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Loli Bahia: The Rise of Fashion's New Gen Z Supermodel — and the Viral Power of 'LoliTok'

Loli Bahia doesn't have a TikTok account, but she racks up thousands of fan edits and millions of views every week. So vast is the phenomenon now known as 'LoliTok' that Charli XCX approached her at a party during Paris Fashion Week just to say, 'You're everywhere.' Bahia laughs. 'It's amazing! Imagine the ego boost.' What she doesn't say, but probably knows, is that the attention comes from something more intense. What's more striking than this meteoric rise is how little she performs it. In conversation, she's unhurried, precise and gently candid. Behind the virality is a 22-year-old navigating her ascent with quiet ease. Visibility may have found her at 17, when she made her runway debut for Louis Vuitton, but her presence—or aura, as her fans would say—is entirely unforced. Photographed by, Vito Fernicola. Styled by, Robbie Spencer In her first year alone, she walked a staggering 65 shows, and her momentum hasn't slowed since. She's become a Chanel regular, both opening and closing shows for the Maison, opened Vogue World last year, and has appeared on three Vogue covers—with this marking her fourth. But despite the industry acclaim, what sets Bahia apart is something harder to pin down. She's an outlier. Relaxed yet razor-sharp, with a boyish, unbothered charm that feels like a righteous glitch in fashion's glossy perfectionism. In an era defined by image control and self-surveillance, she embodies something rare. Presence without performance. She moves in a way that makes everything else feel contrived by comparison. As she curls her long limbs beneath an oversized T-shirt, her dark eyes brighten. 'It took me about three and a half years to really learn how to enjoy [being a model],' she confesses. Photographed by, Vito Fernicola. Styled by, Robbie Spencer With a talent so layered it feels ambient, she has bloomed under the industry's spotlight. 'Fashion has really changed my perception of femininity,' she reflects, describing herself as 'very pudic and introverted, especially physically.' Bahia is 'still discovering my body. I'm still young, still figuring out how I feel in it, how I move in it.' Usually dressed in baggy jeans, Palace or Stüssy hoodies and oversized tees (or more recently Prada button-downs with baggy shorts), Bahia affirms that aside from the obvious financial perks, 'Fashion has really helped me feel comfortable as a woman, and be comfortable moving around.' Her sharp self-awareness and the spectrum she defines as feminine place Bahia at the centre of a generation who refuse to be bound by stereotypes. In many ways, this is what a supermodel who truly reflects Gen Z looks and feels like. Photographed by, Vito Fernicola. Styled by, Robbie Spencer Photographed by, Vito Fernicola. Styled by, Robbie Spencer Her closest friends—'Rachel Marx, Vittoria Ceretti, Alex Consani and Lulu Tenney'—have become a vital lifeline as she navigates the industry. 'We're all going through the same thing,' she says. 'So there are no taboos between us, and we're super open about everything.' For the cover of this issue, shot by Vito Fernicola, a close friend, she adds, 'It was an amazing vibe. Everybody was happy I was there, I was happy to be there. Having a friend on set makes a huge difference because you feel so comfortable moving around and proposing things.' Photographed by, Vito Fernicola. Styled by, Robbie Spencer Growing up, fashion wasn't on the cards. Raised in La Croix-Rousse, a creative hilltop neighbourhood in Lyon often described as a 'village within a city', Bahia spent time between France, Algeria and Andalusia. 'Mediterranean culture is really strong. You always have it in your DNA,' she says, noting similarities between her family in Oran, Béni Saf and southern Spain. Her grandparents instilled in her a deep connection to her cultural roots. 'It adds a lot to my personality,' she says. 'Once you go to Algeria, there's a welcoming, human connection that I haven't found anywhere else.' Photographed by, Vito Fernicola. Styled by, Robbie Spencer For many young North African girls, Bahia is a role model. She follows in the footsteps of fellow Lyonnaise Algerian supermodel Farida Khelfa and Moroccan models Nora Attal and Imaan Hammam. 'If I can give hope to younger girls in North Africa, I'm so honoured and happy. There should be many more North African models on the runways.' Photographed by, Vito Fernicola. Styled by, Robbie Spencer Before she was scouted—accompanying a friend to a modelling contest—Bahia was an orchestra kid. A disciplined classical instrumentalist, she began playing music at five and later joined a conservatory, where afternoons were filled with theory, lessons and rehearsals. Some of her classmates now play professionally. Alongside this, she 'did all the sports possible'—judo, karate, football, basketball, swimming, gymnastics—before settling on volleyball, which she played competitively for ten years. 'I really needed to move ,' she grins. 'I stopped when I started modelling because I couldn't commit to a team, but if I didn't model, I would've done it professionally. In my wildest dreams, I would've been an Olympian.' Photographed by, Vito Fernicola. Styled by, Robbie Spencer Despite her languid easygoing energy, there's a subtle force to Bahia. Every move feels deliberate, a soft articulation of discipline and talent. In 2023, she portrayed a young Jeanne du Barry in Maïwenn's film of the same name. She's now taking acting lessons and considering a stint in New York 'just to give it a try'. But her dream role is James Bond. 'I could never be a Bond girl. They're always still standing behind the man,' she shrugs. 'I want to be my own James Bond.' Photographed by, Vito Fernicola. Styled by, Robbie Spencer Again, there's a transcendent pitch of maturity. Bahia's complex mind is a masterclass in rigour and clarity. A conscious energy that's upheld her explosive fashion career. 'I'm very ambitious,' she says. 'Fashion demands a lot of discipline because it's not like studying music or sports. You put your whole life and your whole person and your whole body into this. So you have to be very disciplined to succeed. Now I'm trying to reach the next level.' Photographed by, Vito Fernicola. Styled by, Robbie Spencer In many ways, her 'LoliTok' fans are helping her get there. 'Please make them feel seen!' she insists. 'I've been watching the videos, I read the comments, and I'm so grateful. Everything they're doing for me is amazing.' She doesn't know exactly what comes next, only that 'something bigger, somehow, somewhere, is waiting for me. Hopefully.' Photographed by, Vito Fernicola. Styled by, Robbie Spencer As everything around her grows in scale, it's the imprint of raw, emotional intimacy that drives her momentum. 'Being able to bring my grandmother to a Chanel show was incredible. She loves fashion, and for her to be there and meet all the casting directors and the team… she was like a little kid. It was so beautiful to see. My mother came to another Chanel show when I was the bride, and they cried because of all the emotion. These little moments are big highlights for me that I'll remember forever. Of course the shows are amazing, but nothing is as personal or as dear to me as making my family proud.' Article originally published on Vogue Italy