Farida Khelfa (born May 23, 1960) is a French documentary filmmaker and former model.

Early life

Khelfa was born in

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...

, one of eight children born to Algerian immigrants. She ran away from her strict Muslim family at the age of 15, joining her sister in Paris. There she befriended

Christian Louboutin Christian Louboutin (; born 7 January 1963) is a French fashion designer whose high-end stiletto footwear incorporates shiny, red-lacquered soles that have become his signature. Initially a freelance designer for fashion houses, he started hi ...

, who gave her a place to stay.

Career

While working at a nightclub, Khelfa was discovered by photographer

Jean-Paul Goude Jean-Paul Goude (born 8 December 1938 in Montreuil (France)) is a French graphic designer, illustrator, photographer, advertising film director and event designer. He worked as art director at ''Esquire'' magazine in New York City during the 1 ...

. Goude was the first to use Khelfa as a model and later introduced her to designer Azzedine Alaïa. In 2013 Khelfa was appointed as the brand ambassador for Schiaparelli. Khelfa parted with the brand in 2017 stating that she needed time to focus on her own projects including filmmaking. However Khelfa continued to work with the brand, notably appearing on the Schiaparelli spring/summer 2020 Haute Couture runway in 2019.

Personal life

At 20 Khelfa was involved romantically with photographer

. Khelfa married Henri Seydoux in 2012. The couple had been together since 1989 and already had two sons, Ismaël Seydoux and Omer Seydoux, at the time of their marriage. Through her marriage Khelfa is the step-mother of stylist

Camille Seydoux Camille Seydoux (born 23 March 1982) is a French stylist. Her clients include Adèle Exarchopoulos, Bérénice Bejo, and Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi. Early life Seydoux was the eldest of two sisters born to businessman Henri Jerome Seydoux-Fornier d ...

and actress

Léa Seydoux Léa Hélène Seydoux-Fornier de Clausonne (; born 1 July 1985) is a French actor. Known for her roles in both French cinema and in Hollywood she's received various accolades including the Cannes Film Festival's Trophée Chopard in 2009 as well ...

, her husband's children from his first marriage to Valérie Schlumberger. Khelfa is a friend of former model

Carla Bruni Carla Bruni-Sarkozy

and was a witness at her 2008 wedding to French president

Nicolas Sarkozy Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa (; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012. Born in Paris, he is of Hungarian, Greek Jewish, and French origin. Mayor of Neuilly-sur-Se ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khelfa, Farida French female models 1960 births Living people French documentary filmmakers Algerian documentary filmmakers French people of Algerian descent Algerian female models Mass media people from Lyon