Publications
Partners
So, Gigi Hadid almost didn't walk one of the runway shows that ultimately established her as the 'It' girl she now is.
In a recent interview with Yahoo, designer Tommy Hilfiger revealed that Hadid almost wasn't cast in his fall 2015 New York Fashion Week runway show because she was deemed "too fat" compared to the other models.
The BBC reports that Hilfiger wanted to dress Hadid in a form-fitting outfit for the show, as he describes her as "perfection". But his creative team apparently disagreed.
"Our casting director said, 'She doesn't really fit because you know she's not quite as tall as the other girls, she's not quite as thin,'" the 65-year-old designer told Yahoo.
Read more: Miss Iceland quits beauty pageant after being told she's “too fat”
So the team opted to clad Hadid in an oversized poncho - as not to show too much skin. But the look was a hit.
“She and her poncho look received millions of hits so I said you know, 'Why don't we ask her to design a line with us?' So I said, 'Gigi, come design this with me. We'll do a Gigi-Tommy Hilfiger line." And a collaboration was born.
After and initial media frenzy and backlash, Hilfiger made a statement, which according to New York Magazine, says:
“Gigi is truly the definition of a ‘Tommy Girl’ – her magnetic personality is bright, confident and always optimistic. I’ve known her for many years, and am extremely proud to have her as the ambassador of my brand and as a collaborator of our collections. Any statement to the contrary is completely false. The headline from the interview with Yahoo was misleading and has since been corrected.”
Read more: Everyday "plus size” women recreate popular fashion ads
The model has always been vocal about her experiences of body-shaming in the fashion industry. In September 2015 she published an Instagram post where she opened up about being body-shamed and judged.
Stop all the haters! Gigi, you are a queen!
Read more:
Celebs read body-shaming comments from haters in powerful lingerie campaign
Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid fall victim to Photoshop fail
