Ubah Hassan

Ubah Hassan
Born	Ubah Ali Hassan 8/27/1983
Birthplace	Somalia
Nationality	Somali-Canadian
Occupation	Model, businesswoman, television personality
Known for	The Real Housewives of New York City, Ubah Hot hot sauce
Awards	Oprah's Favorite Things (2021)

Ubah Ali Hassan (born 27 August 1983) is a Somali-Canadian model, businesswoman, and television personality who has built a multifaceted career spanning the fashion industry, entrepreneurship, and reality television. Born in Somalia, Hassan's path took her from a childhood marked by displacement to the upper echelons of the fashion world, where she walked runways and appeared in campaigns for designers including Ralph Lauren, Gucci, and Oscar de la Renta. Beyond modeling, Hassan founded Ubah Hot, a hot sauce brand inspired by the flavors of her childhood, which was selected as one of Oprah's Favorite Things in 2021. She gained wider public recognition when she joined the cast of the Bravo reality series The Real Housewives of New York City for its rebooted fourteenth season in 2023. In May 2025, Hassan announced her engagement to German investment banker Oliver Dachsel.

Early Life

Ubah Ali Hassan was born on 27 August 1983 in Somalia. She grew up during a period of significant civil unrest in the country. As a result of the Somali Civil War, Hassan and her family were displaced, and she spent part of her childhood in refugee camps before eventually resettling. The experience of displacement and resettlement shaped her outlook on life and would later influence both her career and philanthropic efforts. In interviews, Hassan has spoken about the formative impact of her early years, noting how the experience of losing stability gave her a grounded perspective. "My feet are on the ground. I know how quick you can lose something or someone," she told KA Online Magazine.

Hassan eventually settled in Canada, where she would begin her modeling career. The transition from refugee to fashion model represented a dramatic shift in circumstances, and Hassan has frequently acknowledged the contrast between her early life in Somalia and her later success in the fashion and business worlds. The flavors and culinary traditions she experienced during her childhood in East Africa also left a lasting impression, eventually inspiring her to create a hot sauce brand that drew on those memories.

Career

Modeling

Hassan's modeling career began in Canada and quickly expanded to international markets. She was featured as Models.com's "Model of the Week," a profile that highlighted her growing prominence in the fashion industry. Over the course of her career, Hassan worked with a number of prominent fashion designers and brands, including Ralph Lauren, Gucci, Rachel Roy, and Oscar de la Renta.

One of the notable highlights of Hassan's modeling career came when she headed the Ralph Lauren collection at New York Fashion Week, an appearance that garnered coverage in international fashion media including The Daily Telegraph. This was a significant milestone, as leading a Ralph Lauren runway show placed Hassan among the top models working at the time. Her work with Gucci and Oscar de la Renta further cemented her status in the high fashion world.

Hassan's modeling career spanned editorial work, runway appearances, and campaigns for major fashion houses. She appeared at prominent fashion events and was frequently photographed at industry gatherings in New York City and elsewhere. The Fashion Spot profiled Hassan as a model of note, documenting her contributions to the fashion industry over the years.

Throughout her modeling career, Hassan was recognized for her striking appearance and her ability to represent a range of designers and aesthetics. Her trajectory from refugee to international model brought attention not only to her professional accomplishments but also to broader conversations about diversity and representation in the fashion industry.

Ubah Hot

In addition to her modeling work, Hassan established herself as an entrepreneur through the founding of Ubah Hot, a hot sauce brand. The company was inspired by the spice blends and flavors Hassan remembered from her childhood in East Africa. Business records indicate that Hassan registered a business in Vancouver, Canada, which formed part of the foundation for her entrepreneurial ventures.

The brand gained significant visibility when it was selected for inclusion in Oprah's Favorite Things list for 2021, a prestigious annual compilation curated by Oprah Winfrey that highlights products across various categories. The Ubah Hot Collection was featured on Oprah.com, bringing national attention to the hot sauce line. Oprah Daily also profiled Hassan, describing how she "launched a modern hot sauce company with flavors that harken back to her childhood," detailing the personal and cultural inspirations behind the brand.

In February 2022, Forbes published a profile of Hassan and her hot sauce business. The article, written by Valentina Di Donato, was titled "Meet The Woman With An Ubah Hot Spice For Life" and explored Hassan's journey from model to food entrepreneur, her business strategy, and the cultural significance of the product. The Forbes feature positioned Hassan as a businesswoman who was leveraging her personal story and cultural heritage to build a consumer brand in the competitive hot sauce market.

Hassan has served as the founder and CEO of Ubah Hot, overseeing the brand's product development, marketing, and distribution. The company's products are designed to reflect the spice traditions of East Africa while appealing to a contemporary American palate.

Television: The Real Housewives of New York City

In October 2022, Bravo announced the cast for the rebooted fourteenth season of The Real Housewives of New York City during BravoCon. Hassan was among the seven new cast members confirmed for the revamped series, which represented a complete overhaul of the franchise's New York installment. The announcement was reported by Deadline Hollywood, which noted that the reboot featured an entirely new ensemble cast that also included Jenna Lyons, among others.

The fourteenth season premiered in 2023, marking Hassan's debut as a reality television personality. On the show, Hassan brought her background as a model, entrepreneur, and Somali-Canadian immigrant to the ensemble, offering a perspective distinct from the traditional cast profiles associated with the franchise. Her presence on the series provided visibility for her hot sauce business and personal brand while introducing her to a broader television audience beyond the fashion world.

Hassan continued with the show through subsequent seasons. In May 2025, Vogue published a reflective piece on the series, noting the dynamics among the cast members including Hassan as the show reached a natural pause point. The Vogue article characterized the show as one that captured a particular social milieu, with Hassan as a notable presence within the ensemble.

Her participation in The Real Housewives of New York City significantly expanded Hassan's public profile, transitioning her from a figure known primarily within the fashion and food industries to a recognizable name in popular culture and entertainment media.

Personal Life

Hassan identifies as Somali-Canadian and has spoken publicly about her experiences as an immigrant and former refugee. She has been based primarily in New York City throughout her modeling and business career.

In 2023, Hassan began a public relationship with German businessman Oliver Dachsel, an investment banker who was referred to on the show and in media as "Mr. Connecticut." The couple went public with their relationship in 2023 and were together for over a year before becoming engaged.

On 31 May 2025, Hassan announced her engagement to Dachsel on Instagram. The proposal took place outdoors in a romantic setting. Multiple media outlets covered the engagement announcement, including People, Page Six, Bravo, and Just Jared. Reality Tea also compiled a detailed overview of the engagement, covering the couple's relationship timeline and the details of the proposal.

Hassan has also been involved in philanthropic work, drawing on her own experiences as a refugee to support charitable causes, though specific details of her charitable activities are less extensively documented in available sources.

Recognition

Hassan's career has garnered recognition across multiple industries. In modeling, her selection to head the Ralph Lauren collection at New York Fashion Week represented one of the field's most prominent professional honors, signaling her standing among top international models. Her profile on Models.com as "Model of the Week" further documented her status within the industry.

As an entrepreneur, the most notable recognition for Hassan's business endeavors came with the inclusion of her Ubah Hot hot sauce collection in Oprah's Favorite Things for 2021. The selection by Oprah Winfrey's editorial team is considered a significant endorsement in the consumer products space, and the feature on Oprah.com and in Oprah Daily brought substantial attention to the brand. The subsequent Forbes profile in 2022 further elevated Hassan's visibility as a businesswoman.

Her casting on The Real Housewives of New York City in 2022 represented recognition of her public profile and marketability as a television personality. The show's reboot cast was widely covered in entertainment media, and Hassan's inclusion was noted across outlets including Deadline Hollywood. Coverage of Hassan in publications ranging from Vogue to Page Six and People reflects her crossover appeal across fashion, business, and entertainment media.

Legacy

Hassan's career trajectory — from Somali refugee to international fashion model, entrepreneur, and television personality — represents a narrative arc that has resonated in discussions about immigration, opportunity, and representation. Her path through the fashion industry coincided with a period of increasing attention to diversity on runways and in campaigns, and her work with houses such as Ralph Lauren, Gucci, and Oscar de la Renta contributed to that broader shift in the industry.

Through Ubah Hot, Hassan brought East African flavors and culinary traditions to the American consumer market, connecting her personal heritage to a business venture that received mainstream recognition through Oprah's Favorite Things and Forbes. The brand represented an entrepreneurial extension of her personal story, transforming the flavors of her childhood into a commercial product.

Her role on The Real Housewives of New York City contributed to the representation of Somali and East African women in American reality television, a genre that has historically featured limited diversity. As part of the show's rebooted cast, Hassan was part of an ensemble that signaled the franchise's effort to present a more contemporary and diverse vision of New York City social life.

Hassan has spoken about the importance of maintaining perspective despite her success, a sentiment rooted in her early experiences with displacement and loss. As she told KA Online Magazine: "My feet are on the ground. I know how quick you can lose something or someone." This grounded outlook has characterized her public persona across her various professional endeavors.