Patricia van der Vliet is one of the most accomplished and celebrated Dutch fashion models of her generation — a model whose journey from a reality television competition to the world's most prestigious runways and magazine covers stands as one of the industry's most compelling success stories. Born in Zaandam, North Holland, in the Netherlands, Patricia van der Vliet competed on the fourth cycle of the reality television series Holland's Next Top Model, where she placed fourth. Prior to auditioning for Holland's Next Top Model, she worked as a salesperson and a junior college student assistant, making her transformation into a globally recognized model all the more remarkable.
What truly set Patricia van der Vliet apart from the competition was a bold personal decision that redefined her modeling identity entirely. After changing her look from long and blonde to short and dark, the fashion industry took immediate and decisive notice. Her runway career exploded almost overnight, and she became known for completing an extraordinary number of shows per season — reportedly averaging around 50 runway appearances in a single season, a figure that places her among the most in-demand runway models in the history of the profession.
The sheer breadth of her runway résumé reflects the trust that the world's most elite designers have placed in her as a model. In New York, she has walked for Calvin Klein, Marc Jacobs, Carolina Herrera, Jason Wu, and Rodarte. Her presence has extended seamlessly across fashion's other great capitals: Spring 2011 saw her walking in 46 high-profile shows, including Chanel, Balenciaga, Yves Saint Laurent, Calvin Klein, Alexander McQueen, Givenchy, and Dolce & Gabbana, while her fall seasons have included Giorgio Armani in Milan, and Alexander McQueen, Lanvin, Jean Paul Gaultier, Valentino, and Burberry Prorsum in Paris and beyond. She has also appeared on the runway for Celine, Dries van Noten, Sonia Rykiel, Sophia Kokosalaki, Hervé Léger, Karl Lagerfeld, Kenzo, Loewe, Nina Ricci, and Yves Saint Laurent.
Her campaign and editorial work is equally impressive. Patricia van der Vliet has appeared in campaigns for Balenciaga, Burberry, Sonia Rykiel, H&M, and Nicole Farhi, as well as lookbooks for Alexander McQueen and Bergdorf Goodman. On the editorial front, she has appeared in Numéro, Interview, W, Allure, French Elle, and Italian, Japanese, British, Chinese, Russian, German, and American Vogue.
Her Vogue cover career deserves special recognition. In August 2010, Patricia van der Vliet appeared on her first Vogue cover for Vogue Beauty Nippon. She then appeared on the cover of the November 2010 issue of Vogue China alongside American supermodel Karlie Kloss, and in April 2011, she was featured on the cover of Vogue Nippon Isetan Mania. She also graced the cover of the January 2011 edition of Elle France. Across her career, she has graced over 25 covers for Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, and Elle.
Among the most personally meaningful moments in her modeling career has been her runway walk for Louis Vuitton, witnessed by her parents — a memory she has cited as particularly special. She has openly acknowledged that without her family's support, her modeling career would have been impossible. While traveling the world for modeling engagements, she has remained grounded by staying connected to friends and family at home, where conversation extends well beyond the world of fashion.
Patricia van der Vliet describes the experience of walking the runway as a complete transformation — a moment in which fear dissolves and instinct takes over entirely. Yet this freedom in the spotlight is underpinned by relentless discipline; she is known to practice her walk obsessively in preparation for each show, a perfectionist's attention to craft that has contributed to her enduring status at the highest levels of international modeling. In October 2015, she was ranked by Cosmopolitan as one of the most successful contestants of the Top Model franchise worldwide, a fitting tribute to a model who turned a fourth-place finish on a reality show into one of the most distinguished careers in contemporary fashion.
