August 13, 201212 yr Event Title: MODELS 4 WATER Hosts Fundraising Event Benefitting THIRST NO MORE and THE WATER PROJECT People: Timothy Wheeler, Jessie M'Bengue & Jahstiy
August 14, 201212 yr Models 4 Water, Thirst no More, Cheetah Outreach benefit in the Hamptons This weekend we were proud to be a part of an amazing charity event hosted by our friends at Models 4 Water to benefit Thirst no More, an international aid organization serving regions ravaged by war, tyranny or natural disasters, The Water Project, a non-profit organization bringing relief to communities around the world who suffer from a lack of access to clean water and proper sanitation, and Cheetah Outreach, an organization promoting the survival of the free ranging, Southern African cheetah through environmental education and delivering conservation initiatives. The lavish soiree was held at a private home in Sag Harbor, and hosted by the ambassadors of Models 4 Water, Heide Lindgren & Georgie Badiel with a special performance by fellow supporter Jessi M’Bengue.
August 23, 201212 yr I'M LEA COLOMBO, A FASHION PHOTOGRAPHER FROM CAPE TOWN LIVING IN PARIS. All photographs snapped by me. Model: Jessi M'Bengue
October 4, 201212 yr CUIRASSEE Photographed by Mike Kobal Direction by Kenza Fourati Hair and make Up by Jenny Scarpelli Special Thanks to Ryan Leslie. This story gives you a hint of how intricate and beautiful Jessi is. She could crystallize here the Beauty and the complexity of the African Woman. Africa is composed by 54 countries- It is more than Asia, more than North and South America reunited- yet most people across the globe just sees it as one troubled region, with very little knowledge of the infinite variety and subtleties this continent holds. Her mother is originally from Algeria, her father is Ivorian. Jessi was raised in France. The first time I ever saw Jessi, was at a fancy New York magazine launch party. She spontaneously came from across the room to tell me how much she liked my spread in the magazine. In the merciless world of fashion, such a kind spontaneity isn’t commonplace. This is who Jessi is. Growing up a mixed race child between Grenoble and Lyon wasn’t easy. She knows how harsh and hateful people can be. After tumultuous and angry teenage years, she found peace in spirituality, an hybrid where Allah and the catholic Church meet harmoniously. At 19, she moved to Toronto to study English, political sciences and Economy . She quickly got scouted and start modelling between NYC and London. Her voluptuous body and exotic looks got her gigs with likes of Victoria’s Secret and Vogue Italia. After a harsh break up, Jessi the successful model found music to exorcise her pain. In the serenity of a recording studio, patiently, tirelessly, she taught herself to compose, write lyrics and sing. And her voice will make you shiver. On stage, barefoot with a glass of red wine, a guitar player accompanying her, Jessi sings to each of you the story of her life, her pains. Her journey. To close endless conversations, she touches her pendants: a Khomsa and a cross with her enigmatic smile. She then looks at me and says: “Kenza, my love, everything is MAKTOUB.”
October 25, 201212 yr Top model portrait - Spotlight on Jessi M’Bengue: Part I whenI believe, when something unexpected happens, it’s an ulterior force that is moving you toward the new path of your life” Jessi M’Bengue This is the first thing she told me after entering her upper west side studio apartment. Jessi M’Bengue is an ambitious, beautiful and touching model, who made her statement in the world of fashion….and now, reaching far beyond. You may recognize her from several ad campaigns for Victoria secret “Pink”, Aldo, Levi’s, Coca cola…and also some editorials such as Nylon, Glamour, Cosmo, Elle, Oyster, GQ… She is being photographed everywhere on the globe and, as she told me, “the most amazing place I have traveled for my job so far, is Africa” and continues “once in South Africa, I was sitting outside and having lunch after a photoshoot, when a group of zebras quietly crossed our passage, I was like … whaaaaat?!?“ She incarnates beauty and lives in wonderland but this African refugee did not get it all without trials and tribulations. “C’était difficile, mais j’en suis venue a la conclusion que la ou tu commences, n’est pas forcement la place ou tu finis. On a vécu des galères mais Dieu merci, aujourd’hui, ON EST LA!” Jessi’s Background She saw the light in southern France, from an unconditional love between her parents. Her mother is French with a Muslim Algerian heritage and her father is Ivorian-Senegalese and Christian. Her philosophy: “2 horizons in Africa, 2 religions but that’s love and sometimes comes miracles” It was not easy, and after extended families disavowed her parents union, it was only the 3 of them until her little brother, David was born, which made them, a united front of 4. Her parents were rather young when they had her and she always felt like she was more of a little sister to them than a daughter. As she recalls “my parents were break dancers for night clubs, that is how they were making money while studying” and adds ” I would sneak out of my room to go dancing and would run into my father. He was sooooo cool. We would have fun and then go back home like old buddies“ While her family moved back to Africa, she preferred to stay in France. She was such a trouble maker she says, but managed to finish school since she was driven. She made a lot of mistakes and learned from them until the day she decided to change her life. Her dream was Canada, the anglophone part of it. So Toronto became her project for the 3 following years. She learned english, passed the toefl exam, did the required paperwork and took off. Jessi was accepted in all schools she applied. She moved into her apartment, in Toronto, for which she paid a year up front with her dad’s help but 3 days later, the studio kissed her good bye… in flames. ” My entire french stories, my stuffed animals, everything was gone……but I told my dad, I am not going back home….I am starting over, here“ Becoming a Model Struggle, depression, exhaustion…, it was hard, very hard and so cold. After six months, she was scouted by Chantal Nadeau, who would become her manager, her confident, sort of like another mother. Chantal groomed Jessi and made her the model and the woman she is today. “I had no idea what she was talking about. How can a half shaved red headed boyish looking girl could become a beauty icon? I thought she was making fun of me.“ “I realized, everything that people disliked about my physical traits, my ethnic background and my personality while growing up in France, here, in Canada, people love and adulate everything about it.” “Chantal Nadeau was my rock. She was there for me and believed in me. Chantal saw in me something I could have never seen in myself. She taught me everything and put me in front of a camera. That’s when it clicked. It was like I was born to become a model“. From Canada, Jessi moved to Hong Kong before finally landing in NYC. She tells me that to date, when she looks at her pictures, she still can not believe it’s her. “I am a full fledged working model in New York City, its crazy” she adds “Here I was taught that I am Beautiful” and continues “Ever since, every time I am in front of a camera, I become that beautiful, charming, attractive woman“ Jessi’s worst thing about modeling: trading her converse for heels.something unexpected happens, it’s an ulterior
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.