Anwar Hadid On What Sisters Gigi And Bella Have Taught Him
The last name Hadid instantly brings to mind supermodel sisters Gigi and Bella, who have become two of the biggest names in the industry in recent years. But long before Gigis and Kendalls dominated the fashion scene, Yolanda Hadid was paving the way for her young children, the latest of which to add modelling to their CV, 19-year-old Anwar Hadid.
Signing with IMG Models (the same agency as his older sisters) in February of 2016, Anwar already has runway shows for Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger and Hugo Boss under his belt, as well as walking the David Jones Spring Summer 2018 show Down Under.
Of late, it's been the teenager's personal life in the spotlight, after he split with girlfriend of just over a year Nicola Peltz and was spotting passionately kissing none other than Kendall Jenner.
But when your mum is a former star of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, your sisters are Gigi and Bella, your stepdad is music producer David Foster and your dad is Los Angeles real estate developer Mohamed Hadid, making out with one of the most famous women in the world isn't quite as crazy as it would be for... well, pretty much anyone else.
But sitting in his dressing room before the David Jones Spring Summer 2018 runway show, Anwar is as down-to-earth as they come, offering up Tim Tams and lollies ("no seriously, take some!") as we chat about his love of fashion - he favours Comme Des Garçonsand Raf Simons and plans to start his own label - and how much he learnt growing up with a single mum and two older sisters.
"I’m lucky to be raised by great women and have them around me," Anwar says. "I love women, I think there should be more women in the government and in every [field] because it's so important."
On his sisters, Bella and Gigi, Anwar says "they are so inspiring to me. They’re always giving me little tips and making sure I understand that [modelling is] a way bigger process than everyone sees. There are so many different components and so many different people that it takes to move a project forward."
Reminding me that an industry friend said Bella was one of the nicest models she'd ever worked with, I tell Anwar and he lights up. "That’s all we could hope for," he says. "There’s obviously so much that people can say... but we just try to be as genuine as possible. We’re all human. People forget that, I think, sometimes."
"At the end of the day, no one realises that all these people they look up to, at one point, were looking up to someone else," he continues.
