Turning 25 is a big deal. It allows us the opportunity to reflect on the many wonderful memories created over the last two and a half decades. With over 150 covers, more than 30,000 pages of stories documenting pop culture and fashion history, and hundreds of contributors who have joined in on the fun to make V what it is today, we have managed to bring together a creative circle that we can truly call family.

Among one of our family members, you’ll find Gigi Hadid. When she first appeared in the pages of our Spring 2014 issue, a seed was planted. It has gone on to blossom before our audience’s eyes, both on-and-off the pages of our magazine. Here, photography duo (and fellow V family members) Inez & Vinoodh help us celebrate the past ten collaborative years between Gigi and V, incorporating images of the supermodel taken when V was just kicking off in 1999 and culminating into a visual poem as an ode to years passed, as well as those ahead of us.

Cheers to many more years to come!

A Star is Born (1999)

Ahh, 1999. It was the last year before a new millennium began. The Y2K scare was sweeping the nation, the Euro was created, the likes of Britney Spears and SpongeBob were dominating our channels, and the idea of V Magazine was born. As the plans for producing V were in development, a then four-year-old girl named Gigi was already gearing up to become a force in the modeling world as she was shooting Baby Guess campaigns on the beaches of Southern California…little did we know that 15 years later, our paths would cross for the first time.

When Gigi Met V (2014)

For our V88 Spring 2014 issue, V were in the mood to capture the new and the now with profiles on then-burgeoning singing sensations Ariana Grande, Lea Michele, Lorde, and many more. Only a few months earlier, on a Monday in December of 2013, a cherubic 18-year-old named Gigi Hadid walked on set for one of her first fashion editorials (ever!) with her agent Luiz Mattos, it ended up in the pages of that very issue. A newcomer to the hustle and bustle of New York City, Gigi was breaking out of Beverly Hills, ready to make a name for herself with the help of V—

the rest is…herstory!

A Girl Never Forgets Her First V Cover (2015)

Only one year later, Gigi’s first V cover came along—and it was shared with her younger sister, Bella. Photographed by Steven Klein and styled by Patti Wilson, V organized a conversation between the Hadid girls and fashion legend China Machado. In it, Gigi shares a bit of evergreen advice: “I have three goals: be kind, work hard, and make a friend. When I do those little things on set every day, those are the things that then lead to creating relationships and building opportunities. Because you don’t know who those people are gonna go have dinner with and talk to that night.”

The Gigi Journal Part One (2016)

Putting on her contributor hat, Gigi came up with the idea of compiling a photo diary for our Summer 2017 issue and, thus, the Gigi Journal was created. Serving as the first in what would go on to become a series, the photos were captured by Gigi throughout a year of fun. They feature some of her closest and favorite fashion folks—all documented around the time when Gigi was fresh off her first collaboration with Tommy Hilfiger—which included the likes of some of the industry’s boldest luminaries such as Karl Lagerfeld, Franca Sozzani, Naomi Campbell, Kaia & Presley Gerber, Carolyn Murphy, Marc Jacobs, Patrick Demarchelier, Nicki Minaj, and more.

Fearless: Part One (2018)

For those who know Gigi, the deep sense of courage (and daredevil-ness) in her is unmissable. So when the time came for her first solo V cover, Gigi was ready to take on extreme sports—but made it fashion. Ripping waves on a Fendi jet ski, doing donuts in a Philipp Plein dune buggy, and deep-diving in Chanel jewelry—and, yes, she did her own stunts—her V114 cover story was carried out in Miami by photographer Mario Sorrenti and stylist George Cortina (with Serena Williams interviewing, swoon!), kicking off the first of a “Fearless” cover series led by the thrillseeker herself.

The Gigi Journal Part Two (2020)

During 2020’s COVID-19 pandemic, part two of the Gigi Journal was conceived while Gigi was pregnant with her daughter Khai. FaceTiming with the V editors (her baby bump growing between each call), Gigi felt more inspired than ever. Together, we hosted a global search that received over 20,000 artist submissions, giving us a diverse pool of artists and perspectives to champion in the book. The journal heavily focused on narratives from Black American writers with a percentage of the Gigi Journal proceeds supporting organizations such as Black Lives Matter, NAACP, ACLU, and Campaign Zero—which Gigi matched with
a personal donation.

Fearless: Part Two (2022)

As a new mom in a risk-averse post-pandemic world, it’s safe to say Gigi was ready for a leap of faith. Kicking off part two of her “Fearless” cover series for V134, Gigi glided through the New York City sky on a trapeze, as she reunited with photographer Mario Sorrenti and stylist George Cortina for an aerial editorial like we’ve never seen before, taking on yet another adrenaline-pumping activity in style (and in heels, might we add). Another historic moment for Gigi and V.

Supermodel, Superhero (2022)

Later that same year, our V139 issue paid tribute to supermodel superheroes. From Gisele Bündchen and Pat Cleveland to Gigi (interviewed by Helena Christensen) as one of several cover stars, the superstar cast was indeed awe-worthy. The two fashion forces got real on the friendships that are made in our industry, explaining, “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.” And V couldn’t agree more, Gigi!

This story appears in the pages of V150: now available for purchase!

Cover Subject, Handwritings, & Drawings Gigi Hadid (IMG)

Photography & Collage Artwork Inez & Vinoodh

Creative Director / Editor-in-Chief Stephen Gan

Makeup Sam Visser (Art Partner)

Hair Jimmy Paul (Susan Price Inc)

Manicure Deborah Lippmann (Home Agency)

Producer John Nadhazi / Michael Gleeson (VLM Productions)

Lighting director Jodokus Driessen (VLM Studio)

Studio Manager/Art Director Marc Kroop (VLM Studio)

Digital Technician Brian Anderson (VLM Studio)

Retouching Stereohorse

Location Pier 59 Studios