At a statuesque five foot ten with a delightfully relaxed gait Loli Bahia lives up to her surname, which literally means “radiant beauty” in Arabic. Since her debut in 2020, the world’s top fashion designers have been eager to have her walk their runways.
Originally from Lyon, France, Bahia’s father was born in Spain and her mother in Algeria. While studying music at the Lyon Conservatoire, she entered the Egeri Tour modeling competition—and quickly won the top prize. She was then signed by the Women agency, and made her first steps on the catwalk at the Louis Vuitton fall 2020 show by Nicolas Ghesquière: Her look proved so popular that the designer chose her to be the face of the campaign for that collection.
Since then, her rebellious allure has seduced all the big fashion houses, who have been eager to have her wear their designs. She’s been on the catwalks of brands from around the world, including Saint Laurent, Givenchy, Rabanne, Coperni, Courrèges, Max Mara, Prada, Versace, and Chanel, the house she represented when she opened the Vogue World: Paris show.
At Place Vendôme, Bahia kicked off the Vogue World: Paris show by wearing 1920s outfits associated with cycling. It was a period when Gabrielle Chanel was at her peak, designing free-spirited sportswear creations and short, over-the-calf knitted dresses. To pay tribute to this decade and to the French fashion house, Bahia wore a recreation of a long dress from Chanel’s summer 1924 collection which was published in Vogue that year.
Bahia’s career extends beyond the world of fashion, too. In 2023, she was cast by Maïwenn to play the young Jeanne du Barry in the film of the same name, which tells the story of the last favorite of King Louis XV, played by Johnny Depp. The film was the opening night selection at the Cannes Film Festival.
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