Celai West, pronounced “sa-LAY”, is making waves in the fashion, runway and girl empowerment industries, all while proving you can never be too cool for school. Celai changed the industry standards when she became the youngest professional runway model to walk amongst an all-adult lineup in NYFW, at just ten years old.
Celai West is also an actress, model, runway coach, public speaker, Texture Activist, social justice activist, environmentalist, author of the Teen Survival Guide Series and the CEO of her own tee line, TheChattyChick.com as well as her own virtual academy, CelaiAcademy.com
Celai began print modeling when she was five, doing runway shows when she was six, started acting and became the CEO of her own t-shirt line at seven and walked in NYFW for the first time at eight.
Celai had her first viral video at nine, earned her second viral runway video and co-authored her first books at ten, and at eleven, she became the youngest show producer to produce a NYFW show (SS20) with The Industry Fashion Show.
At age twelve, Celai used her activism to push for better training for hairstylists on set as well as more texture diversity in the media and in ad campaigns (and it worked!). By age thirteen, she began writing her first self-authored book, earned three more viral runway videos and at age fourteen she released her book The Model Blueprint.
At fifteen, Celai graduated from high school and then she released her most impactful project to date, the Teen Survival Guide Series, at age sixteen.
Celai has worked with major brands such as Target, Walmart, Amazon, Gap, Disney and Allstate and was the leading lady in Willy Williams’ music video “The Voodoo Song” that has been viewed over 20 million times! She also appeared in “I Am My Own Mother” which was selected to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018.
Celai West has been featured on Vogue Italia and Good Morning America, has appeared on six news channels, two talk shows, fourteen magazine covers and published inside several magazine issues and newspapers, including Ebony and Essence. Many of her images, as well as videos, have been shared on social media in viral numbers, including six viral runway videos that have been viewed more than 30 million times collectively. Celai also has two murals, including the popular Inglewood, CA location which has gotten lots of press and media coverage. Please be sure to check out her Press page.
West looks forward to continuing to break barriers while working hard in the classroom and prove that models ARE indeed smart too. Please be sure to subscribe to her blog to keep abreast of all the great things she’s up to!
