Born and raised in California, Hadid signed to New York-based agency IMG in 2011 and has already walked for a host of catwalk greats including Marc Jacobs, Jean Paul Gaultier and Chanel.
The model, who made several appearances on trash TV show The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, has also racked up a host of major campaign deals and has appeared in ads by the likes of Tom Ford, Victoria's Secret and Guess Jeans. Last week Hadid, who is of Palestinian and Dutch descent, was announced as the new face of cosmetics giant Maybelline.
So far, so standard for a beautiful bombshell on the rise to fame - but here’s the twist: Hadid is a glamour model first and fashion-industry fodder second.
Blossoming movement: Gigi Hadid walks in Chanel's spring/summer 15 showPicture: Catwalking.com
Hailed as one of Sports Illustrated's "rookie" models of 2014, Hadid's selling point among the fashion fraternity is her point of difference. Thanks to her relative curves and dewy, Californian girl-next-door complexion, Hadid joins a blossoming movement for fuller-figured models that has been growing in popularity. She follows in the footsteps of Vogue cover girl Kate Upton, who was declared most Googled model of 2014. Other models on similar journeys include fellow Victoria's Secret model Jourdan Dunn, who is a master at flaunting her sexuality before the camera lens, and St Louis-born model Devon Windsor, who regularly swaps the Chanel catwalk for the Victoria’s Secret runway.
But does this mean the long-standing appetite for models with a pre-pubescent look has waned among the fashion crowd? Not entirely - there will always be designers who like to see their clothes hanging on women with bodies to rival beanpoles. But this renewed compassion for the curve is undoubtedly indicative of a cultural shift towards boobs and bums.
That mood is harnessed by stylist Carine Roitfeld and photographer Steven Meisel in the latest calendar for Italian tyre giant Pirelli. Joining forces with some of the hottest women in the business — Hadid included - to create an iconic set of images, the duo combine an eye for masterful fashion editorial with a determination to create something that screams sexual allure.
Hand-picked: Hadid was chosen to star in the Pirelli calendarPicture: Steven Meisel for Pirelli 2015
Thanks to Roitfeld's desire to showcase nudity with "no trace of vulgarity", as was her practice during her reign at French Vogue, the Pirelli calendar is a celebration of curvy women. "Personally, I've always loved shapely models, who often turn out to be more at ease with their bodies than normal ones," said Roitfeld following the calendar's launch last autumn. "That’s precisely why I like them."
While some feminists will struggle with Roitfeld's vision, just as they do with the bank-busting boobfest that is the Victoria’s Secret show, there is a school of thought that stylists and casting directors are empowering women by inviting them to capitalise fully on their most precious feminine assets.
