In 2007, a photo of a six-year-old girl with haunting blue eyes and sculpted cheekbones captivated global fashion editors. Dressed in high fashion and far beyond her years, Thylane Blondeau became an overnight sensation — a title followed by headlines calling her “the most beautiful girl in the world.”
Eighteen years later, that little girl is now a woman — and her story has taken an unexpected turn.
“I didn’t choose the title,” she says in a recent interview from her studio in Paris. “But I get to choose what I do with it.”
Today, Thylane Blondeau is less concerned with runways and magazine spreads. She’s focused on something else: building a business.
From Childhood Icon to Entrepreneur
Now 24, Blondeau is the founder and creative director of Heaven May, a lifestyle and fashion brand she launched in 2018. What began as a modest direct-to-consumer apparel label has grown into a well-known Gen-Z fashion brand with a cult following across Europe and beyond.
Named after her younger brother and inspired by French streetwear, Heaven May offers curated drops of clothing, accessories, and now, according to Blondeau, a soon-to-launch skincare line. Unlike many celebrity ventures, the brand is not licensed out or white-labeled. Blondeau oversees creative decisions and product development, working closely with a lean, predominantly female team.
“She’s not just putting her name on things,” says Amina Duval, a Paris-based fashion analyst. “There’s design integrity, there’s market intuition — she’s taking her time, and it shows.”
A Complicated Legacy, Reclaimed
Blondeau’s early modeling career was glamorous, but controversial. By the time she was ten, she had walked for Jean Paul Gaultier and posed for Vogue Enfants in images that drew widespread criticism for the sexualization of child models. France soon passed laws restricting underage modeling.
Blondeau rarely addresses that chapter directly. “I was a kid doing what I was told,” she says. “Now, I’m in a place where I can make my own calls.”
Her tone is not bitter — it’s measured. She speaks like someone who understands what it means to be shaped by a narrative she didn’t write — and what it takes to rewrite it.
The Power of Platform
Today, Blondeau has over 7 million followers on Instagram, but she uses the platform differently than most influencers. Her content is carefully curated — a mix of campaign shoots, design previews, and quiet nods to the life she’s built behind the scenes.
“She’s not loud. She’s not selling drama,” says Camille Fournier, a fashion PR consultant. “That restraint — that’s her brand.”
Heaven May’s appeal lies in its understated luxury. Organic cotton loungewear, ribbed crop tops, minimalist jackets — all photographed in natural light, often on Blondeau herself. The brand’s aesthetic — soft, moody, and unforced — resonates with a generation seeking authenticity over aspiration.
What Comes Next
Blondeau isn’t looking to become a media mogul overnight. She has declined reality TV offers and paused a planned podcast series. Instead, she’s focused on expanding Heaven May’s reach in Asia and the U.S., while exploring limited collaborations with artists and independent designers.
“I want to build something that lasts longer than a headline,” she says.
For someone who once became a global face without saying a word, Blondeau’s voice now carries weight — not because it’s loud, but because it’s hers.
