The secret’s out: Gigi Hadid is the new face of Penshoppe.
The brand made the revelation amidst shrieks at the launch of Penshoppe’s new DeinmLab line Power Stretch at Shooting Gallery in Makati on May 17.
“Who wouldn’t want Gigi to be part of their team?” said Penshoppe brand director Jeff Bascon. “She’s authentic. She’s a girl who knows how to have fun and has a great sense of style… The clothes look great on her.”
Gigi joins Penshoppe’s roster of brand ambassadors, a mix of supermodels and Asian superstars—Kendall Jenner, Lucky Blue Smith, Sean O’Pry, Sandara Park and Mario Maurer.
Jeff told Super, “Gigi, together with Kendall, Sean, and Lucky, are the strongest names now in fashion. At Penshoppe, we only like to get the best.”
The supermodel, who has a whopping 17.7 million followers on Instagram and 2.3 million followers on Twitter, introduced herself to the crowd via video. “It’s so much fun shooting this campaign, I hope you guys love it as much as I do.”
Inquirer Super was at Gigi’s Penshoppe shoot last month at the Fashion District of Los Angeles. Gigi said, “I’ve always wanted an opportunity to have something out in the Philippines… I just want to be able to make fans over there excited… I wanted to do it with a brand that I love and that is genuine to my style. I just think that it’s so easy to not only wear but be a spokesperson for a brand when you genuinely love the clothes.”
Behind the lens was Yu Tsai, photographer and Asia’s Next Top Model creative director, who has been working with Gigi since she was 14. Earlier that day, Gigi had posted a tribute to Yu Tsai on Instagram. “If there’s one camera I “grew up” in front of, it’s probably his…” she wrote.
“I’ve known her since she was 14, we kinda grew together in this industry,” Yu Tsai told Super. “When she came on set that very first time, I knew she was going to be a megastar. She had this incredible energy and this incredible charisma that she didn’t even know she had. I told her that day, you’re going to be a mega superstar. You just wait. I knew she would be the person she is today. I don’t think she’s changed. I think she grew into the person who she’s supposed to be.”
It was fascinating to watch Gigi work in front of the camera, especially one held by someone she clearly has chemistry with. She moved fluidly and effortlessly.
Between shots, she and Yu Tsai danced and laughed together. “It’s so fun. Yu Tsai and I have been working together since I was 14 and so we just have a really easy time shooting together,” Gigi told Super.
Jeff said, “This is what I love about working with the best people in the industry, from the photographer, production team, hair and make up, stylist, and of course, Gigi, everything was a breeze. Gigi was such a breath of fresh air, she’s a fun girl. Everyone was just in a good mood.”
“It’s a wrap!” Yu Tsai shouted. Gigi clapped, saying, “Best day ever! That was so fun!”
At the shoot, Gigi raved about the clothes. “I love the two denim crop shirts, there’s one that’s more like a denim crop jacket and one more like a tank top. But I’ve liked everything that I’ve put on today… There might be a few pieces missing once I’m gone today,” she said, laughing.
Members of the media got a peek at the breathtaking images from Gigi’s campaign shoot and a video of her wearing pieces from DenimLab’s latest collection.
Penshoppe’s new line of Power Stretch jeans was also launched at the event. “We’re very proud of the technology of our new DenimLab collection. The fabrication is literally outrageously stretchable that’s why we had to coin it Power Stretch, the stretch is really powerful. Right now we have two to three color variations but we will be adding more in the next weeks.”
Jeff added, “Penshoppe is very unpredictable. Penshoppe is an international brand and we are slowly but surely conquering the different territories. This year is gonna be big. Hold on to your seats, we’re just getting started.“
For more on #GigiXPenshoppe including our full interview with Gigi, pick up a copy of Inquirer on Friday.