These faces are going to be all over billboards and catwalks in the next year.
The fashion industry has (thankfully) diversified in recent years, with more women of Middle Eastern, North African and Asian descent rising to fame.
Because no, there’s no such thing as one standard of beauty, as these stunners prove.
To celebrate, we’ve pulled together some of our favourite models who represent the region, with faces from Palestine and Tunisia to Morocco and further afield.
Some are up and coming, some are household names, but we think they’ve all got that je ne sais quoi.
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Gigi Hadid
You’ve got to start with one of the biggest names in the business. Half-Palestinian model Hadid blew up in 2015 and her career has gone from strength to strength since. The 22-year-old has worked with just about everyone (but how’s major contracts with Fendi, Reebok and Maybelline to start), and she covered US Vogue in August.
Bella Hadid
Little sister Bella isn’t exactly doing badly either, landing covers and ad campaigns at the rate most of us get coffee. The face of Dior Beauty has worked with NARS, Nike, Giuseppe Zanotti and Zadig & Voltaire, to name just a few.
Imaan Hammam
This Moroccan/Egyptian/Dutch beauty was discovered in 2010 at the age of 14. She’s since covered US Vogue twice, as well as having the kind of Instagram feed that will make you want to quit your job and live at the beach.
Hind Sahli
Take in those brows and that glossy dark hair. This Moroccan model has shot for Glamour and Topshop, among others, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see her on the Victoria’s Secret runway come November.
Rania Benchegra
Another Moroccan model, Benchegra has posed for the likes of W, Forever 21 and Anastasia Beverly Hills, and is definitely one to watch.
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Mariah Idrissi
You’ll remember this hijabi model from her 2015 shoot with H&M. Since then, she’s kept herself extremely busy – the Moroccan-Pakistani 25-year-old, who was raised in the UK, does public speaking as well as modelling.
Hanaa Ben Abdesslem
This Tunisian 27-year-old got her start on reality TV, and signed with IMG Models in 2010. She was Lancôme’s first Muslim spokesmodel, and also became the first model from the region to feature in the Pirelli calendar.
Kenza Fourati
Another Tunisian glamazon, Fourati has personal style to spare and has covered Sports Illustrated. She has one daughter with her husband, journalist Ayman Mohyeldin, and also has her own fashion line.
Nora Attal
Here’s another relatively new face who’s made a big impact in just a couple of seasons. Attal describes herself as a British-Moroccan, and she appeared on British Vogue‘s last September issue alongside Kate Moss. Not a bad spot to be in.
Sonia Ben Ammar
Does everyone from Tunisia look like this? The 18-year-old has covered L’officiel and fronted a Dolce & Gabbana cosmetics campaign, and we’re excited to see what she does next.
Shanina Shaik
Now here’s a true citizen of the world. Shaik grew up in Australia as the product of a Lithuanian mum and a Pakistani dad who was raised in Saudi Arabia. She’s got a contract with Australian department store David Jones, and was our very own Emirates Woman May cover girl in 2017.
Images: Instagram
