As fashion month comes to an end it's no surprise that the two models that dominated the runways was the Hadid sisters, Gigi and Bella. Born to former model Yolanda Foster and real estate developer Mohamed Hadid, the girls have taken the modelling world by storm, and the reason behind their success... Instagram.
Along with the Hadid's, the other model that makes up the 'Insta Squad' is one of the youngest of the Kardashian/Jenner clan, Kendall Jenner. With over 66 million Instagram followers, she is the original 'Insta-girl' and thanks to her social media power, she is the go-to girl for designers, editors and photographers alike.
Since Kendall and Gigi made their runway debuts at New York Autumn/Winter 2014 Fashion Week, they've gone on to book high-profile jobs from the likes of Estee Laude, Tommy Hilfiger and Victoria's Secret based on their followers count. Gigi herself talked about how her Insta presence has landed her some lucrative deals, "I realised that social media was an important marketing tool when clients that I was working with started to bring up things I was posting," Hadid said.
But what does this mean for models who have that raw talent but a small following? Will they miss out on jobs because they don't have that reach? Is the world of modelling going through a change? Catherine McGill, manager at Vivien Models seems to agree, revealing that "an increasing amount of brands are refusing to consider any models whose followers count dip below 10,000."
The demands of a high-fashion shoot is a lot different than choosing the right selfie to post. It has got to the point where casting directors are over-looking basic modelling skills in favour of a high following, for example, Hailey Baldwin, daughter of Stephen Baldwin, and best friends with Jenner and the Hadid's, isn't the tallest, yet she recently walked for Dolce & Gabbana because of her following. There has been an obvious shift from the quality of models to how many likes and engagements they get.
There's nothing wrong with using models with a high social media presence, but what there needs to be is a mix of both the new 'it girls' and the real supermodels - the Gisele's, the Karlie's and the Daria's, who show no signs of slowing down - in order to stay relevant and interesting.
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