A hijab-wearing model has not only been signed to a major agency, but the rising star just made her catwalk debut at the Kanye West's Yeezy Season 5 show.
Halima Aden, a 19-year-old Somali-American from Minnesota, signed with IMG Models before strutting down the runway at Kanye's latest presentation.
The budding model, who was born in a Kenyan refugee camp, donned a hijab and a long fur coat for her first trip down the catwalk.
The rapper showed his fifth season of Yeezy for Adidas at Pier 59 Studios on Wednesday, and the show garnered plenty of attention from the fashion crowd and fans alike.
Once again the color palette remained mostly neutral, full of nudes, browns, grays, and black. Sweatshirts and sweatpants reigned supreme, while bodysuits and crop tops flaunted skin beneath the heavy layers. However, it was Halima who modeled a stand-out fur coat from the collection.
Halima made headlines last November when she competed in the Miss Minnesota pageant wearing her hijab and a burkini during the swimsuit competition.
The brunette beauty ended up catching the eye of the fashion elite, and she was recently signed to IMG Models, the same agency that represents Gigi Hadid and supermodel Cindy Crawford's daughter Kaia Gerber.
'I didn’t really have modeling in mind,' she told Business of Fashion.
'I wanted to spread a positive message about beauty and diversity, and to show other young Muslim women that there is room for them.'
Although the agency has signed Muslim models in the past, Ivan Bart, the president of IMG Models, said he was impressed by how Halima bravely stuck to her beliefs while pursuing the dream of being in a beauty contest.
'We’ll see how the industry reacts to Halima and works with the restrictions or not. It doesn’t negate the fact that we want to represent her,' he told the publication.
However, Halima is already in good graces with former French Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld, who is already advocating for the model.
Halima is slated to appear in Carine's upcoming issue of CR Fashion Book, which will be available in March.
Carine said the editorial will see Halima 'represent the diversity of Paris', and the fashion insider is convinced that the teen will be an 'icon'.
Business of Fashion reports that it was Carine who pushed for Halima to be cast in Kanye's latest Yeezy show.
Carine previously helped launch Gigi Hadid's careers, and it looks like Halima is also on her way to becoming the next big thing in fashion.
By ERICA TEMPESTA
