The business allows her to build on what she’s learned collaborating with design legends and mentors like Tommy Hilfiger and Donatella Versace (a fellow Taurus, she notes). Last fall, Hadid, 27, launched Guest In Residence, a line of cashmere classics with a spin, built around the idea that key staples meant to be kept and worn for years are inherently sustainable.
This year has given Hadid the chance to find ways of working that help her feel whole-and the ability to show the world elements of herself that haven’t made it into the photos. Really, isn’t that where the true Gigi lies? The qualities that are evident in our intimate conversation, the ones that those who know her love most. She’d have the same intense work ethic, quiet goofy side, deep love of family, and desire to learn. Or a lifetime love of art could have turned into a theme park career: “I have this fantasy of working for Disney Imagineering.” What would have remained the same? She’d still obsess over documentaries. “I could have played volleyball in college and been a coach,” she says.
What if there was a different Gigi Hadid, an alternate one? Where this one veered right-signing to IMG while still at Malibu High, then closing fashion shows and fronting ad campaigns-the other might have turned to the left.
