Meet Jabali Sandiford, New York’s Jamaican-Chinese Model
Jamaican, Chinese, and very New York, Jabali’s making a virtue of being impossible to put in just one box
- Jamaican-Chinese model Jabali Sandiford moves between Flatbush, Chinatown, and Flushing, finding a sense of home across both sides of his heritage.
- His biracial identity may make him harder to categorize in modeling, but he sees that ambiguity as an advantage rather than something to smooth over.
Two cultures, one city
Jamaican and Chinese is an unusual combination. In New York, however, it barely raises an eyebrow. For Jabali Sandiford, a model navigating the city between castings and the occasional existential question about where exactly he is “from,” having two cultural identities is a useful way of moving through the city.
“NYC feels like a reflection of me. I’m constantly moving between cultures. It’s a mix of Caribbean energy and Chinese tradition, and here that balance feels normal.”
It’s a particularly New York arrangement: one minute you are surrounded by the Caribbean energy of Flatbush, the next you are eating in Chinatown, or heading out to Flushing. Jabali gets to call all of it familiar.
He has carried that duality into modeling, too. FashionFashionThe art and industry of designing, producing, and styling clothing, footwear, accessories, and beauty trends. It reflects cultural influences, personal expression, and evolving styles across seasons and markets.Go to Fashion Glossary likes a striking face, but it also has a habit of trying to work out exactly where that face fits. “Yeah, it makes me stand out, but it can also make me hard to categorize sometimes,” he says. “I’ve learned to use that uniqueness as an advantage.
New York has always had a soft spot for people who refuse to fit neatly into a sentence. Being difficult to explain isn’t a career obstacle here. The city’s full of unexpected accents and biographies that require more than one sentence.
Flatbush to Flushing
Jabali has his own map of belonging. Flatbush connects him to his Jamaican side, while Chinatown and Flushing bring him closer to his Chinese roots.
Rather than treating these places as separate worlds, he moves between them as naturally as anyone else moves between neighborhoods.
“I can exist in both. I don’t feel like I have to pick one place or one community and say that’s where I belong. Both sides of my background are part of my life, and New York gives me the space to experience both.”
There is one question, though, that has become something of a recurring feature of life in New York: “What are you?”
For our model, it’s hardly a new one. His appearance and background can prompt curiosity before he’s even had the chance to introduce himself properly. “People asking ‘what are you?’ is common,” he says.
“Usually people are just curious, but it has also made me more comfortable talking about both sides of my background.”
Dressing in two directions
His wardrobe follows a similar logic. Jabali describes his style as “bold but clean,” borrowing the expressive quality he associates with Jamaican culture and the subtlety he finds in Chinese culture.
“Jamaican culture brings expression, Chinese culture brings subtlety,” he says. “I like mixing both. I might wear something that is more eye-catching, but I still want it to feel clean.”
It makes sense on a New York model like Jabali. There’s plenty of room for drama, but ideally with some editing. You want people to notice the outfit, not wonder if the outfit noticed itself.
If New York has changed anything, it’s not his connection to his heritage but the amount of intention he puts into maintaining it. “When you are surrounded by so many different cultures, you start thinking more deeply about your own.”
“You appreciate the traditions, food, family stories, and little things that make each side unique. I think living in New York has made me more aware of how important both are to me.”
His mixed heritage has also shaped the way he moves through his professional life. Working as a model means constantly meeting people with different backgrounds, and Jabali sees his ability to move between cultures as an advantage.
“It makes me adaptable and open,” he says. “I can connect with a wide range of people because I’m used to understanding different perspectives.
No explanation necessary
For all the complexity of his background, Jabali’s philosophy is remarkably straightforward. He’s not interested in choosing a side, finding the perfect label, or making his identity more digestible for somebody else.
“Own your identity fully,” he says. “In NYC, being different is your strength. There are so many people here with different backgrounds and stories, and that is what makes the city what it is. You should not feel like you need to hide one part of yourself to make another part more acceptable.”
In a city obsessed with reinventing itself, Jabali has arrived at a slightly different conclusion. He doesn’t need to become someone new. He just needs enough room to be Jamaican, Chinese, a model, and himself, preferably all before dinner.
As seen in the pages of VMAN SEA 06: now available for purchase!
Photography Andrew Perkins
FashionFashionThe art and industry of designing, producing, and styling clothing, footwear, accessories, and beauty trends. It reflects cultural influences, personal expression, and evolving styles across seasons and markets.Go to Fashion Glossary Victor Lopez
Creative direction and production Lorenz Namalata of Fatbrain Collective
Editor Dayne Aduna
Hair Mitsuru Aota
GroomingGroomingThe care and maintenance of hair, skin, beard, and nails, including cleansing, shaving, styling, and scent. Once niche, men's grooming has grown into a major lifestyle category, and VMAN's VanityGo to Grooming Glossary Seiya Iibuchi, using MAC Cosmetics
Fashion assistant Justin Guevarra
Production assistant Jen Kang
Model Jabali Sandiford
Frequently Asked Questions
Jabali Sandiford is a Jamaican-Chinese model based in New York City. His work and personal style are shaped by his multicultural background and life in the city.
Jabali Sandiford is of Jamaican and Chinese heritage. He embraces both cultures as equally important parts of his identity.
Jabali connects with his Jamaican roots in Flatbush and his Chinese heritage through Chinatown and Flushing. He considers himself at home across both cultural communities.
Jabali describes his style as bold but clean, drawing expressive influences from Jamaican culture and subtlety from Chinese culture.
Living in New York has made Jabali more intentional about staying connected to both sides of his heritage. The city’s multicultural environment has also strengthened his adaptability and confidence in embracing his identity.
