Jelena Noura "Gigi" Hadid is an American model born and raised in Los Angeles to real estate developer Mohamed Hadid and former model Yolanda Hadid. Her mother is Dutch-born American and her father is Palestinian-American, claiming descent from Daher Al Omer, Prince of Nazareth and the Sheik of Galilee. Gigi has two younger siblings, a sister, Bella, and a brother, Anwar, both of whom are also models. She has two older, paternal half-sisters, Marielle and Alana, and five stepsisters from her mother's marriage to music producer David Foster.
Gigi was captain of the varsity volleyball team and a competitive horseback rider at Malibu High School, where she graduated in 2013. She then moved to New York City to focus on her studies and modeling career, studying criminal psychology at The New School before suspending her studies to pursue modeling.
Gigi's modeling career began at the age of two when she was discovered by Paul Marciano of Guess clothing. She started modeling with Baby Guess before stopping to focus on school, eventually returning to modeling in 2011. She has since become one of the most successful models in the industry, walking for top designers and starring in numerous campaigns.
Gigi has also made a name for herself as a photographer, shooting campaigns for Versus (Versace) and V Magazine. She has been featured on numerous magazine covers, including Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, and LOVE Magazine, and has been named International Model of the Year by the British Fashion Council.
Gigi has also ventured into the world of fashion design, collaborating with Tommy Hilfiger on a successful ready-to-wear collection and being honored for her design debut at The Daily Front Row's Fashion Los Angeles Awards.
