With her incredible influence on street-style trends and her iconic runway moments, Bella Hadid has taken the fashion world by storm this year, leading Vogue to describe her as ‘the model of the moment’. So, what is it about the youngest Hadid sister that makes her so incredibly popular, especially in 2022?
Image courtesy of Gnexsedit
Street Style and Trend Setting
Bella Hadid is one of the most ‘pinned’ people on Pinterest, largely thanks to her varied but ever-iconic street style featuring an accumulation of thrifted vintage items, high-end designer pieces, and cutting-edge trends. Inspired by streetwear and Y2K fashion, her street style is incredibly distinctive - and is certainly a strong contributing factor to her popularity, cool-girl aura, and IT girl status.
Hadid’s style is diverse yet highly distinctive: as British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful described it, “her style blends classic elegance with edgy, fresh looks that she lays down with utter individuality.” Each of her outfits tend to feature a touch of vintage – whether that be 70s tailoring, 90s streetwear, or Y2K pieces – she often chooses to incorporate one or two bolder garments, ranging from her ultra-cropped tops with oversized parachute pants to her iconic mini shorts and platform Uggs combination.
Hadid’s approach to branded clothing is particularly interesting – with streetwear being such an obvious source of inspiration for her, she sports a variety of branded items ranging from classic Adidas and Nike to their high-end collaborations with Prada and Virgil Abloh respectively. Her impressive sneaker collection and love for athleisure indeed make for a huge part of her distinctive style.
Alongside this, she is no stranger to tailored pieces, having been spotted many a time in tailored suits, oversized blazers, loafers, and slicked-back hair, creating the signature chic look that many associate her off-duty style with.
Hadid’s street style is also the means through which she has helped set some of the biggest fashion trends of the year. After being pictured wearing the Ugg Classic Mini Platforms, the boots became one of the 2022’s most desired pieces, selling out across the internet and appearing everywhere on social media. The same went for the Adidas Samba, a once uninspiring sneaker which became an IT girl favourite after Hadid sported it.
Indeed, she took TikTok in particular by storm this year despite having a fairly quiet presence on the app herself. A multitude of viral sounds – such as the well-known “so my name… my name is Bella Hadid” used 150k times on the app - and videos showcasing her street style and runway appearances were incredibly popular this year. The term ‘Bella Bots’ also became widespread on the app, endearingly describing those who seek to replicate her style.
Runways and Red Carpets
Indeed, although Hadid’s street style has long been one of the things she is best known for, her runway and red carpet appearances have been stand-out for years – but particularly in 2022. In Paris Fashion Week alone, she walked 19 different shows including Balenciaga and Miu Miu.
Arguably the most iconic and viral runway moment of 2022 was Hadid’s appearance in Coperni’s show at Paris Fashion Week, where a stunning white dress was spray-painted onto her using Fabrican technology. Her ability to maintain such an elegant aura for the duration of the process – and indeed truly embody its ethereal look once it was complete – led the moment to drive the fashion world, and particularly social media, crazy. According to the WWD, the media impact value of the act was estimated at $26.3 million.
Her red carpet looks also require a mention – see her iconic nude Mugler jumpsuit at the 2018 Harper’s Bazaar Icons Party, leather brown power suit at the 2019 Variety Power of Women Party, streetwear-inspired utility vest and cargos look at Tatras' Paris Fashion Week Men's showcase in 2020, and stunning Schiaparelli gown featuring a large gold-dipped bronchi-shaped necklace at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. All of these are not to mention her iconic Met Gala looks, particularly her stunning Burberry leather corset gown at this year’s event.
Not only has Hadid established herself as a force to be reckoned with on the runway and red carpet, the power of her elegant, distinctive image certainly translates itself into business success for the brands she associates herself with. Her ability to raise a brand’s profits is often referred to as ‘the Bella effect’, exemplified by the average of 29% added to the expected monetary value of the brands she walked for this season.
Beyond Hadid’s Image
Hadid is also a known activist. As the daughter of Palestinian-American real-estate developer Mohammad Hadid, she is very open about her Palestinian roots and support for the Palestinian cause, regularly speaking out about the Israel-Palestine conflict and anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian rhetoric both on social media and beyond. Indeed, she has even said that she is not afraid to lose job offers as a result of her activism, stating: “I had so many companies that stopped working with me”.
Hadid has also chosen to be open with fans in other ways, including in regard to her personal struggles. She has opened up in the past about her own insecurities, particularly due to comparisons to her fellow supermodel sister Gigi: “I was the uglier sister. I was the brunette. I wasn’t as outgoing … That’s really what people said about me. And unfortunately when you get told things so many times, you do just believe it.” She has also spoken out about her mental health battles and struggles with Lyme disease, and is no stranger to sharing vulnerable, honest posts on social media.
Fundamentally, Hadid is simply known as a nice person to work with. As fashion writer Hannah Marriott highlights, Hadid is known for being “nice to the entire crew, which really matters” and “incredibly earnest in her desire to improve as a model.”
The Kate Moss of our Generation?
Many now refer to Hadid as this generation’s Kate Moss or Naomi Campbell, and it is indeed difficult to see a future in which she does not go down as a true icon of the fashion world. With 27 international Vogue covers, seemingly endless runway appearances, countless viral moments, and unmatched street style, Bella is everywhere right now – and that doesn’t seem likely to change anytime soon.
After being nominated by the British Fashion Council as 2022’s Model of the Year, it is difficult to think of another model who could truly compete with her at this year’s awards. Her legacy, however, is set to continue long after 2022. Beyond her status in the fashion world, Hadid has created a public image which extends beyond the stereotypical superficiality and snobbery that is often associated with the modelling world, largely thanks to her willingness to be publicly vulnerable on multiple levels – and, indeed, just plain nice to those around her.
As she climbs to the top of the modelling world and continues to fill our Pinterest boards, Hadid is certainly set to become the most iconic model of not only 2022, but of her generation.
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