Hurrah! The HFM August issue is out now, ladies - and the brand new cover star is model, designer and founder of online feminist platform LAPP, Leomie Anderson. Leomie, 25, who was discovered by London agency Premier Model Management walking home from school in Wimbledon, aged 16, is now a regular on the international catwalks and has walked for Marc Jacobs, Tom Ford, Chloé, Moschino, Loewe, Giles Deacon, Paco Rabanne and Topshop Unique. Although it took her three months to pluck up the courage to go into the modelling agency after being scouted, when she did, they signed her immediately.
The same year Premier became the subject of reality TV show The Model Agency, in 2011, a 17-year-old Leomie was one of the main focuses of the series - and her quick wit meant she immediately stood out.
In 2015, on her third audition, Leomie was picked to walk for Victoria’s Secret - a big deal for any model, not least for the international exposure. “It's something I wanted for a long time,” she explains.
Nothing about the VS experience disappointed: “I know people would like me to say there are catfights backstage with people pulling out each other’s extensions, but it's not like that. Everyone is so nice, even the models that have been doing it for 17 years, like Adriana Lima (who was there at Leomie’s first show), have the same excitement as girls walking for the first time.”
The Londoner has also appeared in Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty campaigns from the start. “Being a part of Fenty is such a good experience. It wasn’t until I saw the call sheet for the first shoot that I realised how diverse the girls were. When we were shooting you could see all the different personalities of the models coming out. I knew there and then it would blow up and it did – it really shook up the beauty industry.”
The forward-thinking model also joined Talk TED X Peckham, where she spoke out about Behind the Lens of the Modelling Industry.
HFM's August issue also features our definitive style tribes for AW18 and take a look at brands that have found Insta fame. Interviews include fashion designer Richard Quinn and makeup artist Lisa Eldridge. Plus holiday skin, beach metallics and Italian fashion legend Anna Dello Russo, who describes a dream day in her life. Plus the latest trends, celebrity looks, street style and must have shopping.
To read more about Leomie's transatlantic life – plus to see our exclusive shoot pick up the latest edition of Hello! Fashion Monthly, out now…