Farida Khelfa (born 23 May 1960) is a French-Algerian actress, documentary filmmaker, author, and model. A prominent figure in Parisian culture since the 1980s, she is recognized as one of the first models of North African descent to achieve international success. She served as a long-term muse to designers Jean Paul Gaultier and Azzedine Alaïa and was the brand ambassador for Sciaparelli from 2012 to 2017.
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Early life
Khelfa, one of nine children, was born in Lyon, France in the working-class suburb of Vénissieux to strict Algerian immigrant parents. Her childhood was marked by severe trauma, including child abuse and incest. Because of this, she ran away from her family at the age of 16, joining two of her sisters in Paris after a night of hitchhiking. It was there that she befriended a young Christian Louboutin, who gave her a place to stay. Khelfa decided to become a model "without [too much] ambition except being free."
When Khelfa first arrived in Paris, she "wandered everywhere" before discovering the nightclubs Le Palace and Les Bain Douches, becoming a doorman. She spent the next few years heavily involved in nightclub culture, where she would meet major figures of the fashion world.
Career
While dancing at Le Palace in 1979, Khelfa was discovered by designer Jean Paul Gaultier. Gaultier would cast her in his 1980 fashion show, launching her modeling career. In the following years, she would become the muse to many important figures in the fashion world, including Jean-Paul Goude, Azzedine Alaïa, and Thierry Mugler.
Khelfa began acting in the 1980s, appearing in films such as La nuit porte-jarretelles (1985) and Lady Cops (1987). In the 2010s, she transitioned to documentary filmmaking.
In 2013 Khelfa was appointed as the brand ambassador for Schiaparelli. Khelfa stepped down as brand ambassador in 2017, stating that she needed time to focus on her own projects, particularly filmmaking. Despite this, Khelfa has continued to work with the brand, notably appearing on the Schiaparelli spring/summer 2020 Haute Couture runway in 2019. Most recently (as of April 2026), she worked with them in December 2024 on a photoshoot for 7 Hollywood Magazine.
In 2024, Khelfa wrote her first book, a memoir titled Une enfance française.
Personal life
In 1982, Khelfa became romantically involved with 44-year-old photographer Jean-Paul Goude. She cites Goude as the one to introduce her to "so many things, like the Bauhaus, Stravinsky, the Russian ballets."
Khelfa married businessman and CEO Henri Seydoux in 2012. The couple has been together since 1989 and already had two sons together at the time of their marriage. Khelfa became the step-mother of stylist Camille Seydoux and actress Léa Seydoux, Seydoux's children from his first marriage to actress Valérie Schlumberger.
Khelfa's mother died in August 2022. Her mother's funeral inspired her to write her autobiography.
Khelfa is a friend of model Carla Bruni and was a witness at her 2008 wedding to French president Nicolas Sarkozy.