Model, aviator, and entrepreneur, Samantha Renee Kelly transcends conventional boundaries by integrating high fashion, extreme aviation, and innovative enterprise. From the runways of Paris to pioneering wingsuit jumps performed in heels, she embodies a synthesis of daring exploration and intentional leadership, commanding both the skies and the boardroom with equal distinction.
by L’Officiel Monaco
Samantha Renee Kelly is a model, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and modern-day adventurer. A proud member of The Explorers Club London, an esteemed international society committed to advancing scientific exploration and field research, she is actively involved in expanding its reach through curated events and strategic membership initiatives. Known for her fearless spirit and love of the extraordinary, Samantha serves as the face of Da Vinci Motors and is a global ambassador for SkyVibrations, representing the world of extreme sports with elegance and daring. She is currently represented by top agencies in Zurich and Paris.
A pilot of both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, Samantha seamlessly integrates her passion for aviation with her creative work in fashion and media. Her aviation expertise has informed a number of high-concept campaigns, including a notable collaboration with designer Christopher Bates for the official Top Gun: Maverick collection, in which she conceptualized and executed a heli-jump photoshoot. In a groundbreaking effort to challenge gender norms and inspire the next generation of female aviators, she also became the first person to complete a wingsuit tandem jump in high heels as a symbolic gesture that fused technical daring with feminine strength.
In addition to her work in modeling and aviation, Samantha is the Director of IV St. Barths, the only medically authorized provider of commercial intravenous therapy on the island, established in formal partnership with a local hospital. The company was founded in direct response to the widespread presence of unauthorized and medically unsupervised IV services operating in violation of local health regulations on the island. Confronted with this public health risk, Samantha was compelled to create a professional alternative that adheres to rigorous clinical standards, ensuring both legal compliance and patient safety.
She also has launched a clothing line named Les Belles Mondaines, which she has recently launched in Lombok at LMBK Surfhouse and is a range of sustainably made luxury wear in which every single item is made out of recycled ocean plastics or by local artisans.
Through her diverse pursuits, Samantha fosters connections with exceptional individuals and cultivates a life characterized by travel, adventure, purposeful engagement, and visionary ambition.
You’ve had an incredibly diverse career—from fashion runways to the cockpit. What first inspired your love for aviation, especially helicopters?
I was incredibly lucky in my life to have met an amazing mentor, Dr. Tanya Johnson. She was fearless, a pilot, and showed me the potential a fearless life could have. Our adventures over the years have been noteworthy to say the least, but she reinforced my belief that nothing is ever truly impossible. Where there is a will there’s a way. For helicopters, I was in a situation during this time where I found myself in quite a lot of them, and not understanding how they wired as well as fixed wing aircraft, I wanted to understand. So, I began taking lessons and I absolutely loved it.
Aviation offers a rare combination of precision and presence. Engaging multiple faculties at once, it often induces a flow state that is both mentally clarifying and physically immersive. As improbable as it may sound, I experience flying helicopters as a form of meditation—it silences internal noise and demands complete attention to the present moment. There may also be a deeper familial resonance. My parents met at Edwards Air Force Base, where my father was a gifted engineer and inventor pursuing a path toward space exploration. My mother was also working on base. In many ways, the pursuit of flight feels like a continuation of something deeply embedded in my lineage.
As a member of the Explorers Club, what drew you to the Club?
The Explorers Club London is associated with an extraordinary legacy of not just exploration, but of shaping how we understand the limits of human potential. Its members were behind the first successful summit of Everest, the first descent to the Mariana Trench, and the Apollo 11 mission. The Explorers Club began in 1904, and the first club flag was carried on expedition to Venezuela in 1918. Our members were first to the north pole, first to the south pole,first to the highest point on mount everest, the deepest point in the mariana trench, the surface of the moon, and so much more. On the topic of aviation, Charles Lindbergh’s solo transatlantic flight was celebrated at the Club.
Amelia Earhart was elected to membership in 1933, making her one of the first women to be recognized at that level. Later, Chuck Yeager, the first person to break the sound barrier, also joined. The Club has long supported the kinds of boundary-pushing flights that have reshaped what’s possible, from balloon ascents into the stratosphere to supersonic test flights. The members are scientists, pilots, engineers, field researchers, and genuine adventurers who pair curiosity with capability.
That mindset which combines intellectual rigor, operational skill, and the ability to see the world differently than most has always appealed to me. The club is not about collecting passport stamps. Truly, the purpose of the club is and has always been ‘to the conquest of the unknown and the advancement of knowledge’.
You’ve built IV St. Barth from the ground up, creating the island’s only legal commercial IV service. What sparked that idea, and what impact has the company had so far?
I had the accidental luxury of spending a good part of the pandemic in St. Barths, and over time, it began to feel like a second home. As I spent more time on the island, we started thinking seriously about how we might contribute something useful to the community: something sustainable, practical, and done properly.
The idea for IV St. Barths came after what I’ll diplomatically refer to as a mildly irresponsible week in March 2023. What started as a casual observation quickly became a full-scale project. We were fortunate to assemble an exceptional team, including the island’s most respected physician, and began working quietly and meticulously, on building something from the ground up. What surprised us most was that although IV services did exist on the island, none of them were legally compliant. Not a single one. That means no French medical oversight, no hospital affiliation, no regulated sourcing of supplies.
We discovered people were flying in their own IV bags and injecting clients with whatever they brought, which even as a doctor, is simply not legal in the french medical system. No clinical accountability, but plenty of mark-up. In some cases, €1000 for what was essentially a back-alley saline drip. Naturally, we chose the more difficult route: full French medical compliance, proper licensing, and hospital affiliation. In France, that’s no small undertaking. Years of paperwork, review, and regulatory hurdles. It’s also why no one else has been able (or willing) to do it properly.
Our team included my partner, a New York-based venture capitalist, and myself, with both of us having grown up partly in France and an educational background in law. Between us and our absolutely brilliant and respected third doctor partner, we handled every detail, from medical protocol to branding. I even designed the uniforms. We’re excited to formally launch at the start of the season this October, with a few pre-launch events leading up to it. It’s been an unusually demanding project, but a deeply worthwhile one, and we’re proud to be offering something the island genuinely needs, done to a standard it deserves.
Working across industries like healthcare, fashion, and aviation requires a unique mindset. How do you balance creativity with precision in your many roles?
My curiosity is both broad and relentless, and having the unique opportunity to learn across radically different fields is unendingly interesting. The more contrast, the more interesting it gets. What sustains that interest isn’t just the variety, but the way each discipline sharpens the others. There’s more overlap than people expect. Working as a successful model teaches you how to self-direct; how to present, adapt, and hold your own in unfamiliar environments, as well as learn how to represent yourself. Flying aircraft demands discipline, decisiveness, and a certain calm under pressure. Running a business draws on all of it: the strategic thinking, the risk tolerance, the ability to lead while staying grounded. The real reward, if you can make it work, is freedom: the ability to choose where and how you spend your time, which to me is the highest currency.
Many people view modeling as a glamorous but limited field. How has your experience defied those expectations?
Working in this field has taught me to navigate extreme situations with independence and to develop a clear sense of my own strengths and limitations. Ultimately, you are responsible for – and representing – yourself. There is nothing glamorous about it. Even on set, you’re not there to be pampered; you’re there to do a job, to sell a product. Success often means showing up exhausted, remaining socially diplomatic, and dealing with people, places, and circumstances that may not always have your best interests at heart. You quickly learn to trust your judgment, anticipate potentially hazardous situations, and operate within a business framework that isn’t necessarily designed to support you, yet still deliver something exceptional, alongside a team of other highly independent professionals who are all there with the same goal. The most rewarding part is collaborating with truly talented creative teams and gaining exposure to a breadth of skills and disciplines you’d never have imagined encountering. And when you find colleagues you respect and enjoy working with, those relationships deepen, allowing you to build something meaningful over time. Anyone entering marketing or entertainment without authenticity, or without embracing the reality that this is fundamentally a team effort, not a stage for fame, will struggle to succeed. The industry demands resilience, self-awareness, and above all, genuine collaboration.
Let’s start at the beginning—how would you describe your journey to becoming the woman you are today?
Unconventional, intentional, and at times, wildly inefficient by design. I’ve never subscribed to the idea of taking the worn path. I followed curiosity first, whether that meant moving countries, learning new disciplines, or building things from scratch. I only attended university classes for midterms and finals, for example, not out of defiance but because I was already applying what I was learning in real time.
I’ve taken detours that looked like distractions and risks that may have looked reckless, but each one built a layer: discipline from aviation, perspective from travel, resilience from starting and running companies, and sharpness from fashion. The woman I am today is the result of choosing to learn while in motion.
You’ve said aviation represents a ‘universal skill’—can you explain that concept and why it’s so important to you?
Aviation is one of the few skills that’s genuinely universal in the way it is open to anyone willing to commit the time and focus. Your background or origin doesn’t matter; the fundamentals remain the same everywhere. Learning to fly instils discipline, precision, and the ability to stay composed under pressure, which are traits that extend well beyond the cockpit. It’s not about natural talent or some elusive gene; it’s about dedication, rigorous training, and consistency. Anyone ready to put in the work can master the skies. Aviation isn’t an exclusive club, but a skill within reach for all who choose to pursue it.