Celebrity Number Six (found original photograph of Leticia Sardá; date unknown)
Left: "Celebrity Number Six" as depicted in the fabric. Right: The source photograph depicting the Spanish model Leticia Sardá.
Status: Found
Date found: 8th Sep 2024
Found by: IndigoRoom/Leandre Escorsell/Leticia Sardá
In January 2020, Reddit user TonstaH posted on various subreddits regarding how they owned curtains containing fabrics covered with Pop art style illustrations of eight different celebrities. At the time, TonstaH sought assistance in identifying the subjects. Since the initial posts, TonstaH and fellow Reddit users identified seven of the celebrities, by matching the illustrations with the source photographs. However, the identity of one of the illustrations, nicknamed "Celebrity Number Six", remained a mystery. A search for the source photograph was ongoing until 8th September 2024, when Reddit user IndigoRoom revealed it was an image of the Spanish model Leticia Sardá, taken by Leandre Escandell for an issue of Woman Nº162. Sardá herself provided the full-size photograph the following day.
Background
According to TonstaH, the curtains in question were purchased over 10 years ago, most likely in 2008.[1] They claim that they obtained the curtains from a local store in Finland called Anttila.[2] Additional fabrics in orange have been advertised on eBay and Fabric House, though neither of the eBay sellers have responded to messages concerning the fabric, and the Fabric House has ultimately ran out of stock for this product.[3] Users researching the mystery discovered that the fabric had ties to Latky Mraz, a company operating within the Czech Republic. This was confirmed thanks to a user finding the original product number for the fabric, 2000070151884, which is linked to an old product page by Latky Mraz and is the same number across every seller of the item.[4]
On the Latky Mraz website, the company lists its cotton fabric vendors, which include Robert Kaufman, Michael Miller and Clothworks.[5] It is speculated that one of these vendors produced the fabrics, as they were listed by Latky Mraz in a Prague Patchwork Meeting newsletter in February 2013.[6] However, when users contacted the companies, Michael Miller and Clothworks claimed the fabric was not produced by them. Meanwhile, Robert Kaufman responded by claiming that they could not disclose its designers' identities, despite the fact that its designers are listed on its website. Therefore, it is suggested that the fabric was either produced by Robert Kaufman or was a Latky Mraz exclusive.[7]
Investigation
Since the original posts in January 2020, Reddit users successfully managed to identify almost every celebrity on the fabric. The first photo, "Celebrity 1", is of Adriana Lima, a model most famous for her appearances for Victoria's Secret. The photo originated from a cover by XOXO and was possibly taken in 1999.[8] Lima also appears again in the fabric, "Celebrity 3" being a photo of her taken in 2004 as part of Victoria's Secret's "Angels Across America" Tour.[9]
The illustrations of "Celebrity 2" and "Celebrity 7" come from actors most famous for their appearances on the television show Lost. Celebrity 2 is Josh Holloway, with the photo originating from GQ Magazine 2004's Men of the Year event.[10] Meanwhile, Celebrity 7 is Ian Somerhalder, the photo taken during the 2005 ABC Winter Press Tour Party at Universal Studios.[11]
"Celebrity 4" is the actor Jessica Alba. Her photo originated from the 2007 Teen Choice Awards.[12] "Celebrity 5" is confirmed to be Travis Fimmel, a model and actor whose photo originated from the 2003-2004 WB Upfront at Sheraton New York.[13] Finally, Orlando Bloom, most famous for his roles in The Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean franchises, appears as "Celebrity 8", with his photo originating from Kinema Junpo Magazine in 2003.[14]
Based on comparing the fabric illustrations with the source photos, some differences in the images can be noted, ranging from minor changes like small modifications to Somerhalder's beard to omissions like the editing out of Bloom's hands.
Recovery
Despite the efforts of multiple Reddit users, the identity of Celebrity Number Six remained unknown for several years, leading to the subreddit r/CelebrityNumberSix being created to discover both the celebrity's identity and the source photo. For a long time, the subject's gender remained disputed. A poll on the subreddit indicated that 65% believed Celebrity 6 female, while 35% thought the individual was male.[15] Since the investigation began, multiple candidates have been suggested as being Celebrity 6, with some photos sharing some similarities with the fabric illustration. For instance, a popular theory was that Celebrity 6 was the model Olga Serova.[16] Another potential candidate was the actor Taylor Kitsch, with a photo of him sharing similarities in regards to hair and facial structure.[17]
The mystery was extensively summarised on prominent lost media-focused YouTube channels like Whang!, The Internet Investigator and blameitonjorge, fuelling the search for the source photograph.[18][19][20] However, a breakthrough in the search occurred when Reddit user StefanMorse retouched the fabric image, converting it into "less like a fabric and more like a real person". This paid dividends as the face search engine PimEyes revealed a candidate that had not yet been considered: Leticia Sardá.[21][22]
Following StefanMorse's research, a fellow Reddit user known as IndigoRoom contacted photographer Leandre Escorsell, after discovering links between him and Sardá's modelling career. In an email exchange, Escorsell revealed he had indeed taken the source photograph. This was confirmed when Escorsell sent a screenshot of the elusive image, which he alleged was used for the fabric without permission.[23][22] Following this, IndigoRoom reached out to Sardá herself in early September, to determine if she possessed the full version of the photograph. Sardá subsequently got hold of her fashion book, obtained the requested photograph, and sent it over to the researcher. In an interview with Vanity Fair on 9th September 2024, Sardá expressed she had no idea that a major search had been conducted for one of her modelling photographs. Though she had achieved some national and international recognition in promotional campaigns for companies like L'Oreal and Levi's, she left the fashion industry for a multitude of personal reasons.[22]
After some analysis, IndigoRoom publicly announced on r/CelebrityNumberSix that he had found and identified the source photograph for Celebrity Number Six. The image of Sardá was reportedly taken by Escorsell as a cover for the Spanish magazine Woman Nº162.[24][22] Some individuals involved in the search were sceptical of IndigoRoom's findings, leading to concerns that the image was AI-generated.[25] However, Sardá's interview with Vanity Fair, in which she presented the full-size photograph,[22] verified its legitimacy.[26]
Gallery
Videos
Images
External Links
- Document detailing the investigation into Celebrity Number Six.
- r/CelebrityNumberSix, dedicated to finding the individual's identity and the source photo.
References
- ↑ r/lost post by TonstaH, one of the earliest posts concerning the fabric with basic information provided on whether they first owned it. Retrieved 23 Sep '21
- ↑ r/CelebrityNumberSix comment by TonstaH, claiming they purchased the curtains in Anttila, a store in Finland. Retrieved 23 Sep '21
- ↑ Fabric House listing for the fabric, an orange and grey version which is currently out of stock. Retrieved 23 Sep '21
- ↑ Old Latky Mraz product page for the fabric, which contains the product number 2000070151884. Retrieved 23 Sep '21
- ↑ Latky Mraz website, which lists its cotton fabric vendors, including Robert Kaufman, Michael Miller and Clothworks. Retrieved 23 Sep '21
- ↑ Prague Patchwork Meeting February 2013 newsletter, with Latky Mraz listing some of its vendors. Retrieved 23 Sep '21
- ↑ r/CelebrityNumberSix post reaffirming that the three fabric manufacturers have either denied the cloth as being produced by them or have refused to reveal the names of their designers. Retrieved 23 Sep '21
- ↑ XOXO photo of Adriana Lima, which was used for "Celebrity 1". Retrieved 23 Sep '21
- ↑ Photo of Adriana Lima, taken during the 2004 Victoria's Secret "Angels Across America" Tour. While this is not the same photo as the one used for "Celebrity 3", it does prove the actual Celebrity 3 photo of Lima was taken during this event. Retrieved 23 Sep '21
- ↑ Photo of Josh Holloway, which originated from GQ Magazine's 2004's Men of the Year event and used for the "Celebrity 2" illustration. Retrieved 23 Sep '21
- ↑ Photo of Ian Somerhalder during the 2005 ABC Winter Press Tour Party, which was used for the "Celebrity 7" illustration. Retrieved 23 Sep '21
- ↑ Photo of Jessica Alba at the 2007 Teen Choice Awards, the photo used for the "Celebrity 4" illustration. Retrieved 23 Sep '21
- ↑ Photo of Travis Fimmel from the 2003-2004 WB Upfront, the photo used for the "Celebrity 5" illustration. Retrieved 23 Sep '21
- ↑ Photo of Orlando Bloom from a 2003 issue of Kinema Junpo Magazine, used for the "Celebrity 8" illustration. Retrieved 23 Sep '21
- ↑ r/CelebrityNumberSix poll showing lack of full consensus regarding the gender of Celebrity Number Six. Retrieved 23 Sep '21
- ↑ r/CelebrityNumberSix post suggesting Olga Serova as potentially being Celebrity 6. Retrieved 23 Sep '21
- ↑ r/CelebrityNumberSix post suggesting Taylor Kitsch as potentially being Celebrity 6. Retrieved 23 Sep '21
- ↑ Whang! video on the Celebrity Number Six mystery. Retrieved 8 Sep '24
- ↑ The Internet Investigator video on the Celebrity Number Six mystery. Retrieved 8 Sep '24
- ↑ blameitonjorge video on the Celebrity Number Six mystery. Retrieved 8 Sep '24
- ↑ r/CelebrityNumberSix where StefanMorse discussed how his work led to the possibility that Leticia Sardá was Celebrity Number Six. Retrieved 10 Sep '24
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 22.4 Vanity Fair interview with Leticia Sardá (article in Spanish). Retrieved 9 Sep '24
- ↑ r/CelebrityNumberSix where IndigoRoom provided some details regarding his successful search for the photograph. Retrieved 10 Sep '24
- ↑ r/CelebrityNumberSix where IndigoRoom announced they had found the source photograph of Leticia Sardá. Retrieved 8 Sep '24
- ↑ r/CelebrityNumberSix discussing now-debunked concerns the image was AI-generated. Retrieved 10 Sep '24
- ↑ r/CelebrityNumberSix discussing how the photograph was officially verified thanks to Sardá's interview with Vanity Fair. Retrieved 10 Sep '24