Bella Hadid: Iconic Runway Triumphs & Fashion Influence

From Equestrian Ambitions to Parsons Photography: Isabella Khair Hadid's Formative Years

Isabella Khair Hadid was born on October 9, 1996, in Washington, D.C., into a family where high-level ambition, artistic sensibilities, and cultural heritage intersected. Her mother, Yolanda Hadid (née van den Herik), is a Dutch-born former international fashion model who later became a household name on reality television. Her father, Mohamed Hadid, is a prominent Palestinian-American real estate developer born in Nazareth who built a reputation for designing opulent estates. Raised alongside her elder sister, Jelena ‘Gigi’ Hadid, and younger brother, Anwar Hadid—both of whom would also pursue prominent modeling careers—Bella grew up in an environment where aesthetics, discipline, and international perspectives were deeply ingrained. She also shares two paternal half-sisters, Marielle and Alana Hadid.

During her early childhood, the Hadid family relocated from D.C. to a expansive ranch in Santa Barbara, California, before eventually settling in Beverly Hills. It was on the Santa Barbara ranch that Bella developed her first true passion: equestrian sports. Far from a simple leisure hobby, horseback riding became a central focus of her youth. Hadid trained intensely in equitation and had established concrete ambitions to compete at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. However, her athletic dreams were abruptly halted in 2012 when both she and her mother were diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease—a vector-borne illness that caused debilitating fatigue, joint pain, and cognitive hurdles. Forced to set aside competitive riding due to the physical toll of her health condition, Hadid channeled her creative energy into visual arts.

After graduating from Malibu High School in 2014, Hadid moved to New York City to study photography at the prestigious Parsons School of Design. Her academic background in photography provided her with a deep, technical understanding of lighting, camera angles, and composition—an asset that would soon set her apart in front of the lens. Although her booming modeling career eventually forced her to suspend her formal studies at Parsons, Hadid has consistently cited her visual arts education as the foundation of her acute modeling intuition.

Signing IMG Models and Desigual Debut: Isabella Khair Hadid Enters High Fashion

Bella Hadid began taking on initial commercial modeling projects at the age of sixteen, starring in local lookbooks and independent projects such as Flynn Skye and Chrome Hearts campaigns. Her official entry into mainstream high fashion occurred on August 21, 2014, when she signed a contract with IMG Models, joining the same world-tier agency representing her sister Gigi. Within weeks of signing, Hadid made her New York Fashion Week debut in September 2014, walking the catwalk for Spanish label Desigual.

The fashion industry quickly took notice of Hadid’s distinct aesthetic. While her sister Gigi captivated audiences with a sun-kissed, California-girl charm, Bella introduced an alluring, dark-haired, razor-sharp editorial presence. In February 2015, legendary designer Tom Ford cast Hadid in his Fall/Winter 2015 show in Los Angeles, marking her official arrival into luxury high fashion. By the fall of 2015, she was walking for major design houses across New York, London, Milan, and Paris, including Marc Jacobs, Tommy Hilfiger, Diane von Fürstenberg, Topshop Unique, Philipp Plein, Moschino, Bottega Veneta, and Balmain. Her breakout year culminated in December 2015 when she made her runway debut for Chanel at Karl Lagerfeld‘s Métiers d’Art show in Rome.

Isabella Khair Hadid Dominates Couture: Victoria's Secret, Dior Beauty, and Balenciaga

Isabella Khair Hadid Met Gala Iconic Runway Moments and Coperni Spray-On Dress

The year 2016 marked Hadid’s full transition from an emerging talent into a global fashion powerhouse. In May 2016, she made a headline-grabbing appearance at the 69th Cannes Film Festival, wearing a high-slit red silk gown designed by Alexandre Vauthier that instantly became one of the most covered fashion moments of the decade. That same month, Dior announced Bella Hadid as the official global ambassador for Dior Beauty, a lucrative contract that solidified her status as a top commercial face.

Hadid’s editorial dominance expanded rapidly. In late 2016, she made her debut on the Victoria‘s Secret Fashion Show runway in Paris, walking alongside industry veterans. Industry recognition followed swiftly: GQ named her Model of the Year in September 2016, and Model.com’s Industry Awards selected her as Model of the Year, voted on by fashion editors, stylists, and photographers.

Isabella Khair Hadid Launches Kin Euphorics and Orebella Fragrance Line

Between 2017 and 2022, Bella Hadid established an unprecedented level of editorial and runway dominance. In 2017, she broke the historical industry record for the most Vogue September issue covers in a single year, gracing five international editions of Vogue—including China, Spain, Brazil, Australia, and Arabia—in a single month. Designers from haute couture ateliers across Europe sought her out as their ultimate muse.

Hadid became the face of major global advertising campaigns for heritage luxury brands, including Versace, Fendi, Bulgari, Michael Kors, Alexander Wang, Givenchy, and Tag Heuer. Her ability to drive brand engagement was unmatched; industry analytics revealed that fashion houses featuring Hadid on their runways experienced an average 30% increase in social media engagement and brand visibility. Her sheer versatility allowed her to seamlessly transition from avant-garde conceptual art campaigns to high-street commercial triumphs.

Isabella Khair Hadid Model of the Year Honors and Global Luxury Endorsements

In September 2022, Hadid achieved a landmark moment in fashion history during the Coperni Spring/Summer 2023 show at Paris Fashion Week. Walking onto the stage wearing only nude undergarments, scientists spray-painted a liquid synthetic fabric directly onto her body live on stage, which instantly solidified into a sleek, wearable white dress. The performance went viral across global media networks, reaching hundreds of millions of views and being cited by fashion critics as one of the defining artistic spectacles of 21st-century runway history.

In December 2022, Hadid was crowned Model of the Year at the prestigious British Fashion Awards in London, cementing her peer recognition and global authority. Concurrently, she expanded her career footprint beyond fashion, making her acting debut with a recurring guest role in the acclaimed Hulu series Ramy, directed by Ramy Youssef, earning praise for her dramatic vulnerability.

4. Behind the Wealth: Marriages, Family Bonds & Private Passions

Bella Hadid’s private life has frequently attracted global media interest. Her most publicized romance was with Canadian singer-songwriter The Weeknd (Abel Tesfaye). The couple began dating in early 2015 after meeting when Tesfaye asked her to feature on the artwork for his breakthrough album Beauty Behind the Madness. Hadid subsequently starred in his music video for ‘In the Night’. Over the next four years, the high-profile couple experienced an on-and-off relationship, making headline appearances at the Met Gala and Grammy Awards before officially parting ways in August 2019 due to conflicting touring and work schedules.

Following her relationship with Tesfaye, Hadid maintained a more private approach to her romantic life. In 2020, she began dating art director Marc Kalman. The couple kept their relationship relatively quiet compared to her previous romance, making occasional public appearances at international film festivals and fashion weeks before quietly separating in early 2023. Later, Hadid began dating professional equestrian and rodeo champion Adan Banuelos, connecting deeply over her lifelong love for horses and returning to her roots in Texas and California.

Throughout her career, Hadid has been open about her struggles with health and mental well-being. She has used her social media platform to share candid insights regarding her chronic Lyme disease treatments, anxiety, depression, and burnout. In 2023, she took an extended sabbatical from runway modeling to undergo intensive medical treatments for her Lyme disease, documenting her recovery journey to destigmatize chronic illness. Beyond modeling, she co-founded Kin Euphorics, a non-alcoholic functional beverage brand aimed at promoting brain health and mood balance, and launched her fragrance brand Orebella in 2024.

Isabella Khair Hadid Navigates High-Fashion Backlash and Brand Campaigns

Isabella Khair Hadid and the 2024 Adidas SL72 Munich Olympics Footwear Campaign

Throughout her public career, Bella Hadid has been an outspoken advocate for Palestinian rights, frequently sharing posts about her Palestinian heritage and humanitarian concerns in the Middle East. This political advocacy culminated in a major international commercial controversy in July 2024 when global sportswear brand Adidas launched an advertising campaign for its retro SL72 sneaker. The shoe was originally designed for the 1972 Munich Olympics—an event remembered for the horrific terrorist attack in which eleven Israeli team members and a West German police officer were killed by the Palestinian militant group Black September.

When Adidas unveiled Hadid as the face of the SL72 relaunch, it triggered immediate backlashes from official Israeli state accounts, political organizations, and community leaders. Critics argued that casting a prominent Palestinian advocate in a campaign referencing the 1972 Munich Games showed extreme insensitivity or political negligence. Facing intense political and media pressure, Adidas issued a public apology, stating that connections to tragic historical events were completely unintentional, and subsequently removed Hadid from the campaign.

Isabella Khair Hadid Advocacy, Public Statements, and Rebuilding Brand Partnerships

The sudden withdrawal of the campaign sparked a massive global debate on corporate accountability, freedom of speech, and political pressure. Pro-Palestinian advocates and fans launched a widespread boycott of Adidas, accusing the brand of abandoning Hadid and capitulating to political censorship. Following the corporate fallout, reports emerged that Hadid hired legal counsel to review potential legal action against Adidas for lack of public accountability and for exposing her to intense public vitriol without proper historical context or protection.

Addressing the situation directly, Hadid released a thoughtful, measured public statement reiterating that she would never knowingly associate with any campaign connected to violence or historical tragedy, while firmly maintaining her commitment to advocating for human rights and her Palestinian identity. Rather than damaging her standing, Hadid’s refusal to back down under immense commercial pressure earned her widespread respect within progressive cultural circles and solidified her status as a fearless figure who prioritizes personal principles over corporate endorsements.

Isabella Khair Hadid Backstage Discipline, Runway Precision, and Creative Vision

Bella Hadid is widely recognized as a primary tastemaker of 2020s fashion. Often credited with single-handedly reviving Y2K aesthetics, vintage streetwear, and ‘gorpcore’ utility fashion, her off-duty personal style is analyzed daily by fashion critics and replicated by millions on TikTok and Instagram. Her ability to blend high-fashion luxury pieces with vintage thrifted items, oversized tailoring, and retro athletic wear has reshaped street style trends worldwide.

With tens of millions of followers across social platforms, Hadid utilizes her reach for more than aesthetic curation. She frequently uses her Instagram account to post long-form educational slides regarding social justice, refugee aid, environmental conservation, and mental health awareness. Her candidness regarding her personal health struggles has reshaped how public figures engage with fans, replacing curated perfection with raw, vulnerable authenticity.

Isabella Khair Hadid Business Ventures, Philanthropy, and Future Fashion Legacy

As Bella Hadid navigates the next chapter of her career, her focus has expanded beyond high-fashion runways into entrepreneurship, wellness, and acting. Following her health sabbatical, she returned to high-profile modeling selective projects while focusing heavily on her business ventures, including Kin Euphorics and her alcohol-free, skin-nourishing fragrance line Orebella.

Her acclaimed turn in Ramy demonstrated a promising talent for acting, prompting reports of future screen projects. Furthermore, her return to equestrian sports through competitive cutting horse events signifies a deep personal reconnection with her childhood passions. Balancing high fashion, business leadership, political advocacy, and creative performance, Hadid continues to evolve as an influential global cultural icon.

Isabella Khair Hadid FAQs: Key Questions Answered