Tina Kunakey

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Tina Kunakey
Tina Kunakey Cannes 2019.jpg
Kunakey at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival
Born
Tina Kunakey Di Vita

(1997-04-05) 5 April 1997 (age 28)
Toulouse, France
Occupations
  • Model
  • actress
Years active2016–present
Spouse
​
​
(m. 2018;sep. 2023)​
Children1
Modeling information
Height1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Hair colorBrown
Eye colorBrown
Agency Next Management (Paris)

Tina Kunakey Di Vita (born 5 April, 1997) is a French model and actress. She is known for her work with major fashion brands including Victoria's Secret, Jean Paul Gaultier, Dior, and The Kooples, and has appeared on the covers of Vogue , Harper's Bazaar , and Elle . Kunakey made her runway debut at Paris Fashion Week in January 2017.

Contents

Early life

Kunakey was born in Toulouse, France. [1] Her father, Robin Kunakey, is of Togolese origin and was born in Morocco, while her mother, Nadia Kunakey (née Di Vita), is from Sicily, Italy. [2] She has a sister and a younger brother, Zakari Kunakey (born 2000), who is also a model.

The family settled in Biarritz on the Basque coast when Kunakey was young. She developed a passion for surfing, spending much of her childhood near the ocean. [3] At age 15, she moved to Madrid to continue her studies and pursue modeling. Kunakey is fluent in French, Spanish, and English.

In an interview with Vogue Italia, Kunakey discussed her multicultural background, stating that having multiple origins provides "a much wider socio-cultural capital". [2]

Career

Modeling

Kunakey began her modeling career after being spotted by a surfwear company while surfing on a beach in Biarritz. [3] Her first professional work was with surf and streetwear brands including Roxy, Billabong, and Quiksilver. After moving to Madrid, she signed with Mad Models Management in Barcelona, and later relocated to London where she joined SUPA Model Management.

Her breakthrough came in 2016 through appearances in music videos, including "Belinda" by French singer M. Pokora, which garnered over 12 million views on YouTube, and "Money Man" by A$AP Mob featuring A$AP Rocky.

On 25 January 2017, Kunakey made her runway debut at the Jean Paul Gaultier Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2017 show during Paris Fashion Week. [4] That same year, she participated in Dior's campaign alongside Bella Hadid and was featured in L'Oréal's Colorista advertising campaign.

In 2018, Kunakey signed with IMG Models. She was named a brand ambassador for Volcom and appeared as a cover model for Etam. In May 2019, she launched the Tina Kunakey x Etam capsule collection, featuring prêt-à-porter and swimwear. [5]

In February 2021, Kunakey and her then-husband Vincent Cassel were announced as brand ambassadors for French fashion house The Kooples. [6] She designed a capsule collection titled "Tina for Vincent" with artistic director Tom Van Dorpe and also created "The Tina Bag". [6] That same year, she was named an ambassador for Daniel Wellington's Quadro collection. [7]

In 2023, Kunakey was named Global Ambassador for Superga for their Spring/Summer 2023 campaign. [8] In 2024, she appeared in the Victoria's Secret "Escape to Summer" campaign alongside Gigi Hadid, Emily Ratajkowski, and Paloma Elsesser, photographed by Mikael Jansson and styled by Emmanuelle Alt. [9]

Kunakey has appeared on the covers of numerous international fashion magazines, including Vogue (France and Italy), Harper's Bazaar (Spain), Elle , Marie Claire (Italy), Grazia , L'Officiel , Madame Figaro , and Vanity Fair (Italy). [10] She is currently represented by Next Management in Paris. [10]

Acting

In 2018, Kunakey made her acting debut in the FX biographical crime drama series Trust , created by Simon Beaufoy and executive produced by Danny Boyle. The series depicted the 1973 kidnapping of John Paul Getty III. She appeared in three episodes as a bargirl.

Personal life

Kunakey met French actor Vincent Cassel in the summer of 2015 in Biarritz. [1] They publicly confirmed their relationship in November 2016 at a Victoria's Secret party. [11] Their relationship attracted media attention due to their 31-year age difference. [12]

The couple married on 24 August 2018 in a civil ceremony at the town hall in Bidart, France, near Biarritz, with approximately 100 guests in attendance. [13] Kunakey wore a custom Vera Wang gown, featuring an ivory dress with a hand-draped French tulle bodice and a voluminous ball skirt. [1]

Their daughter was born on 19 April 2019 in Paris. [12]

In April 2023, media outlets reported that Kunakey and Cassel had separated after nearly five years of marriage, following Cassel's deletion of photos of Kunakey from his social media accounts. [11] [14]

Kunakey is a regular attendee at major film festivals, including the Cannes Film Festival (2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024) and the Venice Film Festival (2019, 2022). [15]

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
2018 Trust BargirlTV series; 3 episodes

References

  1. 1 2 3 Yotka, Steff (August 2018). "French Model Tina Kunakey Wears Custom Vera Wang at Her Wedding to Actor Vincent Cassel". Vogue . Retrieved 31 December 2024.
  2. 1 2 "A conversation with Tina Kunakey". Vogue Italia . 13 March 2017. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
  3. 1 2 "The Best Outfit to Wear With Sneakers, According to French It-Girl Tina Kunakey". Who What Wear . Retrieved 31 December 2024.
  4. ↑ "Tina Kunakey – Défilé de mode Jean Paul Gaultier". Purepeople (in French). 25 January 2017. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
  5. ↑ "Tina Kunakey x Etam". Etam Group. May 2019. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
  6. 1 2 Samaha, Barry (5 February 2021). "The Kooples Taps Vincent Cassel and Tina Kunakey as Brand Ambassadors". Harper's Bazaar . Retrieved 31 December 2024.
  7. ↑ Deeny, Godfrey (11 June 2021). "Daniel Wellington debuts new Quadro collection, unveils ambassador Tina Kunakey". FashionNetwork. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
  8. ↑ "Tina Kunakey is the New Face of the Superga Spring/Summer 2023 Campaign". The Blonde Salad. 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
  9. ↑ "Model Exclusive: Talking Fashion, Vacation and More with the Cast of Our Summer 2024 Campaign". Victoria's Secret. 2024. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
  10. 1 2 "Tina Kunakey". Next Management . Retrieved 31 December 2024.
  11. 1 2 Bombay, Brandon (29 October 2023). "The Scandalous Love Life Of Monica Bellucci's Ex-Husband Vincent Cassel". Nicki Swift. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
  12. 1 2 "Vincent Cassel expecting child with wife Tina Kunakey". UPI . 2 January 2019. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
  13. ↑ "Wedding Pics! Vincent Cassel Marries Model GF Tina Kunakey". Extra. 24 August 2018. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
  14. ↑ "Vincent Cassel et Tina Kunakey: la séparation". Voici (in French). April 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
  15. ↑ "Vincent Cassel, Tina Kunakey – Red Carpet entrance of Crimes of the Future". Cannes Film Festival . 23 May 2022. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
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