A Night Out in Diesel: Vendelali, Ella Mai Weisskamp and DJ Kitty Cash Make Their Own Party
by Flaunt Intern
Vendelali, Ella Mai Weisskamp and DJ Kitty Cash | CREDITS - From left to right: Vendelali wears DIESEL jacket, top, jeans, shoes, and belt (worn throughout). Ella Mai wears DIESEL top, pants, and shoes (worn throughout). Kitty Cash wears DIESEL jacket, shirt, skirt, and shoes (worn throughout).
Ella Mai Weisskamp, 20, is the newest social media face to watch, which doesn’t mean you may not already recognize her — perhaps because she’s already starred in Dior films and walked the runway for Yeezy Season 5. The LA native has also found success as a photographer, shooting moody, authentic snaps of her model friends.
Vendela Lindblom, known as Vendelali, has quite the resume for a 21-year-old who moved from Stockholm to Los Angeles only one year ago. The Swedish-Brazilian beauty who, impressively, clocks in at 5’6,” no easy feat in the industry, has collaborated with True Religion, done campaigns for RVCA and Chris Brown’s Black Pyramid, and starred in G-Eazy’s “Some Kind of Drug.” Most notably, Vendelali was the female face for Battlefield 1.
DJ Kitty Cash, born Cachee Livingston, is a Brooklyn native and resident known for her eclectic style and amazing DJing skills. She mixes R&B, electronic, disco, and Hip-Hop creating a set where you can never predict what is coming next. This shoe and denim obsessed music lover started out as a FIT student and fashion intern who saved up for her first turntables before her world turned into mega mixes and private parties. She is the founder of the I Am Woman Project whose aim is to empower and inspire women through their own courage and strength that already lives within themselves.
Watch the film presented by Diesel and read interviews with Cash about her global DJ romps and female empowerment foundation, Weisskamp's deftness on both sides of the camera, and Vendelali's turn at facing video game Battlefield 1.
Ella Mai
If you had to choose between doing photography full time or modeling full time, which would you choose?
I couldn't choose between the two, I'm happy doing both, in moderation of course. I enjoy staying busy, one month in NY focusing on modeling, another month in Cali' strictly shooting all the time behind the camera. I enjoy it all.
Does your understanding of photography help you as a model, and vice versa?
Photography and modeling are two different worlds for me, that I both enjoy very much. I wouldn't say they tie hand-in-hand in anyway, for me at least. With photography I have more control of my ideas and what it is that I want capture and create. Modeling is more freeing and exciting, I'm able to create different characters in my head and challenge my emotional range. It makes me happy to see others on set satisfied with my performance.
You've been modeling since you were 10. What lessons have you learned?
I've learned how to hold a proper conversation with many different creatives, understanding others visions and respecting what the end goal is for the day. It's helped me understand personalities that most people would find odd or different in some way. It's shaped me into the person I am today.
Are there any memories from your past you wish could've lasted a lifetime?
Truthfully, there wouldn't be a single memory from the past that I'd want to last a lifetime. I enjoy living in the present, and working hard towards a positive, vibrant, uplifting career.
What’s the toughest part about being a model?
The toughest part about being a model would have to be the pressure to please every client. Making sure you look your best, physically but still in a healthy manner. Making time for yourself, meditating, thinking positive, wishing the best for others along the way.
Describe your ideal future.
My ideal future would be buying a house in Burbank with a beautiful backyard, as well as my own home grown garden. Traveling the world for work, land a few covers. Establish my own scouting agency that doesn't sign girls based off of a social media following or measurements. Have a strong voice for women as well as the youth. Spread knowledge and positivity.
Kitty Cash
What sparked your passion for music? Do you remember the first mix you ever made?
Of course I remember by my first mix. It was inspired by a ride in Coney Island in Brooklyn that I would go to when I was a kid. They always played the best music. So the mix was an ode to childhood memories with a Brooklyn Twist.
Define the art of the mix.
Think of any recipe: the key is having all of the ingredients and actually taking the time to understand when to add each in ingredient in and of course the right amount.
How do you decide what music to play for a set?
Everything plays a part in the deciding factor. I usually base my set on the location, the time, and what type of party it is. It just depends on the vibe I feel.
Do you see any similarities between your musical style and your fashion sense?
There is definitely an intersection between my personal style and my musical style. My musical style has different phases sometimes it is playful and quirky other times it is sultry and sexy.
What would you change about the world if you were queen?
I would change the fact that we are not all created equal. I would make it so that we are all equal despite our age, race, sex, religion, or ethnicity.
Vendelali
Do you think your communication studies have helped with your success as a model?
No, not really.
It looks like you spent the bulk of your life in Stockholm, Sweden. How has the transition to LA been? What was it like when you first arrived? Do the Swedish meatballs at the Burbank IKEA compare to home?
Yes, I moved to LA one year ago. I will never regret moving here, it has given me opportunities I never could’ve dreamed of, and I have grown so much as a person. And IKEA meatballs will never compare to homemade ones!
You have worked with some amazing artists and brands such as G-Eazy and True Religion. What has been your all time favorite shoot and/or collaboration?
I think my all time favorite shoot was either the Battlefield 1 shoot, or a music video I shot in Joshua Tree this summer that isn't out yet. For me, it’s about the teamwork, not what brand or artist it’s for.
Where do you hope your career will lead you?
I take everything as it comes and I’m always open to new opportunities. Right now, my focus is on school and after I graduate I will focus more on my career and what I want to do with it.
How did you come to be the first female face of Battlefield 1? Can you tell us about that experience?
It was all pretty random. I got a phone call from an agency I signed with when I was 18 years old, didn’t even know I was still signed to them. All they asked was if I still had a shaved head, and if I did, the job was mine. No casting, nothing. My agency never told me what it was for, so I got really surprised when I showed up at the shoot.
What’s the best part about rocking a shaved head?
Not having to deal with hair getting stuck in my lip gloss.
Photographer: Ian Morrison at OPUS Reps
Stylist: Soaree Cohen
Models: Kitty Cash, Ella Mai Weisskamp at L.A. Models, Vendelali, Andrea Bartlow at LA Models, Madyson Tanner at LA Models, and Madison Kirkbride at Freedom Models.
Hair: Nathaniel Dezan Using Oribe at OPUS Beauty
Makeup: Mellissa Murdick using Chanel Les Beiges at OPUS Beauty
Location: Black Rabbit Rose