Who is Marpessa Hennink who walked in yesterday’s show of Vassilis Zoulias | Marie Claire

THE 90s was defined by iconic supermodels such as Naomi Campbellthe Claudia Schiffer and the Cindy Crawford, who changed the concept of modeling forever with their impressive career and fame. However, the ground had already been prepared by models with equally charismatic personalities such as Marpessa Hennink.
Born and raised in Amsterdam, Marpessa started her career in fashion at the age of sixteen and wrote her own story alongside other girls of that generation, such as Ines de la Fressangethe Carla Bruni and the Chanel Iman.

He did not leave a rejection from the agency Eileen Ford (one of the largest at that time) to prevent her from fulfilling her childhood dream of becoming a model and in 1985 Marpessa walked in the first fashion show of Dolce & Gabbanaof the Italian design duo with whom he still maintains a special bond.

With the help of the famous fashion illustrator Antonio López he also came into contact with other leading designers of the time, including Karl Lagerfeld and Azzedine Alaïa. Marpessa quickly gained a steady presence on their catwalks, as well as those of Valentino, Christian Lacroix, Oscar de la Renta and Gianfranco Ferré. Bryan Ferry chooses her to play in the video clip of the unforgettable “Slave to Love”, where the top model dances in slow motion to the rhythms of the favorite track.

She even earned the nickname “The Catwalk Contessa” for her many catwalk appearances in the 1990s. Marpessa then packed up her heels and retired from fashion to pursue a new career as an interior designer.

Marpessa returned to the catwalks in 2004 where she closed the Autumn/Winter show for designer Antonio Marras, and in January 2011 she was chosen to walk in a special fashion show held by the designer Alberta Ferretti in Florence, Italy. Then, in May 2011, she walked in the “Fashion for Relief” show in Cannes, France, while the following year the Dolce & Gabbana they launched the clothing line “High Fashion” and they chose Hennink as the global ambassador for this series.

Yesterday, the great Marpessa Hennink made a surprise appearance at the Basilis show during the Athens Fashion Week. The famous model closed the show of the beloved Greek designer through his new Pret-a-porter collection ‘Film Noir’ for the Fall-Winter 2024-2025 season.

The fashion show took place at the “Iris” cinema in a nostalgic retro atmosphere, where Marpessa reunited with her good friend and colleague Vicky Koulianou, with whom they had walked countless catwalks in the past.