WHO’S THAT GIRL? A chat with our cover star

Jordan Daniels is our most exciting modelling export of the moment, walking for Prada, Valentino, McQueen and more. On a recent visit home from NYC, the 21-year-old talked to FQ about her global rise.

Has being a New Zealander overseas given you an edge? It has 100 percent given me a great edge, and something to talk about. People love the fact that I’m from NZ and that it’s virtually the furthest place in the whole world from everything. It’s amazing being from such a wholesome and beautiful place.

What’s been your biggest ‘pinch-me’ moment? Being signed with The Society and Elite Worldwide was an amazing feeling. I was told by one particular person that I wasn’t ‘ready’ to be signed in New York, so proving them wrong and booking my first show as an exclusive for Prada [in September 2018], was a surreal feeling.

In the world of fashion, a Prada exclusive is major. What did that mean to you? It was a huge honour. Prada is known for being one of the most exclusive shows to book and it was incredible to be involved in such great energy and around so much creativity.

What was it like backstage? Did you meet Miuccia Prada? It was so much fun; I was with my best friend Emma Boyd, also a Kiwi model, and we had a blast. And yes! I met Mrs Prada at the fitting, and saw her backstage. She’s incredible! Such a power lady.

There’s a lot of talk in fashion around diversity and inclusivity. What’s your take? Being from New Zealand, we have so many different cultures and variety of models, which is amazing. Doing fashion week overseas has opened my eyes significantly to things that need to change. One of the biggest issues is hair styling regarding black models with afros: they all have a cookie-cutter haircut which is kept throughout each show. They get an afro or cornrows, and most of the time they don’t have hairstylists who know how to work with their hair texture. It’s pretty ridiculous and this needs to change.

You’ve worked with influential creatives like Marc Jacobs, stylist Katie Grand, photographer Lachlan Bailey – people who shape fashion at a global level. What’s it like working with this level of talent? It’s helped me be a better model and grown my understanding of fashion. There are many things that go into creating a great collection or show, and seeing these creatives work their magic almost looks effortless, but there’s a lot of hard work and time put in.

Your mum used to model – what career advice has she given you? She told me to always watch my back, be careful of who I’m hanging out with, and to not let peer pressure get the best of me. She taught me to be a strong independent person, and that has stuck with me forever. She knows a lot of things about the industry and whenever I’m stuck, I always call her. Mother knows best, lol.

What does success mean for you? It’s doing the best you can and being the best you can be. An achievement for me might be small and insignificant to someone else; it’s what you make of it.

What are your hopes for the future? I’ll hopefully have a long career and work with a lot of different people. I want to learn as much as I can and be able to see as many places and things as I can. I can’t wait to see what the future holds.

“Jordan is a smart, charismatic and inspiring model. We’ve worked together on many projects for Love magazine, Miu Miu and Marc Jacobs. She’s a great beauty and a ray of sunshine when she walks into a studio.” – Katie Grand, stylist and editor-in-chief of Love magazine “When I first met Jordan it was immediately clear to me that she had all of the attributes necessary for success. She was, of course stunning, but more importantly inquisitive, intelligent and fun.” – Kasia Koniar, director of scouting and development for The Society Management “She is one of those rare finds, beautiful inside and out with the added bonus of the grit and determination to ride over the bumps on the road to success.” – Andrea Plowright, director of 62 Management, Jordan’s NZ agency