Lana was "discovered" at her high school fashion show as a teen in her hometown of Toronto, Canada.[2] She moved to New York to work with the prestigious Ford Models, where she lived at Eileen Ford's house along with other Ford alumni, Christy Turlington and Naomi Campbell.[2]
After working in Paris, Milan and London as a sought after runway model for designers such as Azzedine Alaïa, Gianfranco Ferré, Prada, Missoni, Sonia Rykiel, Karl Lagerfeld, and Issey Miyake, Ogilvie became a regular face in magazines around the world such as Vogue, Elle, Cosmopolitan, Madame, LA Style, Grazia, Amica, Fashion, Chatelaine and Flare.[2]
Ogilvie has been featured in numerous advertising campaigns including DKNY, Express, Ann Taylor, Gap, Banana Republic, Macy's, Lord & Taylor, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, Escada, Birks, Clairol, Nordstrom, Ralph Lauren, and Neiman Marcus.[2] Her classic beauty made her a favourite of photographers like; Albert Watson, Arthur Elgort, Hans Feurer, Gilles Bensimon and Bruce Weber.[2]
In 1992, she became the first Black model to sign a multi-year contract with CoverGirl cosmetics company, and she appeared in the 1994 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.[3]
Moving into television, Ogilvie became an on-air host and segment producer at Fashion Television, a segment contributor for CBC Television, and CityLine, as well as writing for various Canadian fashion magazines.[2] After studying to be a fine jeweler, she started Sabre Jewelry.[4]
In 2019, Ogilvie launched her personal skincare line, Lana Ogilvie Cosmetics.[5]
