Afef Jnifen in the Linda Farrow Spring 2018 campaign.
It’s been several years since Afef Jnifen agreed to grace the glossy pages of magazines or fronted a fashion campaign. But for the October issue of Vogue Arabia and now the Linda Farrow’s Spring 2018 campaign, the Tunisian model made an exception. The seemingly ageless beauty, whose CV includes work with prestigious fashion houses such as Azzedine Alaïa, Jean Paul Gaultier, Fendi, and Cavalli, appears in an accompanying poolside video lensed by Mariano Vivanco wearing yellow-tinged, reflective shades plucked from the brand’s collection. Her reasons, “Linda Farrow is her favorite eyewear brand since forever,” as she told WWD. The campaign features a diverse lineup of models, including Cici Xiang and Arnaud Lemaire. Farrow herself also makes a quick cameo.
Afef Jnifen wears Giambattista Valli photographed by Tom Munro for the October issue of Vogue Arabia
Jnifen, who was one of Vogue Arabia’s four cover stars for the special anniversary October 2017 issue, was first scouted by renowned French photographer Jean-Paul Goude while he was shooting a Club Med ad with Carla Bruni in the Bahamas. With her larger-than-life mane and supernatural features, Goude was immediately drawn to her and enlisted her in the ad, suggesting she go meet the late Azzedine Alaïa in Paris. Jnifen quickly became part of the iconoclastic couturier’s inner circle of close friends. Soon she was a favorite model of top designers. “Ten, 15 years ago there weren’t that many Arab women living in my country. Afef brought glamour back. But she also shared an important multicultural message: Italians discovered, through her, Arab culture. I remember learning of this innovative beauty arriving in my country before even meeting her and becoming friends,” Giambattista Valli told Vogue Arabia speaking of Jnifen.
Related Read: Afef Jnifen’s 20 Most Head-Turning Red Carpet Moments
