Arlenis Sosa Generous Beauty by Vogue Italia

At 21 she can count on a steeply rising career and a job as the face of Lancôme, without forgetting her commitment to a better society. Arlenis has a contagious smile and a lot of dreams which she wants to make come true, step by step

Who she is

A model born in 1989, originally from the Dominican Republic.

Career

Her career began in 2008 when she met Luis Menieur, a Dominican fashion designer who convinced her to model for him. She was then hired by Marilyn Agency and Why Not, made her debut in Vogue Italia shortly afterwards and has since walked for Victoria's Secret, Christian Dior, Oscar De La Renta, Bottega Veneta and many more. She is a Lancôme spokesmodel and has been photographed by Steven Meisel, Patrick Demarchelier, Terry Richardson, Mario Testino...

Recent works

We saw her on Diane Von Furstenberg and Carolina Herrera’s runways in September.

A memorable moment in her career

“The shooting for Vogue Italia’s Black Issue, the first made here in New York. I had a splendid opportunity to get to know Steven Meisel. I didn’t even know who he was, or who my colleagues such as Chanel Iman were; I didn't speak a word of English, and I was totally dazed, but it was fantastic”.

Social commitment

“I am very proud to have a dream that has come true: having my own foundation to support children. I’ve always wanted to do this, since I was little, and it’s fantastic”.

The Arlenis Sosa Foundation has been supporting diabetic and HIV positive children since 2009.

Favourite designers

Tory Burch, Proenza Schouler. Their style is all about comfort, freshness and lively prints. Provided it’s all elegant, not artificial.

Free time

She denies going to a lot of parties and clubs and tells us she has a passion for basketball.

Anecdotes

When she was 10, on the way back home from school with her mother she promised she would buy her a car. “And so I decided to buy her a jeep for Christmas, just like the one she wanted, and have it delivered to her at midnight on December 24. She went crazy over it, and it was fantastic to be able to share the fruits of my work with her”.

Friendships

She is very close to her family and has many friends among her colleagues. She has often been photographed relaxing and having fun with Jourdan Dunn, Sessilee Lopez, Eniko Mihalik and Constance Jablonski. She is sentimentally tied to model René Rodríguez.

Sign of the zodiac

Taurus. Her birthday is May 7.

Where she lives

New York

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