Gigi Hadid Had to Wear a Poncho on the Runway Because of Her Body

Gigi Hadid may be one of the world's most notable models—thanks, in no small part, to her wildly successful collaboration with designer Tommy Hilfiger (a number of pieces from the Tommy x Gigi collection, released in September, sold out almost instantly). But according to Hilfiger, things weren't always quite so rosy for the 21-year-old supermodel—in fact, the pair's partnership almost didn't happen, thanks to a bit of good, old-fashioned body shaming.

In a new interview with Yahoo! Style, Hilfiger reveals his brand's casting director didn't like Hadid's look, insisting as a runway model, she "[didn't] really fit" the brand's aesthetic. Hilfiger explains, "Our casting director said, 'She's not quite as tall as the other girls, not quite as thin.'"

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Gigi Hadid adores this hair genius:

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As a result, Hadid was forced to wear an oversized poncho on the fall 2015 runway, a garment that Hilfiger admits "covered a lot of her body, unfortunately, but... received millions of hits." Sadly, this isn't the first time Hadid has been body shamed. Last year, the model took to Instagram to shut down some of her haters who claim her body is "too big" for the runway—and made some awesome points in the process.

Ultimately, the success of Hadid's participation in Hilfiger's fall 2015 show was what led the designer to approach the model for a collaboration, despite his colleagues' doubts. "I said, you know, why don't we ask her to design a line with us?," Hilfiger recalls. "So I said, 'Gigi, come design this for me. We'll do a Gigi Tommy Hilfiger line.'"

Fortunately, it worked out for the best: According to WWD, there was a 900 percent increase in traffic at tommy.com in the 48 hours following the brand's spring 2017 show. And, despite their rocky beginnings, Hadid and Hilfiger's relationship is stronger than ever.

The designer released a statement last night, clarifying some aspects of his Yahoo! Style interview. "Gigi is truly the definition of a 'Tommy Girl'—her magnetic personality is bright, confident and always optimistic. I've known her for many years, and am extremely proud to have her as the ambassador of my brand and as a collaborator of our collections."

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