As someone who is also interested in fashion, I got super excited when I received a notification that someone else wrote their weekly blog on fashion and nepotism! I keep my interest for fashion pretty hidden from my friends and family, because I feel like it clashes with my persona. After all, is it not hypocritical to care for animals and the planet and to promote sustainability, while also having an interest towards one of the most polluting industries on the planet, following brands that sell animal skin and fur, and admiring models that contribute nothing meaningful to society? Despite all of this, I can’t seem to pull my mind away from the allure of the fashion world, and consider it to be my guilty pleasure.
Of course I am very familiar with Gigi Hadid, and agree that she has progressed immensely throughout the years, along with her sister Bella Hadid. As you mentioned, she acknowledges her privilege, unlike other models such as Kendall Jenner and Kaia Gerber. And I have a strong feeling the show you are referencing to that Gigi walked at during Paris Fashion Week was Jacquemus, because it was fucking beautiful. Anyways, I would like to discuss why nepotism is so prevalent in the fashion industry, and why I have a feeling it will not be going away anytime soon.
Up until the rise of social media, models were not constantly in the eye of the public, and in order to be successful, you had to be on as many Vogue covers as possible, walk in as many shows as possible, and land roles in commercials. Models had to work hard in order to become a household name and earn the title of a supermodel. In today’s world, in order to be a successful model, I would argue the most important criteria is having a massive social media following, which is why nepotism models are the top paid models. If you think about it, would Alexander Wang be able to sell more belts if he had Gigi Hadid open his show and post about it on Instagram, or if a random model from Russia did it? Let’s stay that Russian model has a better walk, more striking features, and even models the clothes better, making her more deserving of opening the show than Gigi. However, the millions of people who follow Gigi on social media and admire her will want to wear and purchase the same belt as their icon, tremendously boosting Alexander Wang’s sales, in comparison to the probably thousands of people who follow the Russian model. At the end of the day, a fashion house is only as successful as the amount of revenue they are able to generate. Even if their designs are breathtaking, if they can’t get anyone to buy them, they will be forced to shut down.
So although nepotism is an absolute travesty to the fashion industry, I don’t think there is a way to get around it, especially since we are living in the time of social media. While it is possible to build a name for yourself, like one of my favorite models Cara Taylor has done, you really have to have the combination of winning the genetic lottery, immense dedication towards growing your social media presence, and of course scoring as many jobs as possible, putting more pressure on models than ever before. But even then, it is nearly impossible to be as successful, or even more successful than nepotism models.
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