Marpessa Hennink (born 12 July 1964) is a Dutch fashion model. She is best known for her work as a runway model, which earned her the moniker “The Catwalk Contessa”.

Hennink was born in Amsterdam, Netherlands^[2][3] to a Dutch mother and a Dutch / Surinamese father of African ancestry.^[2][3][4]

From as young as the age of four,^[2] Hennink expressed an interest in fashion and began working as a model after she turned sixteen, having been discovered by a magazine editor in her native Amsterdam.^[2] This happened despite being rejected, deemed “too exotic” by theEileen Ford agency during a casting call.^[3]

Amongst the many magazines that Hennink has been featured in are various international editions ofVogue, as well as other publications such asElle,Glamour,Time,Vanity Fair,Marie Claire,L'Officiel, Harpers & Queen andPhoto.

She credited the late fashion illustratorAntonio Lopez with recommending her to some of the prominent designers,^[5][6] such asAzzedine Alaia, andKarl Lagerfeld of the fashion houseChanel.^[4] Most notably, Hennink walked the runway forDolce & Gabbana's firstfashion show in 1985,^[3] at the beginning of their career as designers. The same year, she appeared in themusic video forBryan Ferry's song, "Slave to Love", directed byJean-Baptiste Mondino.

Hennink went on to walk the runway for many other designers^[4][7] includingVersace,Christian Lacroix,Valentino,Christian Dior,Gianfranco Ferré,Oscar de la Renta,Calvin Klein,Issey Miyake,Moschino,Claude Montana,Salvatore Ferragamo,Comme des Garçons,Lanvin,Thierry Mugler,Donna Karan,Trussardi,Mila Schön,Rifat Özbek, andBruce Oldfield.

In 1987, Hennink was chosen by Dolce & Gabbana to star in the advertising campaign for their Fall/Winter collection.^[3][5] It was the first campaign for the label,^[5] and Hennink agreed to do it for free.^[5] The campaign was photographed inSicily byFerdinando Scianna ofMagnum Photos.^[3][5][6] The photographs from the campaign made such an impression that Hennink came to be seen as an icon of Mediterranean femininity.^[6]

In October of that year, Hennink was named "Model of the Year" during the “Oscars de la Mode” in Paris.^[2] After which she was given the nickname "the Catwalk Contessa".^[2][5]

In 1993, after the publication of the book “Marpessa,uno sguardo”, byFerdinando Scianna, Hennink retired from modeling, having also been put off by the arrival of thegrunge fashion trend.^[4]

Upon her retirement, she moved to Ibiza, Spain,^{[3][4][5][6][8]} where she began a career as an interior decorator.^[3][5][6][8] She made a return to the fashion runways in 2004, where she closed the Fall/Winter show for designerAntonio Marras.^[9] In January 2011, Hennink was chosen to walk in a special fashion show held by designerAlberta Ferretti in Florence, Italy.^[10][11][12] Then, in May 2011, she walked in the "Fashion for Relief" benefit show in Cannes, France.^[13] The following year, Dolce & Gabbana launched a line of made-to-measure clothing called "Alta Moda", and chose Hennink as the global ambassador for that line.^[4][5][6]

Hennink speaks six languages.^[2] In her spare time, she enjoys interior decorating and photography.^[3] She considersInès de La Fressange,Diana Vreeland, andMadeleine Castaing as her style icons.^[5] In 2005, Hennink gave birth to a daughter called Ariel Hennink.^[5][6][8]

In 2021, she was one of the guests at LadyKitty Spencer's wedding.^[14]