Neelam Kaur Gill (born 27 April 1995) is a British fashion model and activist. She has worked with Burberry, Abercrombie & Fitch and appeared in Vogue magazine.
Neelam Gill | |
|---|---|
 Gill in 2015 | |
| Born | 27 April 1995 |
| Occupation |
|
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Modeling information | |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)[1] |
| Hair color | Brown |
| Eye color | Brown |
| Agency | |
Early life
editNeelam Kaur Gill was born in Coventry, West Midlands, England on 27 April 1995.[5][6][7] Her grandparents were born in India and are Sikhs from Punjab.[5] She uses her stepfathers surname in her modelling career.[8]
Career
editAs a young teenager Gill wanted to be a fashion journalist.[8] She was spotted at the age of thirteen by a scout at The Clothes Show Live,[8] then at the age of fourteen, she signed with NEXT Model Management.
In September 2013, Gill made her catwalk debut for Burberry’s fashion show during London Fashion Week.[8] In 2014, she became the first Indian model featured in a Burberry campaign.[3][9] In November 2015, she became the face of Abercrombie & Fitch.[10] In 2017 she became the first British Indian ambassador of L’Oréal Paris.[11] In 2024, she walked the runway at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in New York.[12] She has also walked for Kanye West's Fashion Week Show, Indian designer Rohit Bal and Dior.[13]
She has appeared in Vogue India,[5] as the first Marie Claire digital cover star,[11] and in 2017 was featured on the cover of Stylist magazine.[14]
Activism
editGill has spoken about bullying, depression and body confidence issues via her YouTube channel and also said that she "feels sorry" for online trolls.[15]
Gill also describes herself as a "feminist"[8] and feels that "women of colour need to talk about how they feel to people in positions of privilege who may not see things from their perspective."[14] She has used her platform to raise awareness about the need for more diversity within the fashion industry,[16] racism, tokenism,[17] women's rights, sexual assault and global injustice.[18]
References
edit- ^ a b "Model of the Week: Neelam Gill". Models.com. 27 September 2013. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
- ^ "Neelam Gill – Model". Models.com.
- ^ a b "Burberry enlists first Indian model Neelam Gill as its new beauty muse". The Independent. 22 August 2014. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
- ^ "Instagram: Neelam Gill". Instagram. 16 January 2014. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
Before people start asking why I have changed my second name from Johal to Gill, I thought it was better for me to explain. My parents divorced when I was young, and I have no contact with my biological father. The man in the picture is my 'stepdad' but in my heart he is my real Dad because he has been the one who has raised me and loved me like no other. He is truly one in a million and I've been meaning to change my last name for a long time because I'm proud to be his daughter.
- ^ a b c "Neelam Johal's crazy modelling story". Vogue India. 15 January 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
- ^ "Neelam Gill First Ever Sikh Model". FRUK. 5 May 2014. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
- ^ "Neelam Gill: Meet British-Indian Burberry model who got even with racist bullies on Twitter". IBNLive. 7 October 2015. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
- ^ a b c d e Butter, Susannah (1 October 2015). "Neelam Gill, the first British Indian to break into the modelling". The Standard. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
- ^ "BAME We're Not the Same: Indian". BBC News. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
- ^ Lidbury, Olivia (3 November 2015). "Meet Neelam Gill, Abercrombie & Fitch's outspoken new British model". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
- ^ a b Makan, Sunil (11 October 2022). "Introducing our first digital cover featuring model and activist Neelam Gill". Marie Claire UK. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
- ^ "Victoria's Secret Fashion Show: Returning Models And Every New VSFS Model in 2024". Yahoo News. 15 October 2024. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
- ^ Lynch, Alison (5 November 2015). "Meet the British-Indian model who's changing the face of Abercrombie & Fitch". Metro. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
- ^ a b "10 years of Stylist: what has the past decade taught our cover stars?". Stylist. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
- ^ Strang, Fay (5 October 2015). "Model Neelam Gill discusses bullying experience with bearded lady". mirror. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
- ^ "How One Young World Is Fostering The Next Generation Of Game-Changing Activists". British Vogue. 4 October 2019. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
- ^ "Neelam Gill speaks out about how being a victim of racist taunts affected her self-esteem". Stylist. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
- ^ "The heartbreak of watching the farmers' protests from afar for British Indians". Stylist. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
External links
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