Supermodel Gigi Hadid extends her special Contributing Editor relationship with V Magazine, soaring onto the cover of issue V134 Spring 2022. V brings together the original team behind Fearless Gigi Part One in V 114 [2018], with Hadid herself suggesting that they take a true ‘Leap of Faith’ by shooting the story flying-trapeze style on a rooftop near Manhattan’s West Side Highway.

AOC notes that Serena Williams interviewed Gigi in the first V114 Fearless Gigi story.

Back to the flying trapeze proposal, master photographer Mario Sorrenti [IG] was game, as was stylist George Cortina. Hairstylist Bob Recine was onboard, along with IMG’s Luiz Mattos. Diane Kendal was on makeup and Mathias Rosenweig edits the text, based on Hadid’s interview of the ORIGINAL players: Sorrenti, Cortina, Recine and Mattos.

The result is a high-bar fashion story with Gigi wearing clothes from Balenciaga, Burberry by Riccardo Tisci, Coperni, Louis Vuitton, Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello and more.

Let’s not forget the Balenciaga heels Cortina choose to elevate the already impressive badass persona Hadid had embraced in suggesting the aerial fashion flight in the first place.

AOC imagines that multiple creatives working in New York can relate to Gigi’s own breakout desire to go aerial and original in the fashion shoot.

It’s not often that the model in a photo shoot interviews the remaining members of the ensemble. But Gigi Hadid has always been focused on being the center of a larger storytelling narrative. In her own words:

I wanted to interview everyone who was a part of this team so that the people reading it who want to be a part of the photo process, but not necessarily a model, get some perspective. When you do a shoot like this, what kind of expectations do you have, and then how have you learned to let loose and go with the flow? Because on a shoot like this, we’re at a trapeze-training facility on top of a building on the West Side Highway and you have to get the shot in. I went up there less than 10 times and you had, at most, under a minute.

When asked about his initial reaction to Hadid’s flying trapeze idea, Mario Sorrenti responded: “Well, you know me. I was like, “Oh my God, can she do it? It’s so dangerous.” I’m always worried about your safety first. And then I thought, “Well, she’s pretty badass, and she killed it when we did the jet ski, so let’s try it.”

AOC believes that Sorrenti actually quietly checked his insurance policy next, but let’s keep that part under wraps. What’s with that standard “reckless endangerment” clause, Mario?

Read on at V Magazine, clearly in breakout mode to start 2022. Goddess knows we need the adrenalin jumpstart, so thanks for this creative New Years gift.