If you follow fashion, get ready to learn the name Hari Nef.
The recent graduate of Columbia University in New York reportedly just signed on as a model with the industry's biggest agency, IMG, which also represents superstars Gisele Bundchen, Candice Swanepoel, Gigi Hadid and Chanel Iman.
Although Nef has already walked runways for Adam Selman, Hood by Air and Eckhaus Lattar -- and
appeared in a campaign
for British retailer Selfridges in April -- the signing is making more
than the usual splash because the 22-year-old is IMG's first "global"
transgender model based in the U.S.
It also means the small cadre of high-profile transgender models is
growing. They include Andreja Pejic (who has walked runways for top
labels including Jean Paul Gaultier and Marc Jacobs and who
landed a Make Up For Ever campaign earlier this year), Lea T. (muse to Givenchy creative director Riccardo Tisci, she became the first transgender model
to front a hair care campaign, which she did for Redken in January) and Valentijn De Hingh (the latter is also represented by IMG, but is assigned to Paris).
Nef put her feelings
on Twitter: "Been feeling like I'm kind of whatever but upon further inspection I'm kind of a pretty girl."
So did IMG managing director Ivan Bart: "Today begins our journey with
@harinef. This girl's future is so bright, guys r knocked out behind her!"
Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times
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