Hanaa Ben Abdesslem was born in Nabuel, Tunisia on October 18, 1990. When she was just 17 years old, she participated as a contestant on Mission Fashion 2, a Lebanese version of Project Runway, where she place second in the competition. Prior to her entrance into the world of modeling, she studying engineering but in 2010, she made her career transition and signed with IMG modeling. Her runway debut was that same year, in London with Vivienne Westwood and that same year she walked for Givenchy. In 2012, she signed with Lancôme, becoming the first Muslim spokesperson for the brand. She is also the first Arab model to be featured in the Pirelli calendar. In addition to her career as a model, Hanaa is also engaged in philanthropy, working as a spokesperson for the NGO Esmaani, whose work centers on providing psychological support to people in hospitals in lower income areas.