IMG FASHION CAMP | IMG Models

GIGI HADID

International supermodel, Gigi Hadid began her career as a toddler when she appeared in a campaign for Baby Guess at just two years old. In 2011 Hadid signed with IMG models, and two years later moved to New York City to pursue a career in the trade. In 2014 she made her New York Fashion Week debut, and she has since walked in shows at global fashion weeks in Paris, Milan and London for the industry’s biggest fashion houses including Prada, Burberry, Chanel, Versace, Balmain and more.

Since then, Hadid has graced the covers of Vogue’s “Big Four” titles (American, British, French, Italian) as well as countless international editions of the venerable title. Further select covers and editorials include Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, W, CR Fashion Book, V, Adweek, Wall Street Journal Magazine and she has appeared on television programs around the world including The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Good Morning America, TODAY, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and more.

Hadid is a regular face for many brands, among them Prada, Maybelline, Fendi, Versace and Moschino. In addition to an extraordinary modeling career, Hadid also holds the title of designer. She recently designed the FAO Schwarz Toy Soldier Uniforms, spearheaded multiple collaborations with Tommy Hilfiger, debuted exclusive collections for Vogue Eyewear and Reebok, and was a part of a charity-forward design initiative with footwear giant Stuart Weitzman – making her a true industry force to be reckoned with.

In 2014, Hadid won the “Model of the Year” Award at the First Annual Fashion Los Angeles Awards, and a year later she won the “Model of the Year: Women (Reader’s Choice)” award at the Models.com Industry Awards. In 2016 she won the “International Model of the Year” at the British Fashion Awards. And in 2017 she was named one of Glamour’s “Women Of The Year” and was honored with the first ever “Vanguard Award” for her work with non-profit organization, Pencils of Promise.

HALIMA ADEN

Civic associations aside, First Lady is a term that characterizes Somali model Halima Aden. Among her achievements of firsts, the most visible is that of being the first ever hijab-wearing model in the world of fashion, though there are much more. And despite a relatively short time in the industry, albeit full of incredible successes, her trajectory more than hints that Halima is well on her way to becoming the first ever hijab-wearing supermodel.

Halima was born in Kakuma, a refugee camp in Kenya, after her family fled civil war in Somalia. She lived there for seven years with her parents before traveling to the United States and settling in Minnesota. Though she spoke Somali and Swahili, Halima was thrust into an English-speaking school system that lacked a language immersion curriculum entirely. Despite this seeming detriment, Halima quickly found herself in advanced placement English classes in high school – outperforming her classmates and demonstrating the resilience that makes her a powerhouse today. Continuing in her roster of early accomplishments, Halima holds becoming her high school's first Muslim/Somali homecoming queen as one of her proudest moments. "There was never a student [like me] nominated before," Halima reflects. "Homecoming queen is a very important American cultural tradition, and my win inspired other girls in my town."

Her inspiration-inducing presence, of course, only began in her St. Cloud, MN high school. Halima first made headlines after competing in the Miss USA pageant wearing a hijab and sporting a burkini in the swimsuit portion of the competition – a first in the 65-year history of the event. She finished among the top 15 finalists but won a bigger prize overall. Her performance caught the eye of Carine Roitfeld who recruited her to appear in what was Halima's first editorial. The CR Fashion Book cover (another first), however, came as a surprise to Halima and marked the beginning of a new cultural phenomenon. Since then, Halima has covered Vogue Arabia and Allure in which the publication heralded her as an all-American beauty, a crucial acknowledgment for America's Muslim community. Editorial credits for Halima also include Harper's Bazaar and Glamour, and she appeared on the runway for Yeezy, Alberta Ferretti and Max Mara. Most recently, entertainer Rihanna tapped the glowing beauty to appear in the campaign for her inclusive beauty brand, Fenty Beauty.

Regardless of the meteoric success Halima has garnered, her altruism is what leaves the people she encounters breathless. Not only because it is a rare trait to find amongst most 20-year-olds, but also because it is so genuine Halima must be prompted to turn conversations onto herself. "I want this to be greater than me. Every editorial, every cover, every campaign that I do is as much for me as it is for women in my community."

Halima is currently partnered with UNICEF and strives to one day become a UN Ambassador to return to Kenya and instill hope in refugees. When she's not working or studying for her college courses, she covets time spent with family and friends on the couch indulging in Netflix marathons.

TREY LAIRD

As the founder and Chief Creative Officer of Laird+Partners, Trey Laird has developed some of the most innovative campaigns for many of the world’s most iconic fashion and lifestyle brands including Tommy Hilfiger, Karl Lagerfeld, Jimmy Choo, Tom Ford, Calvin Klein, SoulCycle, Estee Lauder, Coty, Tory Burch, Rag & Bone, Chloé, Ferragamo, Zegna, Victoria Beckham, and Belstaff.

After starting his career at Donna Karan, establishing the brand’s first in-house creative department, Laird founded L+P in 2002. Creating many of GAP’s most iconic early advertising campaigns, he has also collaborated with some of the world’s biggest talents, including Beyoncé, David Beckham, Sarah Jessica Parker, Lewis Hamilton, Katy Perry, Anna Wintour, and Gigi Hadid.

Additionally, Laird incubates emerging talent and brands, including mentoring designers for The Council of Fashion Designers of America. Highly active in the art community, Laird is also a trustee on the Chinati Foundation Board in Marfa, Texas.

IVAN BART

Ivan Bart is the President of IMG Models and Fashion. An international leader in talent development, operating in New York, London, Los Angeles, Paris, Milan and Sydney, Bart oversees the management of IMG Models’ A-list talent roster, including Alek Wek, Karen Elson, Carolyn Murphy, Bella Hadid, Gigi Hadid, Gisele Bündchen, Joan Smalls and Hailey Bieber.

After developing his career at leading agencies including Ice, Wilhelmina and Ford, Bart was approached by IMG Models to become Creative Director in 1994. During Bart’s tenure at IMG Models, the agency has developed and propelled clients including Carolyn Murphy, Chrissy Teigen, Karlie Kloss, Lily Aldridge, Liv Tyler and Stephanie Seymour.

After WME acquired IMG in 2014, Ivan was appointed President of IMG Models. In this role, Bart has lead the charge in evolving the global definition of beauty by promoting and encouraging diversity and inclusion. During his tenure, IMG Models has added Ashley Graham, Candice Huffine, Hari Nef, Halima Aden, Jillian Mercado, Precious Lee and Zach Miko to its boards, among others. Additionally, Bart has helped uncover next-generation stars including Hailey Bieber, Millie Bobby Brown, Paris Jackson and Patrick Schwarzenegger.

In 2012, Bart relaunched IMG Models’ men’s board and welcomed new faces including Bonner Bolton, Clement Chabernaud, Garrett Neff, Lucky Blue Smith and Miles McMillan to the agency’s portfolio. This same year, Bart launched IMG Models Sydney office, and in 2017, opened up shop in Los Angeles. 

Deemed the ‘model mogul’ by New York Times’ Alexandra Jacobs, Bart has been named one of BOF’s 500 leaders shaping the global fashion industry.

Bart is a graduate of the University of Albany and native of Brooklyn, New York.

LACY REDWAY

Lacy Redway is a New York-based hairstylist. After studying at The Aveda Institute in Manhattan, her career quickly took off. A combination of Lacy’s proficiency with all hair textures as well as her magnetic personality have earned her an esteemed roster of clients including Tessa Thompson, Anne Hathaway, Laura Harrier, Priyanka Chopra, Karlie Kloss, Sarah Paulson, Tracee Ellis Ross, Elizabeth Olsen, Ruth Negga, Amandla Stenberg, and Diane Kruger, among many others. Lacy has collaborated with respected photographers like Rankin, Gavin Bond, Alexander Neumann, Warwick Saint, Ben Hassett, Alexei Hay, Willy Vanderperre, Cass Bird, Paola Kudacki, Tyler Mitchell, Emma Summerton, Zoey Grossman, Liz Collins, Norman Jean Roy and Erik Madigan Heck. Her work has appeared in Allure, ELLE, Glamour, Teen Vogue, V Magazine, Vanity Fair, Vogue andVogue Italia. Lacy is currently a Celebrity Stylist for Nexxus.

LUCKY BLUE SMITH

CHRISTIAN COWEN

With a youthful take on how the modern day women can dress, Christian Cowan uses his lively spirit and creative prowess in making his standout designs. With an affinity for unique materials such as vinyl, feathers, mesh, and sequin – Christian Cowan takes classic silhouettes and transforms them into something truly head turning.

Having graduated from Central Saint Martins and London College of Fashion in 2016, Christian garnered a strong celebrity following before having even left school. Lady Gaga was the first to support the young designer, stepping out in a full pink glitter suit in 2014. Since then, Christian has continued to outfit the world’s biggest stars such as Beyoncé, Miley Cyrus, Nicki Minaj, and Naomi Campbell. Most notably perhaps, is Cardi B in a full look on the cover of her debut album ‘Invasion of Privacy’.

CHRISTELLE DE CASTRO

Christelle de Castro is a Filipino-American director and photographer based in New York City. Her devotion to social justice, inclusivity, and racial & gender equality sew a common thread in her personal & commercial work.

Most recently, de Castro opened a large-scale public art installation celebrating downtown New York. Her portraits of locals were displayed across 180+ windows of a 22-story skyscraper, turning each room of the new citizenM Hotel into its very own lightbox.

Christelle’s work is imaginative, bold, and forward thinking. She is repped by IMG’s newest & most daring house of image makers, LENS. Her work has been published in V Magazine, VMAN, i-D, Wonderland, The Fader, Nylon and many more.

Christelle de Castro is a proud immigrant.

AKIN AKMAN

Akin Akman is one of the world’s most in-demand elite coaches. A Master Instructor at SoulCycle, Akman also leads his signature bootcamps with a dedicated legion of followers — part of his Akin’s Army fitness brand. The AARMY Brand will be launching an expanded offering in 2019. He is also a Nike Master Trainer and an IMG model for a range of global brands, including Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, DKNY and Rag & Bone. He launched his first Akin’s Army brand collaboration with designer Todd Snyder in August 2017. A tennis prodigy, Akman spent much of his life training as a professional athlete; he was discovered and enrolled at age seven into the prestigious IMG / Bollettieri Tennis academy in Florida to train with renowned American tennis coach Nick Bollettieri.

KARLA WELCH

Karla Welch is a Los Angeles-based celebrity stylist and creative director and has been named one of the “most powerful” stylists by both The Hollywood Reporter and The New York Times. Welch’s list of celebrity clients is extensive, including Ruth Negga, Lorde, Olivia Wilde, Sarah Paulson, Tracee Ellis Ross, Elisabeth Moss, and Justin Bieber. Karla is also the founder and creator of the brand, x karla, which has collaborated with Hanes and Levi’s, and creator of the production company, Meritocracy.