Early life
Conrad was born in Laguna Beach, California, the eldest of three children of Jim and Kathy. Her younger siblings are Breanna and Brandon.[1]
Reality television
2004–2006: Laguna Beach
During Conrad's senior year of high school, she appeared in the MTV reality series Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County. Upon graduation in 2004, she attended the Academy of Art University in San Francisco for one semester where she first met Heidi Montag. During the second season of Laguna Beach, she returned home and began taking classes at a local college before subsequently transferring to the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising.[1]
2006–2009: The Hills
The first season of The Hills premiered on MTV in May 31, 2006. The series documents Conrad's move to Los Angeles, her work at Teen Vogue, and her personal life and the lives of her friends, including then-roommate Heidi Montag.[2]
MTV renewed The Hills for a second season, which filmed from late summer 2006 through February 2007. The premiere episode of season 2 aired January 15, 2007. During that time, the friendship between Conrad and Montag deteriorated as Montag increasingly spent her time with her new boyfriend, Spencer Pratt. By February 2007, Audrina Patridge replaced Montag as Conrad's roommate after Montag moved into a separate apartment with Pratt.[3]
Filming the third season of The Hills began in mid-summer 2007 and lasted through March 2008. The premiere episode of season 3 aired August 13, 2007. During that time, Conrad was able to revive her position at Teen Vogue and was offered a second trip to Paris alongside with Whitney Port. By March 2008, Port had already left Teen Vogue for fashion PR firm People's Revolution, and after asking Conrad to assist at an event, Cutrone noticed her work ethic and invited her to work for her company.
Filming for the fourth season of The Hills began in mid-summer 2008 and lasted through November 2008. The premiere episode of Season 4 aired August 18, 2008. Filming for Season 5 began in January 2009, and the premiere episode aired April 6, 2009. Conrad has stated that Season 5 will be her last,[4] even with her departure, the program is continuing without her. Her journey on The Hills began May 31, 2006 and ended on May 31, 2009.
She has also written a new book called L.A. Candy, 2009
Fashion career
Conrad landed an internship at Teen Vogue while filming season one of The Hills.[1] Conrad and her reality show appearances have been credited with improving sales of Teen Vogue. It was reported in March 2007 that since the second season of The Hills began airing in mid-January, newsstand sales for the magazine increased by double digits over 2006 sales.[5] According to Lisa Love, the West Coast editor of Vogue who evaluated Conrad for the internship position, Conrad had to interview successfully in order to get the job, "regardless of what the cameras wanted".[6] She now works for Kelly Cutrone at the People's Revolution[citation needed] and is the author of the book L.A. Candy.[7] Based on Conrad's personal life, L.A. Candy is a novel about a 19-year-old girl who moves to Los Angeles and becomes the star of a reality tv show.[8] Conrad was also placed in Teen Vogue's Ten Best Dressed list for April 2009.[9]
Conrad developed a new fashion line, the Lauren Conrad Collection, that debuted at the Mercedes Benz LA Fashion Week at Smashbox Studios in March 2008.[10] In March 2009, Conrad announced that she would be taking a hiatus from the fashion line; the spring and summer 2009 lines have been canceled.[11] She earns an estimated $1.5 million annually for her television appearances, fashion line, and product endorsements.[12]
Endorsements
In January 2007, Conrad was named the first official spokesperson of "mark.", a line created by Avon and marketed toward young women. She will partner with "mark." and collaborate in both beauty and fashion initiatives. She will be featured in the brand’s magalog (reaching over six million customers every month), and in the "mark." online community. A line of exclusive co-branded items are part of future plans and will be available on the website and through "mark." representatives.[13]
As of April 24, 2008, Conrad is also the national spokesperson for College Tonight.[14]
Books
Her debut book LA Candy was released in June 2009.[15]
Personal life
Conrad has previously dated fellow Laguna Beach cast members Stephen Colletti and Jason Wahler. She also dated Brody Jenner and baseball player Doug Reinhardt. In 2008, Conrad began dating My Boys actor Kyle Howard.[1]
