Gigi Hadid: ‘I’ve Never Been Scared of Being Naked in Pictures’

It’s official. Gigi Hadid has reached “superstar” status. Last week, she starred in her first short film (a video for V Magazine‘s summer edition) and landed a fall fashion campaign (for Topshop). This week her W magazine September cover has been unveiled.

Steven Meisel/W Magazine

In the new interview, Hadid gets candid about taking off her clothes for shoots.

“I’ve never been scared of being naked in pictures, but I wouldn’t do naked for naked’s sake,” she explains. And Hadid specifically elaborates on one of her “most naked” campaigns to date: ads for Tom Ford’s Velvet Orchid fragrance. “With Tom, it was an easy decision. When you think of scent, you don’t think of clothes. In the beginning, I thought Tom would not want to know my name. But he made a space for me in the high-fashion world. When Tom liked me, other jobs followed.”

Other jobs include working with brands ranging from Balmain and Michael Kors to Topshop and Seafolly. She says the diversity of labels enables her to get “big campaigns” outside of fashion.

“I never want to choose one or the other,” she explains. “My Pirelli calendar is hanging on the wall of my friend’s frat house, and he doesn’t know anything about fashion. Both commercial and high fashion are what make my job so interesting.”

Steven Meisel/W Magazine

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In addition to the sweet and sultry spread shot by Steven Meisel (she poses in a Brigitte Bardot–style bouffant, lounging in bed clad in lingerie and wrapped up in knit sweaters), she opens up about her social media presence, explaining that she never wants to inundate her fans’ Instagram feeds with pics from her many campaigns.

“I have always been aware of the business side of this industry,” explains Hadid. “All the companies I work for want me to guarantee how much I’ll post for them, but I’m not going to force my career onto the people who follow me. I refuse to do 40 Instagram posts about any campaign.”

While we wait for her next model milestone, grab W‘s September issue, which hits newsstands Aug. 18. And for a special limited-edition gold foil cover, pick up one here.

What do you think of the model’s September cover? Share with us in the comments below.

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–Colleen Kratofil