Gigi Hadid

Early life

Jelena Noura "Gigi" Hadid was born on 23 April 1995 in Los Angeles, to Palestinian-American real-estate developer Mohamed Hadid and the Dutch former model Yolanda Hadid. She grew up on a ranch in Santa Barbara before the family moved to Beverly Hills. She graduated from Malibu High School in 2013, where she captained the varsity volleyball team, and enrolled at The New School in New York to study criminal psychology — a degree she suspended to model full-time.

Discovery and early modelling

Hadid’s modelling began at two, when Guess co-founder Paul Marciano discovered her; she appeared in Baby Guess campaigns in early childhood before stepping back to focus on school. She resumed modelling in 2011, again working with Marciano, and became the face of a Guess campaign in 2012, followed by three more Guess campaigns as an adult.

Breakthrough, 2013–2016

Hadid signed with IMG Models in 2013 and made her New York Fashion Week debut for Desigual in February 2014, the same season she landed what the industry called her "high fashion break": the cover of Carine Roitfeld’s CR Fashion Book. A Tom Ford Eyewear campaign followed that July.

2015 brought the Pirelli Calendar, the Daily Front Row’s Model of the Year title, a Maybelline ambassadorship, and her first Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. In 2016 she became Tommy Hilfiger’s global brand ambassador, co-designed a "Gigi by Tommy Hilfiger" capsule collection, opened five shows and closed seven across New York, Milan and Paris that Fall season, launched the Stuart Weitzman "Gigi Boot," and fronted Reebok’s "#PerfectNever" campaign. That December, Donatella Versace presented her with the International Model of the Year award at the British Fashion Awards.

Sustained global presence, 2017–2018

March 2017 brought four Vogue covers in a single month — American, British, Chinese, and the inaugural issue of Vogue Arabia — and she opened shows for Jeremy Scott, Versus, Alberta Ferretti, Missoni, H&M and Balmain that season, closing for Isabel Marant, Moschino, Max Mara and Anna Sui. She released her first Vogue Eyewear and Messika Jewelry collaborations that year and was named one of Glamour’s Women of the Year.

2018 continued the pace with campaigns for Valentino, Moschino, Versace and Fendi, a fourth and final Tommy Hilfiger capsule, a third Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show appearance, and a first Reebok sneaker collaboration launched in stages between December 2018 and February 2019.

Recent record

Hadid has been reported among the world’s highest-paid models since 2017, with annual earnings around $20 million, and has made more than 50 international Vogue cover appearances over her career. In September 2022 she founded and became creative director of the clothing label Guest in Residence, and in 2023 she co-hosted Netflix’s "Next in Fashion" with Tan France. Recent brand work includes fronting Rabanne’s "Million Gold For Her" fragrance in 2024 and becoming Havaianas’s global ambassador in March 2025.

Her current Index Rating draws on the same current-window strength: a Balenciaga Haute Couture appearance and an opening slot at Ralph Lauren’s Fall/Winter 2026 show in February 2026, Miu Miu and Rabanne campaign work, and a Models.com Model of the Year nomination, detailed in the evidence section below.

Why is Gigi Hadid ranked #5?

• Walked Balenciaga Haute Couture in July 2026 and opened Ralph Lauren FW26 in February 2026.
• Miu Miu leathergoods and Rabanne fragrance campaigns, plus a Love Magazine cover, in 2026.
• Models.com Model of the Year nominee in 2023 and 2024 and Best Streetstyle nominee in 2025.

Confidence: High confidence · evidence reviewed. Scores may change when a source is corrected or new work enters the current window.