She might already be a familiar fixture on the NYFW runway having walked Hood by Air, Eckhaus Latta and Adam Selman just last season alone, but Hari Nef is officially batting in fashion’s big leagues. Fresh off her Columbia University graduation last week, the trailblazing trans model, actress and writer has just inked a deal with one of the industry’s most powerful agencies, IMG Models.
Earlier today, IMG’s President Ivan Bart announced via Twitter that the same agency representing i-D 35th Birthday Issue cover stars Kate Moss, Daria Werbowy, and Freja Beha Erichson (not to mention Insta-girl squad captain Gigi Hadid) had officially signed Nef to its women’s/talent board. She joins Valentijn De Hingh, IMG’s other trans signee, although she is the first to be represented worldwide — De Hingh is only represented in Paris. The agency also represents plus-sized super stunner Ashley Graham, who recently helped spearhead the push for body positivity following Protein World’s big butt shaming campaign.
Today begins our journey with @harinef This girl’s future is so bright, guys r knocked out behind her! @imgmodels pic.twitter.com/WQZgUGNczk
— Ivan Bart (@Ivanmbart) May 26, 2015
Nef’s signing comes in the wake of some landmark moments for trans models, including Andreja Pejic’s breakthrough Make Up Forever campaign and the Redken endorsement that made Givenchy muse Lea T the first trans woman to front a global beauty campaign. “I think transness and fashion go hand-in-hand and actually they always have for me,” Hari told i-D in an interview last year. “To be trans is to create yourself in your own image, to insist on something beyond the essentials of your body and circumstance. In a sense, the same goes for being stylish.”
Yet Nef recognizes that there’s still a long battle to be fought as we push past visibility in the larger struggle for trans rights. “To be trans however, is often a matter of life and/or death. Fashion will only compliment the trans community insofar as it respects the nuance of trans lives,” she added.
We’re so excited to see what this new chapter of Hari’s career will bring, so watch this space for all of the action!
Credits
Text Emily Manning
Photography Michael Bailey Gates