We were lucky to catch up with BÉBÉ ADEBIYI recently and have shared our conversation below.

BÉBÉ , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about one of the craziest things you’ve experienced in your journey so far.

Honestly I have 2 that are neck and neck for my craziest experiences, one is when we sat the new Record in the Guinness Book of World Records for longest/ biggest runway show with 431 models walking the runway & it was also a fundraiser for Cancer survivors. It was a cool experience for sure! And also I recently got to OPEN my first runway show on 1/11 and that was the cherry on top, the show being that day. It was with Independent Fashion Nola by Melissa and I just had all type of supporters showed up for me, cheering me on, it’s an unforgettable experience, truly an HONOR:)

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Absolutely! I have a really cool OR crazy upbringing that I think readers may have to go to my socials to see about it, but I’ll hit a few main points. I did grew up in an orphanage from the age of three up until I was twelve going on thirteen, when my even cooler OR crazier part of my story unfolded.
My now adopted parents were fighting for me but it was a loosing battle until the big earthquake hit us in Haiti, in 2010! Now experiencing that is also a whole different story that I feel we don’t have enough time for at the moment.
Although it was ONLY because of the earthquake I was able to come home to America with my new family- something VERY unfamiliar to me, and that wouldn’t last for long either.
To bring it back as to how I got started in the Modeling/ Entertainment Industry it all stemmed from that, from my life in the orphanage when I was a young, hopeless child not even having the luxury to Dream of a better future and life because I was too busy trying to simply survive you know. Too busy looking for my next meal and such.
I feel as though this life CHOSE ME! It set me up to be a role model by not letting any of the harsh realities I’ve had to live not break me! Honestly a few times it almost did.. I was suicidal for a long moment, getting admitted to hospitals, missing school, & again getting admitted to treatment centers, I’ve been through A TON! & somehow God still allows the light in me to shine!! Even brighter after a tough phase if that makes sense.
I’m tri-lingual and very smart, good vibes and just have a lot to offer you know.
So Clients absolutely love me & always ask for me to come shoot for them or walk for them again & that’s one thing I’ll always be proud of, that’s also an honor & blessing to me, because it tells me I’m doing something right for them to want to work with me again, that they like what I have to offer.
When it comes to what sets me apart from everyone else in the Industry, I feel it is my story, my heart, my personal, and how I let it build me into the strong, talented, genuine, loving person I am today.
My goals are a bit the same as to wanting to help others fall in love with themselves and their lives; because we only have the ONE! , but yet very different from everyone else’s. That gving up can never be an option despite what we’ve been through and we still can dream and go after our dreams on our own, just like I’m doing.
Like I mentioned earlier, my being a part of my adopted family wouldn’t last long after they started having kids of their own, but that didn’t stop me from going after what my heart wants and feel God is calling me to do.
I’ve realized I’m naturally a role model & God has been molding me into that since a child, and now I’m just running the course at the pace He’s set. My goals of giving back and what I planned to do with my platform is not something I always love to let others in on, only because they’re mine and not everyone wants me to necessarily “ win” and their negativity can have an impact on my journey. I love the saying “ better to SHOW you than to TELL you” and that’s where I’m at and plan to do, to SHOW yal.
One thing for sure, mark my words, my journey & career in the industry is gonna be extremely and undeniably impactful , and life changing if my my story leading up to now is any indication of what is to come!
Im a hard worker, go getter person, if I want it, I got it, just like Ariana said :)
But I do realize If I wanna go far & make a LASTING impact, it’ll take a village, a luxury I don’t quite fully have at the moment but slowly & surely building up🤞🏾
Especially with my Agent/ Manager right now, Rowena Kay at CHIC NOUVELLE Model & Talent Agency, and my New Orleans community & friends turned family I’ve made here. I hope you will become part of that village too :)

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Oh my goooodness , um I’m French-HAITIAN Black Model in this industry, in this lifetime, my whole journey so far has been about resilience and not letting the negativity get to me. Like there’s absolutely, absolutely nothing I can do about my skin color or where I was born, so a lesson I’ve had to learned is taking these moments and these no’s as redirection you know. Because what else can I do? Dwell on it? lol SO NOT an option for me. We gotta realize the things we have control over and what we don’t and then move accordingly. I’ve had light skin models get chosen over me when I was in the same room and already had the gig lol. That’s a clear indication that, that client is not for me & im not for them, and they were to reach out to me now and in the future, it would be a 100% no for me, because I know just fit the campaign they’re running now..you get what I mean, they don’t really want me at the end of it. It’s silly things like that, that builds us the strongest lol
I’m good at handling it now:)), any type of rejection is redirection for me:)

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

What I think help build the reputation I have to today with clients and in general is my personality and genuine heart. And I’m a happy person by default if that makes sense. In the Modeling industry nowadays it’s not enough to just be beautiful.
I’m on time. I take directions very well. I’m a team player. I’m down to earth, whatever is best for the campaign/project. I’m good vibes all around and I’m aware about it. I put in work to have the personality that I have you know, I’ve had to grow from a lot of negative emotions and experiences about myself to be here. And it comes out in a beautiful way that clients are about and appreciate. That’s why it’s such a huge honor to me when clients call me back, because y’all there’s manyyy beautiful Models out here. And my strong, beautiful, sharp features helps with that, but I know it comes from who I am as BÉBÉ and I’m gonna continue to be just that, it is all I know after all. How to be me and grow in that!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bebe.kavyar.site/
• Instagram: @bebe.adebiyi
• Facebook: Bébé A. Adebiyi
• Youtube: BÉBÉ.ADEBIYI

Image Credits
Denick Carter Nycole Carter Derix Dugan II Jake Rosenberg John Merrit Victoria Phillips