Courtesy Tyrone Lebon/TopshopIt's not only what you know, it's who you know—right, Gigi Hadid?
In what seems like the blink of an eye, the 20-year-old's career has skyrocketed into one of supermodel proportions. With Maybelline, Guess, Tom Ford, Balmain, Pink and Seafolly gigs, Gigi's most recent list of campaigns reads more like a mall registry than a resume. And that's not even counting the dozens of A-list runway shows she's strutted in, or her scorching magazine cameos galore (yeah, we remember those risqué Pirelli Calendar and Sport's Illustrated shoots).
Still, her top-tier modeling gigs aren't the only means by which Gigi's been propelled to top model status—nope, that credit would have to go to her overwhelming social media fan base and posse of famous friends.
"We live in a time where you're not just a fan of a model because you like her picture in the magazine but you like her sense of humor. Or you might have the same style or like the same pizza and were able to share those things through social media," the model dished to Topshop about her overwhelming social media following, following her crisp fall ad campaign with the retailer.
"That's what people want to follow—they want to see us hanging out outside of the studio, backstage at the show. The whole 'squad goals' thing is a big part of our generation—I think that's what is helping us create a new supermodel crew."
By "us," Gigi means a select few—Kendall Jenner, Cara Delevingne, Karlie Kloss, Taylor Swift, sister Bella Hadid and more fresh faces in the biz—some of whom Vogue has dubbed the new "Brat Pack." This gang has accumulated a virtual following that rivals any epic celeb fan base (we're looking at you, One Directioners). And it may just be social media that's revitalizing the supermodel role for younger models, the likes of which haven't been seen since the '90s with Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell.
"I've heard from a lot of people in the industry that the supermodel is coming back, which is really exciting for me. For a long time you would see a girl for one season and then you'd never really hear about her again," the model explained. "Now models are getting to create a fan base that keeps them around."