Her father was former wrestler and Benihana restaurant magnate Rocky Aoki and her mother is Pamela Hilburger, a jewelry designer. Her father was Japanese and her mother is of German and English ancestry. She started modeling when she was 13, the same year her godmother introduced her to Kate Moss. She has an older sister and a younger brother, as well as four half-siblings including Steve Aoki.[5] Aoki is also the aunt of fellow model Yumi Nu.[6]
In September 2007, she designed a capsule collection for Levi's Asian market called Levi's +D.[12][13] Aoki described the collaboration by saying: "It's called Levi's + D, the D is for Devon. We're doing everything from denim to swimwear – you name it! I get inspired by vintage pieces you can't really get anymore."[14] In 2017, she returned to the runway for Moschino's fashion show and appeared in advertising campaigns for "Sephora x Moschino" and Hugo Boss.[5][15] In 2018, Aoki walked the runway for Jeremy Scott's eponymous brand, starred in an editorial for American Vogue and appeared in advertising campaigns for Moschino Fragrance, Nordstrom and Swarovski.[8][16] In September 2019, she appeared in Harper's Bazaar's "Bazaar Icons 2019" issue, photographed by Mario Sorrenti.[17][18]
She is considered as an icon in the fashion industry by models.com.[24] In 2017, Dominic Cadogan of Dazed called Aoki a "cult model" and "one of the most recognizable alternative faces of the 90s".[5] Cadogan continued by saying, "by the time she was 16, she was one of the most in-demand girls of the moment, with some of the industry's top photographers (including Juergen Teller, Ellen von Unwerth and Nick Knight) all transforming her in their images."[5] In April 2019, Marie Claire listed her as one of the 15 supermodels of the 2000s who changed the face of fashion.[25]L'Officiel USA called her "an eternal fashion It-girl",[26] while I-D magazine wrote that Aoki is "one of those few faces that defined the turn of the millennium," and listed seven of Aoki's most iconic outfits.[27]
In February 2019, Wonderland magazine reported that singer Rihanna channeled Aoki's look from the action film 2 Fast 2 Furious for her Fenty Beauty campaign.[28][29] In the film, Aoki's character Suki drives her custom pink Honda S2000 wearing a white top and pink jeans.[29]
Personal life
Devon Aoki is married to James Bailey, and they have one son and three daughters. She retired from full-time film acting in 2009 to focus on motherhood.[30][31][32] Her daughter Alessandra appeared in Guess Kids' spring 2018 advertising campaign.[33][34] Model and singer-songwriter Yumi Nu is Aoki's niece.[35]
She modeled during the third annual charity fashion show presented by General Motors on February 24, 2004. Aoki and her half-brother Steve co-chaired the 2018 Red Cross Gala in San Francisco in March 2018.[36][37]
