It seems every celebrity headed to New York-based designer Misha Nonoo’s wedding to Michael Hess at Rome’s Villa Aurelia this week. On the guestlist for the big day are Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, and both Josh and Jared Kushner with their respective wives, Karlie Kloss and Ivanka Trump. With such familiar names watching Nonoo walk down the aisle, it might make you wonder, who exactly is Nonoo and why is everyone turning up at this event?
For those not familiar with the royal family’s circle of friends, or intimate knowledge of the fashion industry, one might not know the name Nonoo. Born in Bahrain, an island country in the Persian Gulf, and raised in London, Nonoo popped onto the scene in 2013, when she became a finalist for the 2013 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund. That same year, at age 28, she was named one of Forbes’ “30 Under 30.” She was named a favorite designer of stars like Emma Watson shortly after. In 2015, Nonoo made headlines for her “Insta-show,” aka a debut for her fashion line that was streamed entirely over Instagram. The following year, she did the same thing for her fashion line via Snapchat.
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Around this time, Nonoo also befriended then-Suits star, Meghan Markle. She recently shared with The New York Times that the two bonded talking gender inequality at an Art Basel lunch. It’s speculated that Nonoo may have been the friend who introduced Meghan to Prince Harry, as her former husband Alexander Gilkes went to school with Harry. Now, Meghan and Nonoo are working together on a workwear capsule collection for the charity organization Smart Works.
As for Nonoo’s husband Hess, he is the heir of the Hess Oil and Chemical Company, of which his father, John, is now CEO. He is friends with the Kushners — hence why Kloss and Trump are also attending Nonoo’s wedding.
Nonoo is many things, but this week, the only thing that’s super important to her celebrity friends is that she’s the bride. Surely these stars will make her Roman wedding day extra special.