Why luxury fashion brands love nepo babies: from Chanel’s Lily-Rose Depp to supermodels Gigi and Bella Hadid, celebrity kids get ahead thanks to their ‘level of trust’ and parental pulling power

Jul 15 , 2023

The new generation of nepo baby fashion faces: Maya Hawke, Bella Hadid, Lily-Rose Depp and Lila Moss all hail from famous families. Photos: @maya_hawke/Instagram; Getty Images; @lilamoss/Instagram

Many of the world’s most successful models were born into fame – Gigi and Bella Hadid are daughters of Yolanda, and Kendall Jenner was of course once ‘just’ Kim Kardashian’s sister

But there’s a new generation of inherited fame: Gwyneth Paltrow’s daughter Apple Martin sat front row at Chanel, while Kaia Gerber, Georgia May Jagger and Lila Moss all have model mums

There is little the fashion industry loves more than combining the new and exciting with a rich sense of privilege and heritage. So it should come as no surprise that luxury brands are as enamoured by nepo babies as they once were by conveniently beautiful actors and musicians. And luckily, the latter these days are increasingly likely to also be the former.

Dakota Johnson and Riley Keough during the Film Independent Spirit Awards in February 2019, in Santa Monica, California. Photo: Getty Images

Many of them – take Maude and Iris Apatow, Dakota Johnson, Riley Keough, Maya Hawke and Zoë Kravitz – are highly talented in their own right, but it is hard to deny that their famous heritage makes them that bit more interesting. After all, who among us doesn’t want to know what it’s like to be brought up by Uma Thurman or mum-daughter styled with Cindy Crawford?

And let’s face it. A famous parent clearly helps open doors – in a world where beautiful young models are 10 a penny (and famously difficult to interview) everyone wants to hear from a Kaia Gerber, a Lila Moss or an Iris Law.

Gwyneth Paltrow and Apple Martin wearing matching tees. Photo: @monstersbehindmasks/Instagram

Hence, young women (and the occasional young man) who are yet to achieve much professionally, getting hugely coveted roles as ambassadors for major luxury brands. Apple Martin – daughter of Gwyneth Paltrow – was in prime position at Chanel in January this year, dressed head to toe in the brand alongside Lucy Boynton, Sadie Sink and Angèle, despite being just 18 years old and having expressed little interest in the fashion industry.

Lily-Rose Depp has also been modelling for Chanel since her early adolescence and was famously a favourite of Karl Lagerfeld’s, opening and closing his shows while she was still at school.

Model Iris Law presents a creation at the Burberry catwalk show during London Fashion Week in London, Britain, on February 20. Photo: Reuters

In fact, these days it’s difficult to name a brand that doesn’t have an “offspring of” on their books. Jude Law’s daughter Iris is the face of Versace; Georgia May Jagger is fronting the latest Burberry campaign; Leni Klum is a Dior model, Esther McGregor, daughter of Ewan, has worked with Miu Miu; Lila Moss has been hired by YSL Beauty; and Hailey Bieber has fronted campaigns for Saint Laurent.