India Hicks | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | India Amanda Caroline Hicks September 5, 1967 London, England |
| Alma mater | Gordonstoun School New England School of Photography |
| Occupation(s) | Designer, businesswoman, philanthropist, and former model |
| Television | Bravo's "Top Design" show (season 2) |
| Partner | David Flint Wood |
| Children | 4 plus a 5th under her guardianship |
| Parent(s) | David Nightingale Hicks Lady Pamela Mountbatten |
| Relatives | Mountbatten family |
| Website | indiahicks.com |
India Hicks is a philanthropist, designer, businesswoman, and former model. She was born in London in 1967. She is a descendant of the Mountbatten family. She earned a degree in photography at the New England School of Photography in 1990. After graduating, Hicks became an interior designer and a model for Ralph Lauren, among others. She moved to the Bahamas in 1996, where she published books, promoted home and beauty products, and introduced a line of jewelry. She also started a local boutique shop called The Sugar Mill Trading Company.
Early life, family, and education
editIndia Hicks was born in 1967[1][2] in London.[3] She is the granddaughter of the Earl and Countess Mountbatten of Burma and the second cousin of the Prince of Wales.[2][4] Additionally, her mother was a lady-in-waiting to the Queen of England and her father, David Hicks, was a famous interior designer.[5] She is 678th in line for the throne of England.[2]
Hicks grew up in Oxfordshire, England[6] while visiting the Bahamas, where her father built a beach house.[2] She also visited a family estate in Ireland for holidays.[4] As a child, she was a tomboy that kept her distance from the royal affairs she would later become more involved in.[7] Hicks was exposed to design at an early age through her father and brother, who were both architects.[5] Hicks was on vacation in Ireland in 1979, when her grandfather was killed by a bomb planted on his boat.[8][9] At the time, Hicks was 11 years-old.[8][9]
As a teenager, Hicks was a bridesmaid at the 1981 Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer.[7] Hicks went to boarding school in Scotland at Gordonstoun, until she was expelled for having boys in her room.[2] She then went backpacking across the country of India.[2] Hicks moved to Boston, Massachusetts at age 18 to study photography[10][11][12] at the New England School of Photography,[13] where she graduated in 1990.[14]
Career
editAfter graduating college, Hicks' father introduced her to Emilio Pucci in Florence, Italy, where she modeled swimsuits.[15] Later on, she got a job modeling for Ralph Lauren in New York City.[15] She also did modeling work for Tod's,[16] J.Crew,[17] and others.[18] She lived in Paris for three years, before moving to New York City for three years.[10] Due to her modeling work, she traveled frequently.[19] Hicks moved to the Bahamas in 1996 with David Flint Wood.[18]: 50
In the Bahamas, Hicks restored homes, invested and remodeled a hotel, and published several books on design and lifestyle.[7] Her first book called "Island Life" was a design book with photographs of Hibiscus Hill, a house she designed.[10][17] This was followed by a second book about beauty[5] and a third book on photography and design.[20] Hicks also started a boutique shop in the Bahamas called the Sugar Mill Trading Company with a business partner, Linda Griffin.[5] It focuses on jewelry, clothes, household goods, and other items.[11]
From 2005 to 2014, Hicks worked with Crabtree & Evelyn as a spokeswoman and creative consultant for home and skincare products.[11][12] They created the India Hicks Island Living and India Hicks Island Night lines of soaps, candles, and perfumes.[7][11][17]
In 2008, Hicks co-hosted the second season of the Bravo interior design show "Top Design" in Los Angeles, California.[4][11][17] She introduced her own line of jewelry in 2011.[11] Hicks also became a public commentator on events surrounding the royal family and the 2011 wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.[17][21] In 2015, Hicks created an e-commerce venture called India Hicks Inc. with partners Nicholas Keuper and HauteLook.[12][13] It sold jewelry, handbags, perfumes, beauty products, and other goods.[12][13] The business grew to more than $10 million in annual revenues.[12]
Hicks also worked with the Home Shopping Network on a line bedding products called India Hicks Island Living.[18]
Personal life
edit
Hicks met her life partner David Flint Wood as a child.[13] Then, they re-connected as adults later in life[18] during a vacation in the Bahamas.[13][15] Hicks moved to the Bahamas in 1996.[3] She was pregnant with their first child four months later.[10] She now has five children, including a son she adopted from a local waitress who died of breast cancer.[2][22] They built a house called American Farm on empty land in Oxfordshire, England that Hicks inherited.[15] Hicks initially decided against getting legally married[10] until late 2020, when she announced plans to marry Flint Wood.[22]
Hicks ran several marathons. She also rode a 100 mile bike ride to raise money for cancer victims, in memory of her adopted son's biological mother.[2] She partners with a local food bank.[23] In 2020, Hicks pleaded guilty to shoplifting a coat at Uxbridge Magistrates' Court and was ordered to pay costs and a victim surcharge.[24]
Hicks is a prolific scrapbooker.[18]
List of works
edit- (2004) Island Life: Inspirational Interiors
- (2006) Island Beauty
- (2015) India Hicks: Island Style
- (2018) India Hicks: A Slice of England
- (2020) An Entertaining Story
References
edit- ^ Lasson, Sally Ann (February 27, 2010). "My Secret Life: India Hicks, interior designer, 42". The Independent. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Williams, Sally (May 5, 2012). "India Hicks: He was all alone – I cried and took him in". The Telegraph. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
- ^ a b Coke, Hope (April 22, 2020). "Lockdown in paradise: India Hicks isolates in the Bahamas". Tatler. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
- ^ a b c Muhlke, Christine (19 February 2009). "Profile in Style: India Hicks". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
- ^ a b c d Harris, Waheeda (February 24, 2007). "British gal born into style: India Hicks expands her empire". The National Post. p. PH6.
- ^ Shorr, Kerry (December 27, 2018). "25 Things To Know About India Hicks". Fort Lauderdale Illustrated. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
- ^ a b c d Haughney, Christine (March 1, 2011). "A Royal Wedding? She's Been There". The New York Times. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
- ^ a b Saner, Emine (August 19, 2019). "The Day Mountbatten Died review – an atrocity that still haunts lives four decades on". the Guardian. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
- ^ a b "Murder of a Royal". TV & Satellite Week. August 17, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Macdonald, Marianne (March 29, 2004). "Runaway bridesmaid". Evening Standard. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f Kim, Susanna (April 12, 2011). "Fairytale Life of Princess Diana's Bridesmaid". ABC News. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e "Ambassadors of India: India Hicks Sells a Way of Life". Direct Selling News. February 1, 2017. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e "India Hicks Shares Her 25 Favorite Things". Jupiter Magazine. December 28, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
- ^ Spencer, Kathryn (December 22, 2016). "Prince Charles' goddaughter's collection of unwanted presentes". Express.co.uk. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Armstrong, Lisa (July 14, 2018). "How India Hicks went from Princess Diana's bridesmaid to the new queen of accessible luxury". The Telegraph. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
- ^ Moore, Booth (June 22, 2011). "Designer India Hicks's new jewelry line is tribute to her famed father". The Seattle Times.
- ^ a b c d e Muther, Christopher (June 20, 2012). "India Hicks is inspired by her father's designs". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e "Feature: India Hicks: The Isle of India". Muses and Visionaries Magazine (4): 50–57. April 22, 2014.
- ^ "India Hicks's Bahamian Rhapsody". The New York Times. July 20, 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
- ^ Gilbert, Sarah (January 7, 2009). "India Hicks: Island Style". Princeton Magazine. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
- ^ "20 Odd Questions: India Hicks". WSJ. April 22, 2011. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
- ^ a b Sampson, Annabel (December 8, 2020). "Inside India Hicks' 'tiny' upcoming wedding". Tatler. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ Coke, Hope (November 30, 2020). "Prince Philip's goddaughter India Hicks announces her engagement". Tatler. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
- ^ Wet, Nici de. "Prince Charles' goddaughter branded a thief!". You. Retrieved 2020-12-28.