Genuinely Gigi

Through tears, joy, and hard model-turned-designer work, the is reimagining her life.

- By Adrienne Gaffney. Photographed by Mario Sorrenti

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. “I could have played volleyball in college and been a coach,” she says. 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. She’d have the same intense work ethic, quiet goofy side, deep love of family, and desire to learn. The qualities that are evident in our intimate conversation, the ones that those who know her love most. Really, isn’t that where the true Gigi lies?