Willy van Rooy (1 April 1941 – May 2025) was a Dutch model, fashion designer and artist. Active primarily during the 1960s and 1970s, she worked with leading fashion photographers, including Helmut Newton, and modeled for designers such as Yves Saint Laurent, Karl Lagerfeld and Thierry Mugler.
She later designed accessories for Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld before establishing her own shoe line in Spain during the 1980s. She returned to the runway in 2020 for a L'Oréal Paris show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Madrid.
Early life Willy van Rooy was born on 1 April 1941 in The Hague, Netherlands. Her mother died when she was four, and she subsequently grew up in an orphanage. She later studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rotterdam.
After completing her studies, Willy van Rooy moved to Barcelona with the intention of becoming a model. While preparing a portfolio to present to modeling agencies, she was approached in the street by an agent who offered to represent her. She began working as a model in Spain before being selected for a fashion editorial by the British edition of Vogue.
Career
Modeling While working on a fashion editorial for the British edition of Vogue, Willy van Rooy met photographer Helmut Newton. She subsequently became one of his regular models and also worked with photographers including David Bailey, William Klein, Norman Parkinson and Richard Avedon.
Van Rooy modeled in London, Paris and New York. She appeared in fashion shows for designers and fashion houses including Yves Saint Laurent, Karl Lagerfeld, Thierry Mugler, Jean Paul Gaultier, Azzedine Alaïa and Loewe. She was active as a model during the 1960s and 1970s.
Fashion design Alongside her modeling work, Willy van Rooy designed accessories for Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld. In the late 1970s, she began working as a freelance designer for Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld, producing drawings for bags, shoes, jewelry and fabrics. While working in Paris, she created a garment known as the Tunique Unique.
Willy van Rooy moved to Spain in 1983 and established her own line of shoes there during the 1980s. Working from a studio in Madrid, she designed shoes decorated with materials including stones, lace, tapestry and brocade. She also used fabrics associated with Spanish bullfighters' clothing and gold-embroidered brocades used in southern Spain.
Her shoes were initially sold in Spain and were later distributed in the United States, including in New York and Los Angeles. Her designs were worn by Cher, Madonna and by the Pointer Sisters.
Later activities Willy van Rooy subsequently lived in Los Angeles, where she worked for two years as Paula Abdul's personal designer and created a jewelry collection. In 1997, she returned to the Netherlands after more than three decades abroad and resumed designing accessories. She also continued to produce jewelry during the later years of her life.
In February 2020, Van Rooy returned to the runway in Madrid for a L'Oréal Paris show held during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Madrid. The show featured models over the age of 50. The show marked her final runway appearance, although she continued to participate in photographic sessions. At the time, she was also working on a book about her life.
Personal life Willy van Rooy met the Canarian painter Salvador Marón during a photographic session with Helmut Newton in 1967. They later married and had two children, including the illustrator and designer Alejandro van Rooy and a daughter named Alegria. She lived in several countries and cities, including Ibiza, Madrid and Los Angeles. She died in May 2025 at the age of 84.
References
External links
Official website