Born in Shanghai, Xi Mengyao, better known as Ming Xi, 30, studied acting and fashion design at Shanghai Donghua University and graduated in 2007.
While Xi’s professional modeling career started in 2009 after she appeared on China TV show “Go! Oriental Angels”, she gained international recognition in the industry after she made her runway debut for Givenchy Haute Spring Show in 2011.
Since then, she’s appeared on runway shows for high fashion brands such as Alexander Wang, Balmain, Burberry, Dior, Lanvin, Louis Vuitton and become a spokesperson for Biotherm. With 1.6 million followers on Instagram, Xi is also a regular of red carpet events such as the Met Gala and Cannes Film Festival.
Karl Lagerfeld selected Xi to star in his 'KARL is KOLOR' Spring/Summer 2015 campaign—alongside Kendall Jenner and Sasha Luss—shot by Karl himself.
As one of the first Chinese models to walk the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, Xi modeled for the lingerie brand from 2013 to 2018 and is most famous for her appearance in the 2017 China Edition of the show, where she gained considerable media attention after tripping over a sheer white cape of her costume.
Though the incident was, according to Xi's Instagram post, “one of the hardest I have ever had to go through in my career”, her humbled response to it ended up earning her over a million followers overnight.
After two years of dating, Xi's now-husband, Mario Ho (son of billionaire casino tycoon Stanley Ho), 24, took the internet by storm with an extravagant proposal in front of 1,000 family and friends in a fairy-tale set-up decked out with 99,999 roses in May.
Last Thursday, the couple jointly posted three studio photos with a red background on Weibo to reveal their official marriage. The official date for the wedding ceremony has yet to be annonced, but we can assume the wait won't be long.
