DUBAI: US-Palestinian model Bella Hadid hit the runway at designer Virgil Abloh‘s Off-White fashion show in Paris on Sunday.
The 24-year-old took two turns down the catwalk, first in a royal blue mini dress with matching knee-high boots and then in a floor-length gown in the same electric shade, complete with an angular bodice and chunky accessories.
Hadid has had a busy sojourn in Paris, sitting front row at the Dior Homme fashion show last week before she hit the runway for French label Jacquemus alongside US model Kendall Jenner.
Models Joan Smalls (L) and Bella Hadid (center) were spotted with designer Virgil Abloh at the show on Sunday. (Getty Images)
“Get your iPhones ready; the vibes are about to be immaculate,” the emcee announced as Hadid opened the Off-White show on Sunday, leading the way for a star-studded cast of models including Joan Smalls, Honey Dijon and Amber Valletta.
The Fall/Winter 2021 collection was marked by maxi-length coats and dresses with inside-out seams, while houndstooth patterns made appearances on bucket hats and tops to add a pop of vibrancy to a sea of blues and greys.
Midway through the show, Tamil dancers accompanied British-Tamil singer M.I.A. as she performed songs such as her 2007 smash hit “Paper Planes.” Abloh explained the team-up in an interview with WWD, saying: “She’s an artist that’s known for speaking her stance on global issues and I wanted to make a safe space for her to do her art and pair it together with what Off-White™ stands for. It’s about representing a young generation, it’s not about selling clothes.”
The Fall/Winter 2021 collection was marked by maxi-length coats and dresses. (Getty)
Abloh, who is also the artistic director of Louis Vuitton’s menswear collection, has made attempts to steer the label toward more mature offerings in a bid to shed its strictly streetwear associations. For this collection, WWD reported that the 40-year-old American designer drew inspiration from his background in architecture and recent collaboration with German electronics company Braun.
“Off-White is ageing. I was given the torch of youthful fashion, what’s happening in the next generation, and I think in the last year I’ve aged the fastest that I ever could have,” the designer told the magazine. “The brand in my mind should never be stagnant.”
For her part, Hadid took to Instagram to share behind-the-scenes shots from the fashion show and its aftermath, including sneak peaks of herself toasting the designer and playing a boardgame over a meal.
