Jill Kortleve, a curve model who is changing the rules

With her 1,75 meters and her size 40, this model is hitting the most prestigious runways starting from New York on to Paris. Keep scrolling to discover more about a model who’s passionate in fashion.

March 2020: Chanel shows at the Grand Palais. The new collection was seen on the usual models of the house, in addition to one model who was never seen before under the large glass roof. She’s Jill Kortleve, a 26-year-old Dutchwoman. Bushy eyebrow, and the girl next door’s silhouette. And she wears 40, in other words, the size most worn by French women (according to the French Fashion Institute). And yet, it is ten years since Chanel had not shown a model whose measurements are outside the "standards" of fashion - mostly corresponding to a 34. In 2010, at the cruise show of the brand which was held in Saint-Tropez, the American model Crystal Renn, then 23, was one of the models on the runway even though she was size 44.

September 2020: Jill Kortleve is everywhere. "There is a real demand from brands and from big fashion houses" explains Nathalie Cros-Coitton, director of the Women Management agency that represents the model.

We find her in a draped mini-dress in the wheat fields of Jacquemus, on the cover of Vogue (France and Spain), at the last Milan Fashion week, in a crop-top shirt at Versace, in fatal red at Fendi. "And you will also see her everywhere in Paris" assures her agent. In short, brands are snapping up Jill Kortleve, whose mere presence reshuffles the cards of diversity on the runway.

Chanel

Fendi

Jacquemus

Versace

A voice of the Positive Body

Why her? "Because she is Radiant, with a capital R", says her agent. “She is casual, free, authentic. And above all, she has a voice. Brands want people like that”. If her rise is welcomed, it will make people react. And in particular this questions the sincerity of brands in embracing the positive body movement. “Jill fills well the gaps that allow labels to believe that they are mobilizing on the so-called plus size” notes a casting director. “It is great, but above all, it’s a good foil for brands which mainly cut in size 34”.  Many Internet users were also annoyed to see her described as "round", indicating that her size 40 is rather common in real life.

However, the main interested party sees her presence on the runway as a step forward. On her Instagram account, the Dutchwoman keeps tackling the issue. After the Chanel show: "In the future, I hope to work with a lot of other models who do not fit the regular size”.

Or that of Versace: “It’s amazing to work with brands that I have always dreamed of working for. I hope that we are opening the doors to a new generation that shares the same dreams but was never before seen in magazines or advertisements”.

At her beginnings, she was just helping a friend

Originally from Heerlen in the South of the Netherlands, Jill Kortleve was pushed into modeling by her best friend, founder of The Movement Models, an Amsterdam-based modeling agency. Jill is the first to sign in this firm specializing in the recruitment of profiles - around fifty to date - that go beyond the traditional codes of modeling. She launched her career with Nike, followed by Diesel "Go With The Flaws" campaign that celebrates "the beauty of imperfection”.

At the end of 2018, things accelerated. For the first time, the young woman walked the runway of Alexander McQueen during a Paris Fashion Week. It is said to be "exclusively" for the British brand, a way for the latter to announce that it has put its finger on a rough diamond.

Alexander Mcqueen

Jacquemus Fall/Winter-20-21

After a campaign for Alexander McQueen, the model signed with agencies in London, New York and Paris where she joined the Women Management team which also manages the careers of Joan Smalls, Mariacarla Boscono and Jourdan Dunn. Since then, she has been on the catwalks of Prabal Gurung, Michael Kors, Simone Rocha, Mugler and others. The Models.com site, which lists models and creatives in the fashion world, now places the young woman in its "Top 50" of the most requested faces list.

"She's a girl who feels really good about herself, that's what strikes you when you see her for the first time and that's what makes brands want her", justifies her agent.

As proof, this mantra “Self Love” is tattooed on the inner phalanges of her hand.