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Kelsey Merritt

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Kelsey Merritt
Born
Kelsey Alaine Merritt

(1996-10-01) October 1, 1996 (age 29)
Philippines
Alma materAteneo de Manila University
Modeling information
Height1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Hair colorBrown
Eye colorDark Brown
Agency

Kelsey Alaine Merritt (born October 1, 1996) is a Filipino-American fashion model and the first from the Philippines to walk the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in 2018.[1] Merritt was featured in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue for three years in a row,[2] and has appeared in advertisements for brands like DKNY, Calvin Klein, and Polo Ralph Lauren.

Life and career

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Merritt was born on October 1, 1996, in Angeles City, Pampanga, Philippines to a Filipina mother and an American father. In May 2017, she graduated from Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City, Metro Manila, with a degree in communications.[3] She has been modelling in the Philippines from a young age and is currently based in New York City and Los Angeles.

Before modelling, Merritt worked at a local coffee shop, when she was only 15.[4] Merritt was scouted as a model aged 15, and her first major shoot was for a fashion editorial in Candy Magazine. She was subsequently cast in shows at Philippine Fashion Week and in commercials.[5] Until one day while still in college, Kelsey stumbled upon an email that offered her the opportunity to model in New York. "I was discovered by this New York director for Wilhelmina Models at that time on Instagram. I remember I was a sophomore in college, and I was doing a paper and I got an email. And it said 'Modeling in the Big Apple,'" she recalled. The Filipino model was 17 years old when the New York director reached out to her. "It was really this legit guy who discovered Coco Rocha. My dad talked to him for two hours because he was telling me to go to New York on my own. My dad wouldn't let me. I was like 'I'm good, I'm old, I can do it.' But now in hindsight, I'm like okay, that was fair," she shared. However, since she was well into the first semester of her sophomore year of college at the time, Wilhelmina had to wait.[6]

In April 2015, at the age of 18, from the Philippines, Kelsey flew to New York and officially signed with Wilhelmina Models. From then on while juggling her studies with modeling work abroad, Kelsey Merritt secured numerous global and regional campaigns for numerous international brands, including work with Vera Wang famously photographed by Patrick Demarchelier and a commercial and campaign for Maybelline working as a background model alongside main cast top model Gigi Hadid, Emily DiDonato, and Jourdan Dunn. And global print ad for Uniqlo Re-Jean campaign. Working with international magazines like L'Officiel and Harper's Bazaar editorials.[7]

After foundational years with Wilhelmina Models, Kelsey Merritt switched her modeling agency to Supreme Management in New York which eventually lead and caught the eye of Victoria's Secret brand and cast her as the catalogue model[8] and then, later on famously booked the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in 2018, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 2019, and the features of Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, and Elle magazine beauty in their designated Youtube channel.[9]

In September 2018, Kelsey Merritt received news from her modeling agency that she got the coveted confirmation to walked for the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in New York and was announced to be the first Filipino-American model to walk the runway. It was also her first ever international runway show.[10]

On October 9, 2019, Kelsey posted on her Instagram that she signed with her new management, The Society, in New York City.[11][12]   

She was featured three times consecutively in the pages of the 2019, 2020, and 2021 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.[13][14][15] Kelsey Merritt had also appeared as the main front cover model for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2022 Day-at-a-Time Box Calendar[16] and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Wall calendars alongside models like Camille Kostek, Olivia Culpo, and Jasmine Sanders.

In February 2020, Kelsey Merritt booked her first Milan Fashion Show, walking down the runway for Philipp Plein ready-to-wear Fall/Winter 2020-2021 during the Milan Fashion Week photographed by Ellen von Unwerth.[17]

Kelsey Merritt had appeared on the magazine covers for L'Officiel Philippines, Cosmopolitan Philippines Fashion, Vanidades, Ocean Drive, Modeliste, and Filipino magazine covers such as Metro Magazine, Metro Society, Metro Style, Mega Magazine, Rogue, Preview, Candy, Chalk.[18] Editorials for Vogue Philippines, Harper's Bazaar Beauty, L'Officiel, Women's Health USA, Galore.[19]

Merritt also made appearances in major international fashion magazines such as American Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Elle, and Allure, as to the aforementioned, featuring her on their YouTube channel in relation to beauty talks.[20][21][22][23] In 2018, British Vogue dubbed Kelsey Merritt a "rising star".[24]

Kelsey Merritt has been in advertisements, campaigns, and/or catalogues for the numerous clothing brands like Vera Wang, Victoria's Secret, Calvin Klein, DKNY, Polo Ralph Lauren, Abercrombie & Fitch, H&M, Next, Uniqlo, Forever 21, Skims, Calzedonia, Frame, Aritzia, Anthropologie, Free People, Vuori, LoveShackFancy, Lilly Pulitzer, Urban Outfitters, Tommy Bahama, Dynamite Clothing, Nicole + Felicia Couture, Triangl, Gigi C, Lulus, Spiritual Gangster, Jenni Kayne, Sanctuary, and others.[25]

In February 2023, Kelsey Merritt and top male model Mathieu Simoneau[26] starred together in the Calvin Klein Athletic (2023) campaign. The two modeled alongside one another showcasing the global brand's premium activewear and underwear collections. They led the promotional rollouts focusing on breathable, high-performance athleisure and classic minimalist pieces.[27]

In December 2023, Kelsey Merritt and top fashion model Samile Bermannelli[28] starred as the face of the DKNY Tech Ski campaign, which launched the brand's inaugural luxury winter capsule collection.[29] The campaign melded high-performance slope wear with New York street style. The campaign photos which was inspired by the Northern Lights were shot by fashion photographer Tom Schirmacher,[30] featuring makeup by Maud Laceppe.[31]

In August 2024, Kelsey Merritt headed the Polo Ralph Lauren × Olympics campaign capturing the preppy, athletic aesthetic of the Ralph Lauren's Olympic collection.[32] The high-profile editorial was shot by renowned fashion photographer Hans Neumann[33] in Paris, France.

Kelsey Merritt have often collaborated with British fine-art photographer David Yarrow on cinematic, highly-stylized photographic campaigns. Their work together often features vintage, Wild West, or European aesthetics, with Merritt serving as the muse for several of Yarrow's major releases. Merritt's acting and modeling on Yarrow's sets are frequently highlighted by the photographer for her ability to bring grace, confidence, and a tough-yet-elegant sovereignty to the visual stories.[34][35][36][37]

After more than six years with The Society Management in New York City. On June 5, 2026, IMG Models announced on their social media pages that they are now representing Kelsey Merritt, officially added to their roster of models based in New York City.[38]

References

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  1. ^ Briones, Isis (November 8, 2018). "Kelsey Merritt Responds to Being Called a "White Passing" Filipino Victoria's Secret Model". Teen Vogue. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  2. ^ "Kelsey Merritt Photos & Latest News | SI Swim". Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  3. ^ "7 Things to Know About Kelsey Merritt, the First Filipino Model in the VS Fashion Show". Teen Vogue. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
  4. ^ "10 Things You Didn't Know About Kelsey Merritt | The Girl on TV". thegirlontv.com. November 26, 2018. Retrieved June 17, 2026.
  5. ^ "10 Things to Know about Kelsey Merritt - First Filipina Victoria's Secret Model — KOLLECTIVE HUSTLE". KOLLECTIVE HUSTLE. Archived from the original on May 22, 2025. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  6. ^ Cagape, E. Kristhoff. "Kelsey Merritt shares how her modeling career in New York began | ABS-CBN Entertainment". ABS-CBN. Archived from the original on December 6, 2025. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  7. ^ Natividad, Angela (November 4, 2015). "Model student: Meet Kelsey Merritt". Vantage Magazine. Retrieved June 11, 2026.
  8. ^ News, ABS-CBN. "How Kelsey Merritt ended up working with Victoria's Secret | ABS-CBN Lifestyle". ABS-CBN. Archived from the original on December 6, 2025. Retrieved June 12, 2026. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  9. ^ "Model asked for God's help to land the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show | New York Post". November 4, 2018. Retrieved June 11, 2026.
  10. ^ Yang, Lucy (September 7, 2018). "Meet Kelsey Merritt, the 22-year-old who made history as the first Filipino woman to walk the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show". Business Insider. Retrieved June 11, 2026.
  11. ^ "Kelsey Merritt is now represented by the same management handling Kendall Jenner". GMA News Online. October 9, 2019. Retrieved June 11, 2026.
  12. ^ "The Society F/W 2019 Polaroids/Portraits (Polaroids-Digitals)". MODELS.com. Retrieved June 11, 2026.
  13. ^ "Kelsey Merritt 2019: Great Exuma". Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. May 3, 2019. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  14. ^ "Kelsey Merritt 2020: Dominican Republic". Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. July 21, 2020. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  15. ^ "Kelsey Merritt 2021: Hollywood". Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. July 19, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  16. ^ "2022 SPORTS ILLUSTRATED SWIMSUIT DAY-AT-A-TIME BOX CALENDAR | Linkin park meteora, Rosie the riveter, Trends international". Pinterest. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
  17. ^ "Philipp Plein F/W 20 Show (Philipp Plein)". MODELS.com. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
  18. ^ FashionModelDirectory.com, The FMD-. "Kelsey Merritt - Gallery with 14 magazine covers - Fashion Model | Models | The FMD | Page 1". The FMD - FashionModelDirectory.com. Retrieved May 26, 2026. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  19. ^ FashionModelDirectory.com, The FMD-. "Kelsey Merritt - Gallery with 12 editorials - Fashion Model | Models | The FMD | Page 1". The FMD - FashionModelDirectory.com. Retrieved May 26, 2026. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  20. ^ Vogue (November 13, 2018). Victoria's Secret Model Kelsey Merritt's Guide to Freckles & Better Brows | Beauty Secrets | Vogue. Retrieved May 26, 2026 – via YouTube.
  21. ^ Harper's BAZAAR (February 12, 2019). Victoria's Secret Model Kelsey Merritt's Nighttime Skincare Routine | Go To Bed With Me. Retrieved May 26, 2026 – via YouTube.
  22. ^ ELLE (March 13, 2019). We Gave Kelsey Merritt $150 at Sephora. These Are the Five Things She Bought. | Beauty Haul | ELLE. Retrieved May 26, 2026 – via YouTube.
  23. ^ Allure (August 23, 2023). Kelsey Merritt's 10-Minute Glowy Everyday Makeup Routine | Allure. Retrieved May 26, 2026 – via YouTube.
  24. ^ Vogue (November 8, 2018). "Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2018: Everything You Need To Know". British Vogue. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
  25. ^ "Kelsey Merritt - Model". MODELS.com. Retrieved May 23, 2026.
  26. ^ "Mathieu Simoneau - Model". MODELS.com. Retrieved May 29, 2026.
  27. ^ "Calvin Klein Athletic 2023 (Calvin Klein)". MODELS.com. Retrieved May 29, 2026.
  28. ^ "Samile Bermannelli - Model". MODELS.com. Retrieved May 29, 2026.
  29. ^ "DKNY TECH SKI CAMPAIGN (DKNY)". MODELS.com. Retrieved May 29, 2026.
  30. ^ "Tom Schirmacher - Photographer". MODELS.com. Retrieved May 29, 2026.
  31. ^ "Maud Laceppe - Makeup Artist". MODELS.com. Retrieved May 29, 2026.
  32. ^ "Polo Ralph Lauren x Olympics (Ralph Lauren)". MODELS.com. Retrieved May 29, 2026.
  33. ^ "Hans Neumann - Photographer". MODELS.com. Retrieved May 29, 2026.
  34. ^ "La Dolce Vita | David Yarrow". davidyarrow.photography. Retrieved May 29, 2026.
  35. ^ "The Girl with the Cigar | David Yarrow". davidyarrow.photography. Retrieved May 29, 2026.
  36. ^ "Mille Miglia | David Yarrow". davidyarrow.photography. Retrieved May 29, 2026.
  37. ^ "Cypress Point | David Yarrow". davidyarrow.photography. Retrieved June 3, 2026.
  38. ^ "Kelsey Merritt | IMG Models". Retrieved June 5, 2026.
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