Brad Kroenig

Brad Kroenig is an American model from St. Louis, Missouri, whose career became closely entwined with Karl Lagerfeld. Their collaboration produced years of advertising and runway appearances, as well as a photographic study devoted to Brad’s transformation in front of the camera.

Sport was his first ambition. He attended Florida International University on a soccer scholarship before a fellow student encouraged him to try modeling. Early work included an Abercrombie & Fitch catalogue photographed by Bruce Weber in 2002 and a D&G campaign with Naomi Campbell. Fashion became a profession through bookings that arrived soon after he began.

Brad met Lagerfeld in Biarritz in 2003. Recalling the relationship in a 2016 interview with DA MAN, he said, “We did photographs almost every week for five years shooting all over the world!” Those sessions developed alongside his work for Chanel and Fendi, making him both a recurring fashion subject and a collaborator in Lagerfeld’s photography.

Their book, Metamorphoses of an American, explored that relationship through hundreds of images. Brad interpreted figures drawn from cinema and literature, including Rudolph Valentino and characters associated with F. Scott Fitzgerald. The project documented his growing command of expression and the character work involved in modeling.

Family became part of the collaboration, too. Lagerfeld was godfather to Brad’s son Hudson, who joined his father on the Chanel runway. Brad and his sons Hudson and Jameson also appeared together in a 2016 Prestige Hong Kong cover story, bringing his home life into the fashion imagery for which he was known.

Brad later returned to Florida with his wife, Nicole, and developed a real estate career alongside modeling. In a 2023 interview with the Observer, he described continuing to work with international brands after reducing his schedule. “I’ll model forever because I’m good at it and I enjoy doing it,” he said. Fashion remained a working profession, even as family life and a second business changed its place in his days.