Neelam Gill

[Cold]

Looks like she decided to go with Gill as her last name.

Meet Neelam Gill, the 18-Year-Old Indian Model Who's Making Waves in the Fashion World
This rising star has staying power. Here's why.

As the oldest of three sisters, Neelam Gill isn't used to being the baby of the family. But she's fast finding out it's not such a bad gig when you're the newest member of the Burberry clan and everyone from Jourdan Dunn to Christopher Bailey is welcoming you with open arms—not to mention giving you a few tips on how to make it down your very first catwalk.

That's right: The 18-year-old from Coventry, England walked her first show ever at London Fashion Week this past September, debuting at Burberry. A coveted spot in the British brand's spring campaign, lensed by the legendary Mario Testino, soon followed. Those trench-coat-and-tartan-clad kids plastered on billboards and in the pages of magazines? Yep, she's one of them.

While career highs like this would be a major deal for anyone, it's doubly so for Neelam, who's the first Indian model ever to be cast in a Burberry campaign, joining the ranks of slightly more expected girls like Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne. "Before doing the show, it didn't really cross my mind," she says. "But afterwards I went on Style.com and was looking through the pictures, and I realized that I was the only Indian model." Then came the tweets, the messages, and the 'We're so proud of you!'s. "That's when it really dawned on me." (And if her name sounds almost-familiar to you, it could be because until recently she went by Neelam Johal.)

She may be an industry rookie, but Neelam recognizes the significance of her role. "Fashion reaches all different ethnicities, and the market is so wide now that customers truly aren't going to be just one skin tone," she says. "I'm really happy that I'm working for a company that embraces diversity, especially because Burberry's a British brand and they realize that being British doesn't just mean being white." This patriotism extends to other areas of her life, too—notably the kitchen, where she specializes in whipping up classic English dishes like chicken and meat pie and roast dinners. Do we smell a guest spot on Jourdan Dunn's cooking show in the future? We sure hope so.

Speaking of celebs, Neelam's already managed to reach the pinnacle of sightings: Harry Styles, who was "really nice and friendly" when she met him backstage at Fashion Week. Though for the most part, her musical tastes tend to favor the other side of the Atlantic: "I go to tons of concerts," she says, rattling off a list of favorites that include Jay-Z, Kanye West, and her number one: Drake. "I love Drake so much," she says, laughing.

A bookworm at heart, Neelam graduated high school last year with A-levels (that's Brit speak for advanced courses) in English literature and language, as well as history and psychology. She has her sights on pursuing psych in college eventually, but made the decision early on to give herself a year to try out this whole modeling thing. Needless to say, she's off to a raring good start.

Though she may not have homework to do at the moment, waiting around on set gives her plenty of time to indulge her love of reading. Right now, To Kill a Mockingbird is stashed in her bag right alongside the high heels she totes to castings—heels that, a few months ago, she didn't even know how to walk in. Luckily, dedication pays off, and for the three months between Neelam's first casting and her Burberry debut, she "literally practiced every day, in loads of different heels. I would go to my agency and practice in front of all the bookers until it was perfect." With that kind of work ethic, we're sure to be seeing a whole lot more Neelam in the very near future.

teenvogue

 

[TheoG]

I wonder if she changed because of pronunciation but Gill works. Wondering where she will be this season ?

 

[ad31214]

I preferred Johal by lightyears but she still looks fantastic so thats all that really matters. Nice to see some Teen Vogue exposure, love how into school and literature she is.

 

[tapenerd]

On Instagram she said she changed her name from Johal to Gill because Johal is her dad's last name and he wasn't in her life so she didn't want to have his last name.

 

[TheoG]

That makes since, nonetheless her name isn't going to limit her. Neelam has a lot of potential to do well in this industry. I'm rooting for her and other Southern Asia models.

 

[ad31214]

On Instagram she said she changed her name from Johal to Gill because Johal is her dad's last name and he wasn't in her life so she didn't want to have his last name.

Makes sense thanks for the info

 

[matsuchan92]

Actually i still prefer Johal but it's understandable Will she walk this FW? Hope to see her somewhere in this season

 

[Cold]

Perhaps another Burberry exclusive but considering the 34.5 max. standard for runway models I don't think she'll have that many options. There are always designers that are willing to make an exception but those aren't exactly a-list shows. That could be a factor as to why M1 isn't rushing her placements in other cities yet.

 

[ponies]

LFW FW14 - Models1
source

 

[pellucid]

Wonderland February/March 2014
Photographer: Liam Warwick
Styling: Matthew Josephs


models1blog

 

[jacquelineo]

The second shot is absolutely stunning

 

[matsuchan92]

She looks fab! Wish to see her at Burberry & Giles.

Duro Olowu F/W 2014 London


style

 

[matsuchan92]

same

 

[matsuchan92]

As expected!

Burberry Prorsum F/W 2014 London

style

 

[rockangel]

Burberry Prorsum F/W 2014 London exclusive or semi?

style.com

Gorgeous!

 

[Cold]

Second look

Burberry A/W 2014 London

style

 

[JessicaKarina]

according to her instagram, she's a worldwide exclusive again. So we wont be able to see what she can potentially do fashion week wise this season, unfortunately.

 

[ad31214]

^ Better safe than sorry, considering how this season has been going in terms of casting Asian models on the runway, I think it's better she sticks to what she knows she can book rather than taking any chances.

 

[subway 123]

Io Donna



facebook /Io Donna

 

[simplylovely]

Beautiful!