Stane Jerko

Stane Jerko (born 1937) is a Slovenian fashion photographer, best known for "discovering" Melania Trump.

Jerko was born in 1937, and studied at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, but his passion was always for photography. ^[1]

Jerko first noticed the then Melanija Knavs, aged 16, in January 1987, while she was sitting on the stairs, waiting for her friends to finish a fashion show in her hometown of Novo Mesto. ^{[2] [3]}

His work is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art, Ljubljana, Slovenia. ^[4]

References

1. "Številka 87 Marec/april 2018 Digitalna kamera" (in Slovenian). 6 March 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
2. Johnson, Glen (15 November 2016). "The people of a small Slovenian town are excited that Melania Trump is about to become first lady of the United States". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
3. "The story of the photographer who launched Melania Trump's career (Photo)". Telegrafi. 20 February 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
4. "New Aquisitions 26 | June 2016 | MG+MSUM". www.mg-lj.si. Archived from the original on 25 December 2024. Retrieved 15 August 2025.