Kelsey Merritt is living the dream. As you’ve probably already heard, the half-Pinay and half-American model made history, as she’s the first-ever Filipino to grace Victoria’s Secret runway, walking alongside Adriana Lima, Behati Prinsloo, Candice Swanepoel, and more VS legends.
Since the lingerie-filled extravaganza is premiering in a few days (catch it on Fox Life Asia on December 3 at 8 p.m.), here’s everything there is to know—and to love—about this 22-year-old stunner. P.S. We can’t wait to witness Kelsey kill that #VSFS runway debut!
10. Modeling wasn’t her first job
Before Kelsey was booking modeling jobs, she was serving a cup of joe! In a recent interview with the NY Post, the rising model revealed that she used to work at a local coffee shop when she was only 15.
9. Kelsey was scouted by the same man who discovered Coco Rocha
Fresh into her sophomore year in Ateneo De Manila University, the Kapampangan caught the attention of model agency director, Roman Young, through Instagram. Apparently, Young was also the agent behind the success of the iconic Queen of Posing, Coco Rocha. In one Instagram post, Kelsey wrote, “Fun fact: We both got discovered by the same guy who brought us together today @romanyoung”. Crazy, right?
8. She’s an avid Broadway fan
In the midst of all her #TrainLikeAnAngel fitness clips on IG, you’ll stumble upon occasional posts on the memorable Broadway shows she has seen, from the Lion King, Anastasia, Hamilton, and more. Lucky for her, Broadway is big in her current hometown, New York City, so there’s plenty more to see!
7. She moved back and forth from Manila to New York to finish school
When you’ve got a career ahead of you at an early age, it’s tempting to put school on hold and pursue your dreams; however, that wasn’t the case for Kelsey. Instead of stopping her studies, halfway through her degree, this Filipina managed to get the best of both worlds, accepting a few modeling gigs in New York while studying for her tests in Manila—yes, even it means having to fight back sleep on a 17-hour long plane ride!
6. She’s a huge advocate of going #PlasticFree
In fact, she has an entire story highlights on Instagram dedicated to all the little ways that she (including you, our dear reader) can help reduce plastic waste! From bringing steel straws wherever she goes to using washable cotton pads to remove her makeup, Kelsey is out to show her followers how simple and easy it is to reduce one’s carbon footprint.
5. One of her first major shoots was for Vera Wang
In between her busy student life in 2015, Kelsey jetted off all the way to New York to model for renowned designer Vera Wang’s Spring 2016 campaign, which was shot by legendary French photographer Patrick Demarchelier.
4. Kelsey is currently dating an Olympic swimmer
Cheering her on every step of the way is her athletic bae Conor Dwyer, a 2-time Olympic gold medalist from the USA team. It isn’t clear when these love birds started dating, but Kelsey made the relationship IG-official when she started posting photos of their Japan trip last August.
3. Kelsey is all for body positivity
This stunner doesn’t shy away from displaying her toned bod—and even her stretch marks! Because, yes, stretch marks are perfectly normal and sexy, too.
2. Kelsey has signed to not one but four international agencies
Going beyond her hometown, New York City, Kelsey has also signed with modeling agencies in Paris, London and Milan, namely Supreme, Women Management, Wilhelmina, and Nomad; some of these agencies represent major names like Cara Delevingne, Fei Fei Sun, and VS Angels Behati Prinsloo and Lais Ribeiro.
1. ICYMI: She’s friends with Nina Dobrev
Social media went abuzz when Vampire Diaries’ Nina Dobrev and Kelsey Merritt were spotted casually hanging out in Costa Rica, together with a bunch of other pals. A few months later, Nina showed her full support for the Pinay’s #VSFS debut, through an Instagram post, writing, “So proud of this girl. First time walking in the #VSFashionShow this week. She’s gonna kill it!!! @kelseymerritt #HottieWithTheVSBody”. We’re totally here for this blossoming friendship!
