This cover story appears in V139, the Supermodel, Superhero issue: now available for purchase!

Fresh off the runways of Paris and Milan’s SS23 Fashion Week circuit, Gigi Hadid catches up with ‘90s supermodel and ultimate muse Helena Christensen. Bridging the gap between two generations of formidable forces in fashion, the pair discuss how the industry has bounced back from the abyss set in motion by a global pandemic, life lessons learned through navigating supermodeldom, and how a single photograph can change lives.

HELENA CHRISTENSEN: Hi, Gigi.

GIGI HADID: That’s the most calming voice you could hear.

HC: If you need it, you can always call me up, and I’ll just speak to you for like a minute and you can fall asleep to it.

GH: Between your eyes and your voice, it’s just like dreamy, honey.

HC: Well, since you’re in Paris, why don’t we start with Paris? Is it just amazingly magical and crazy? Is it intensely busy for you right now?

GH: It’s just nice to be with everyone again. Obviously, all of us, throughout COVID-19, really missed the interaction and just being able to create and make memories. So it’s really special to be back in Paris and doing the shows. I’m a little jet-lagged, but you just ride with it–you know how it is. You go on autopilot, and nap where you can. You just keep pushing and keep going.

HC: Yes, I definitely remember being so jet-lagged through all the shows. But you’re right, the intensity and energy just keep you going.

GH: Exactly.

HC: What has been the highlight so far from Paris? And Milan?

GH: I always love being in Milan and seeing Donatella. I think that I’ve grown up with the Versace team, and so seeing what they’re working on every season is so much fun. Last night, I did the Victoria Beckham show and it was her first show in Paris. She was so emotional and grateful that every time I looked at her, I started crying.

HC: I saw a photo of her at the end and her smile was really genuine and beautiful.

GH: Yeah, it was. She started this brand in 2008, so it’s really been a dream come true for her. And I think that’s what’s so special about all these moments. I think, a lot of the time, fashion is seen as this fake, disconnected world where we get together and wear clothes. But really, the most special moments are the parts that aren’t printed in magazines and don’t make social media—there’s a very human part to what we do.

HC: Absolutely. My most special memory from couture season is still being surrounded by all the women who are taking part in creating the pieces and chatting and laughing and telling stories.

GH: Yeah, I totally agree. People are like, “Why do you do shows if no one gets paid?” But I’m like, “It’s the closest that we get to the teams and the actual hands that make the clothes, and it’s our job to sell and connect to the world.” So I think having that connection to the ateliers, the houses, and the designers is a huge part of our jobs.

HC: Yes, absolutely. It’s beautiful that it really means something at the end of the day. You started working at such a young age. What were your inspirations prior to entering this business and your earliest memories of the fashion world?

GH: I think because I grew up as an athlete and a student, I didn’t really have a lot of connection to fashion in terms of the designers and clothing. A lot of that came when I started working, and I started to learn more about the Houses and their history. What I really had a connection to was the photographers and image-making—the supermodel view. You guys were the best of the best because you understood your place in an image, which is to bring life to it and make it part of a story. That’s the part that I loved. And when I think back on what allured me to fashion, it was the images. It was the [pioneers] like you.

HC: I can only agree with that because photography became my real passion. I slowly merged them both together and I think you moved right into that as well. You understood everything behind it rather than just one side of it.

GH: Exactly, I’ve always felt that you can learn much more in this job than just modeling and that’s why I’ve loved it. Like, even having the opportunity to collaborate with you—you have photographed me [previously], and we’ve done a lot of different things together. It’s truly an honor because I grew up being such a huge fan of yours and now we’re friends. It’s a full-circle moment.

HC: That story is the most special story I’ve ever photographed and probably will always be. We didn’t know each other before and then all of a sudden we were in your sanctuary. It couldn’t have been more personal and intimate. You could sort of feel it throughout the day, but then looking at all the images afterward you could feel it. The polaroids we ended up using just had this beautiful, organic feel to them and that’s exactly how I saw you and felt you, it was so perfect.

GH: A lot of our job is walking into a space with 30 new people that we’ve never met and a big challenge in our job is to be able to quickly understand someone’s creative process and fit yourself within that. But there’s always that moment with certain people where you might not know them, but once you’re looking into each other’s eyes through a lens, you become friends. You really feel each other in that moment and it can be very powerful.

This cover story appears in V139, the Supermodel, Superhero issue: now available for purchase!