Current index status
Rising / Global Watch.
This profile remains unnumbered until its current evidence meets the Global 50 threshold. It is an editorial assessment, not a judgement of personal worth.
Index Rating · Editorial pillars · High confidence · evidence reviewed
82.1
- Runway · 40%
- 92
- Campaigns · 30%
- 78
- Editorial · 20%
- 72
- Cultural aura · 10%
- 75
Casting ledger
Verified walks.
No house-level walks on the casting ledger yet. The desk adds rows only when a public source confirms the booking.
Open the casting ledger ↗01 / Why they matter
What Natasha is known for.
Versace and Mugler runway and campaign work
02 / Career record
Early life
Natalia Sergeevna Polevshchikova, known professionally as Natasha Poly, was born on 12 July 1985 in Perm, in the Soviet Union. She was discovered at 15 by scout Mauro Palmentieri, and placed second in the "New Model Today" competition in Moscow.
03 / Career record
Rapid rise, 2004–2007
Poly made her runway debut in 2004 with Why Not Model Agency, walking for Emanuel Ungaro, and by the end of that year had walked 54 shows across Milan, Paris and New York. The following year she walked 130 shows, including a notable Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show appearance, alongside campaigns for Alberta Ferretti, Louis Vuitton, Calvin Klein, Fendi and Gucci. By 2007 she was working with Alexander McQueen, Calvin Klein and Oscar de la Renta.
04 / Career record
Peak years, 2008–2012
Poly ranked first on Fashion Television’s "First Face" countdown for three consecutive seasons — Spring 2008, Fall 2008 and Spring 2009 — having ranked seventh in Spring 2007. She fronted campaigns for Louis Vuitton, Roberto Cavalli and Sonia Rykiel in 2008, and appeared on ten Vogue covers in 2010 alone, alongside an H&M campaign. In 2012 she became a L’Oréal brand ambassador and made a notable Cannes Film Festival appearance. Across her career she has appeared on 61 Vogue covers, and was named one of Vogue Paris’s "top 30 models of the 2000s."
05 / Career record
Recent record
Poly has continued high-fashion campaign work in recent years for Versace, Balmain, Dsquared², Mugler, Schiaparelli and Fendi, appearing in Schiaparelli’s and Fendi’s Haute Couture shows during the 2024 season. She married Dutch businessman Peter Bakker in Saint-Tropez on 16 April 2011, and the couple have two children. She is represented by Elite Model Management in New York, alongside Women Management in Milan and Paris and Select Model Management in London.
06 / At a glance
Quick facts.
- —Born Natalia Sergeevna Polevshchikova, 12 July 1985, in Perm, Soviet Union; discovered at 15 by scout Mauro Palmentieri
- —Runway debut in 2004 with Why Not Model Agency, walking for Emanuel Ungaro; walked 130 shows in 2005
- —Ranked first on Fashion Television’s "First Face" countdown for three consecutive seasons, Spring 2008 through Spring 2009
- —Has appeared on 61 Vogue covers across her career
- —Named one of Vogue Paris’s "top 30 models of the 2000s"
- —Became a L’Oréal brand ambassador in 2012
07 / Current index evidence
Why is Natasha Poly on the Rising watchlist?
- Walked Chanel Paris Womenswear Spring/Summer 2025 (October 2024), Schiaparelli and Fendi Haute Couture (2024), Sacai Fall/Winter 2025-26 (March 2025) and opened Twinset's debut Milan show, 2024.
Confidence: Editorial pillars · High confidence · evidence reviewed. Scores may change when a source is corrected or new work enters the current window.
Sources & evidence
Facts are summarised in our own words from these public records. Independent editorial profile; not endorsed by the subject, agencies or brands. See our editorial & sourcing policy.
Explore the index
Where Natasha sits.
Nationality & discipline
Runway & representation
Facts on this page are drawn from public work records and industry press, and summarised in our own words. This is an independent editorial profile — it is not endorsed by the subject, their agencies, or the brands named. Last reviewed 2026-07-14. Corrections: desk@thecastindex.com.