked it again in 2018. For a model from Kristiansand, those two shows were the equivalent of a musician playing the biggest festival on earth two years running: instant global visibility, and a credential that opens every subsequent door.
The VS years coincided with her move into high fashion proper: international runways and editorials for titles including Marie Claire, Vogue and Elle, the portfolio of a working top-tier model rather than a one-show wonder. Aasen’s career after the VS era is the part that separates the professionals from the phenomena — she kept working, kept booking, and kept her name in the mix long after the wings were put away.
Life beyond the runway
Off the runway, Aasen’s life has followed its own high-profile arc. She married Italian businessman Tommy Chiabra — the couple got engaged in August 2021 and held a two-day wedding in Portofino in July 2022. She has also been reported as active in humanitarian work, described in fashion profiles as an ambassador for UNICEF and a supporter of clean-water fundraising efforts in Tanzania and Nepal. Whether or not the charity credentials are the reason anyone follows her, they are part of the modern model’s portfolio: the career is the platform, and the platform gets used.
The net worth question — answered honestly
Search “Frida Aasen net worth” and you will find numbers everywhere from $350,000 to $3 million, depending on which celebrity-estimate site you ask. Here is the honest version: there is no verified public disclosure of her net worth, and the figures circulating online are estimates produced by third-party sites, not statements from Aasen or her representatives. The wide range itself is the story — a decade of international runway work, major campaigns and a large social following clearly add up to substantial earnings, but anyone quoting a precise figure is guessing. Treat every number you see as an estimate, because that is what it is.
What the journey means
Aasen’s career is a reminder of what the fashion industry still rewards: longevity. The Kristiansand teenager who started with magazine shoots in 2012 is, more than a decade later, still working at the top of the industry, married, established, and with a humanitarian profile on the side. The Victoria’s Secret runway made her famous. Everything before and after it made her a model.
A decade at the top: how the career sustains itself
Longevity in modelling is a logistical achievement as much as an aesthetic one. Fashion profiles list Aasen’s agency roster across the industry’s key cities — Women Management in New York and Paris, Select in London, plus representation in Milan, Barcelona, Hamburg, Copenhagen and Gothenburg — the infrastructure of a genuinely international career, not a local one with good PR. That network is what turns a breakthrough into a decade: the castings keep coming because the agencies keep putting her forward, in every market, season after season.
The through-line from her 2012 magazine beginnings to the present is consistency. The industry she entered was already shifting under models’ feet — social media was becoming a second runway, and a model’s own following started to count alongside her book. Aasen adapted the way working models do: the runway and editorial work continued, and the public profile grew around it. She never became a influencer-who-models or a celebrity-who-used-to-model. She remained, first and last, a working fashion model — the kind whose name casting directors know without needing to look up.
That is the quieter half of the Kristiansand-to-the-runway story. The Victoria’s Secret shows were the visible peak. The decade of bookings on either side is the career.
Frida Aasen career timeline: the slow build to the runway
Her path from Kristiansand to the most-watched runway in fashion was built casting by casting. The key dates:
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 5 December 1994 | Born in Kristiansand, on Norway’s south coast; grows up with her younger sister Amalie, and competes as an amateur equestrian. |
| 2012 | Models for CR Fashion Book — an early editorial credit that builds her book the old-fashioned way. |
| 2010s | Signs with agencies across the fashion map: Women Management in New York and Paris, Select in London, plus representation in Milan, Barcelona, Hamburg, Copenhagen and Gothenburg; accumulates runway and editorial work for titles including Marie Claire, Vogue and Elle. |
| 2017 | Cast in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show — then still the single most career-defining runway in commercial modelling. |
| 2018 | Walks the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show again — two years running on the biggest stage in the business. |
| August 2021 | Gets engaged to Italian businessman Tommy Chiabra. |
| July 2022 | Two-day wedding in Portofino, Italy. |
| 2020s | Continues working internationally at the top of the industry — runway, editorial and campaigns — while building a public humanitarian profile. |
Key facts and numbers
Aasen is 5 feet 9 inches, blue-eyed and blonde — the classic Scandinavian look that international agencies have scouted for decades. But the look was only the entry ticket. What followed was the unglamorous machinery of the industry: agency representation in at least eight fashion cities, season after season of castings, and the slow accumulation of a book that casting directors know without needing to look up.
The Victoria’s Secret years coincided with her move into high fashion proper, but the career’s real infrastructure is the agency network — Women Management in New York and Paris, Select in London, plus Milan, Barcelona, Hamburg, Copenhagen and Gothenburg. That roster is what turns a breakthrough into a decade: the castings keep coming because the agencies keep putting her forward, in every market, season after season. The industry she entered was already shifting under models’ feet — social media was becoming a second runway, and a model’s own following started to count alongside her book. She adapted the way working models do: the runway and editorial work continued, and the public profile grew around it.
Off the runway, she has been reported as active in humanitarian work, described in fashion profiles as an ambassador for UNICEF and a supporter of clean-water fundraising efforts in Tanzania and Nepal. It is part of the modern model’s portfolio: the career is the platform, and the platform gets used.
The net worth estimates, explained honestly
Search “Frida Aasen net worth” and you will find numbers everywhere from $350,000 to $3 million, depending on which celebrity-estimate site you ask. Here is the honest version: there is no verified public disclosure of her net worth, and the figures circulating online are estimates produced by third-party sites — not statements from Aasen or her representatives. Anyone quoting a precise figure is guessing.
That said, the wide range itself is informative. A decade-plus of international runway work, major campaigns, editorial for top-tier titles and a large social following clearly add up to substantial earnings — the career described above is not a cheap one to sustain, nor an unprofitable one. The reason the estimates vary so wildly is that model income is genuinely hard to observe from outside: day rates, campaign fees and contract terms are private, spending and investments are invisible, and the estimate sites are extrapolating from the visible surface. Treat every number you see as an estimate, because that is what it is — and be sceptical of any site that presents one as fact.
FAQ
How tall is Frida Aasen?
She is 5 feet 9 inches — blue-eyed and blonde, the classic Scandinavian look that international agencies have scouted for decades.
When did Frida Aasen walk the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show?
She was cast in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in 2017 and walked it again in 2018 — two consecutive years on what was then the single most career-defining runway in commercial modelling, watched by millions worldwide.
Where is Frida Aasen from?
Kristiansand, on Norway’s south coast, where she was born on 5 December 1994 and grew up with her younger sister Amalie. Before modelling, she was an amateur equestrian.
Who is Frida Aasen married to?
Italian businessman Tommy Chiabra. The couple got engaged in August 2021 and held a two-day wedding in Portofino, Italy, in July 2022.
What is Frida Aasen’s net worth?
There is no verified public figure. Third-party celebrity-estimate sites put her net worth anywhere from around $350,000 to $3 million — a range so wide it tells you these are guesses, not data. A decade of international runway work, major campaigns and editorials clearly adds up to substantial earnings, but no precise number has been disclosed or confirmed.
Which modelling agencies represent Frida Aasen?
Fashion profiles list an international roster: Women Management in New York and Paris, Select in London, and representation in Milan, Barcelona, Hamburg, Copenhagen and Gothenburg — the infrastructure of a genuinely international career.
Sources & Further Reading
Read next: Sophie Elise: How Norway’s Original Influencer Built a Business | Emma Steinbakken: Norway’s Next Big Pop Export
