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Bella Hadid is back.
This week at Cannes Film Festival, the supermodel made her long-awaited red carpet comeback in a see-through Saint Laurent gown, for the premiere of The Apprentice. Further appearances followed, including a DSquared2 AW06 archival look for the Chopard Gala, a vintage gold Versace mini, a Gucci SS05 dress and — pictured on the balcony of the legendary Hôtel Martinez — a Dolce Gabbana corseted silk number. Swarms of paparazzi and fans have been following her every move, watching intently to see what she’ll wear next. She’s been dubbed the “Queen of Cannes” on social media, and posts of her looks from the festival across Vogue TikTok accounts have garnered over half-a-million views.
From her debut in 2015 to 2023, Hadid became one of the most powerful models and influencers in fashion. A mainstay on every major runway, from Balenciaga and Versace to Fendi and Stella McCartney, she generated 852 per cent more views on her runway looks than any other model for AW22, according to British Vogue. Influencer intelligence platform Lefty found that, when Hadid walks the runway, she accounts for almost a third of the show’s earned media value, on average.
But in 2023, arguably at the height of her prowess, Hadid abruptly left the limelight. She moved to Texas to focus on her mental and physical health, and largely stopped modelling and attending events. She skipped the Met Gala in 2023 and 2024. “After 10 years of modelling, I realised I was putting so much energy and love and effort into something that, in the long run, wasn’t necessarily giving it back to me,” she told Allure in April.
So what happens when a mega-influencer steps back? Hadid’s hiatus and major return at Cannes raises several questions: how much impact can any individual talent have on a brand, product or trend’s potential to go viral, and is there a risk to brands that are overly reliant on a particular talent? And, what is it about Hadid that fashion loves so much?
Hadid’s reappearance follows the launch of her oil-based perfume line Orebella at the start of the month. Some of the fragrances sold out in the space of two days and, according to tech and social data analytics provider Launchmetrics, the release drove $13.8 million in media impact value (MIV, which analyses the monetary value of a brand or individual’s posts, interactions and articles to measure its impact). Prior to the official fragrance launch at US beauty giant Ulta, Hadid shared a pre-launch placement worth $775,000 in MIV.
And then, to Cannes, where the supermodel has had some of her most viral moments to date. In 2021, Hadid wore a Schiaparelli gown, with a sculptural gold tree adorning her chest, generating $262,000 in EMV for the brand in one post, with a 12.7 per cent engagement rate (the average engagement rate across Instagram is about 2 per cent, according to Lefty).
Breaking down the Bella effect
In one of Hadid’s most-viral fashion moments, she closed Coperni’s SS23 show wearing a spray-on dress, which generated a total of $26.3 million in MIV, according to Launchmetrics. Hadid’s own post tied to the show generated $1 million, and Coperni’s top post generated $210,000. The brand said it gained 300,000 followers overnight and witnessed sales grow “significantly”. “It was just crazy, we could never have expected the reaction,” creative director and co-founder Sébastien Meyer told Vogue Business. “Our Instagram just broke,” added Coperni CEO and co-founder Arnaud Vaillant.
Her street style is perhaps even more prominent. Lyst named Hadid ‘Power Dresser of the Year’ in its Fashion 2022 roundup report, with her outfits sparking a 1,900 per cent increase in searches for for Y2K pieces such as corsets (+70 per cent), cargo pants (+56 per cent) and the ultra-mini platform Ugg boots (+152 per cent), which sold out after her viral street style moment.
“Bella Hadid has become a front runner of the ‘weird girl’ aesthetic in fashion. Unafraid to embrace bold and unconventional looks, she inspires fans to experiment with their own styles,” says Lefty head of marketing Lea Mao. “She is more than a reference for Gen Z fashion; her willingness to push boundaries and embrace individuality makes her a relatable and influential style icon.”
Authenticity resonates particularly well among younger crowds — according to Lefty, 88 per cent of Hadid followers are between 18 and 34. “Most top-impactful talents are actually very relatable, whether it’s in the ways interviews are conducted, in their relationship to the public eye or the way they interact on social media,” adds fashion commentator Osama Chabbi. “[Bella] seems quite close to her community — that’s the secret recipe, being humanised as much as possible.”
Hadid, who has been open about her struggles with Lyme disease, is also vocal about philanthropy — more specifically working with food banks, or supporting the Black Lives Matter and Palestinian movements (the model is of Palestinian heritage on her father’s side). In an age of oversaturation, standing for something can make a talent stand out, Chabbi says. “Having devotion and fighting for a cause is also essential,” he adds. “I believe she has shown bravery and strength being vocal about the Palestinian struggle without being scared of compromising her livelihood or career.”
What it means for brands
Particularly after her time out, the furore around Hadid is beneficial to luxury labels wanting to start trends. “Virality is definitely talent sensitive,” says Chabbi. “Talents are much faster trend vectors than clothing being showcased on runways. That’s the core of celebrity culture: see, watch, duplicate.”
Her appearances at Cannes this year have already generated $8.5 million in earned media value (EMV, defined as the equivalent ad spend of the impressions gained) for the brands Hadid is wearing, per Lefty. Data analytics account @databutmakeitfashion found that 18 per cent of all top articles in the media for Saint Laurent and 13 per cent of top articles about Gucci concern Hadid’s Cannes looks.
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A partnership has to feel authentic, though, otherwise brands won’t be able to successfully tap into the talent’s community or cultural relevance. “Success of a partnership hinges on selecting a culturally relevant voice that would not only allow brands to align with current industry trends, but also do so in an authentic way that’s fitting to brand values,” says Alison Bringé, CMO of Launchmetrics.
The challenge for brands is to strike the balance between recognising the importance of talent and becoming overly reliant. “While celebrity talent can supercharge brand awareness and sales, relying solely on one star is risky. If they step back, the brand can lose momentum and struggle to maintain engagement,” says Mao. This is underlined in fashion month EMV data: Louis Vuitton’s engagement was down 50 per cent in SS23 due to the absence of Squid Game star Hoyeon Jung, who drove the bulk of EMV the season prior. Chanel’s dipped 28.6 per cent, with Lefty flagging that the house’s EMV is largely reliant on Blackpink’s Jenni.
Bringé suggests that brands should focus on building a strong identity on their own, so that the community stays engaged regardless of whether talent steps back. Mao suggests brands should diversify their partnerships.
With a rising number of celebrities launching their own fashion and beauty lines, there’s also the potential for brands to have to compete with their own talent. Hadid’s Orebella launch generated $13.8 million in MIV according to Launchmetrics, and the star’s placements mentioning the launch and revealing the scents were worth $4 million in MIV. Searches for “Orebella” on Google peaked on 12 May, the same day it dropped on Ulta Beauty.
Despite that, developing a strong relationship with talent through ups and downs reflects well on any potential partnership. “Our approach to fame as a society has changed, there’s a more empathetic human element to it now, so leaving the spotlight isn’t as problematic unless you’ve been cancelled — in fact, people relate to you more and find that boundary quite authentic,” Chabbi says. “With the amount of overexposure we’re subject to and how much [content] we’re seeing daily, seeing things a little less is a new luxury that brands should learn to capitalise on.”
