Nora Attal walks for J.W.Anderson Spring 2017. Indigital
At just 18, Nora Attal has a CV that some models can only dream of. The compelling new face, who launched her career with high fashion campaigns for JW Anderson, has worked with prestigious designers and brands like Prada and Versace, all while juggling school. Despite only being a full-time model since June, the Moroccan-British beauty also has two international Vogue covers under her belt, including Vogue Arabia’s December issue. Read on for five facts about the December cover star that you probably didn’t know.
Related Read: Nora Attal is the December cover star
#1. She was first scouted when she was 12
Attal was first spotted when she was 12, but her dad felt she was too young to pursue modeling as a career. Two years later, a casting for a campaign was held at her school, in which Attal and two of her friends were selected. “When I was 14, photographer Jamie Hawkesworth was doing a casting at my school for the JW Anderson campaign. I was chosen along with two of my friends. I was super-excited when I found out because I used to watch America’s Next Top Model and I wanted to do what they did,” she tells Vogue Arabia.
#2. She had to decline jobs due to her school schedule
While she was at school, the model’s agents had to decline a number of jobs when they clashed with her school schedule. “I would only do shows on the weekends and then fly back on Sunday to be in school for Monday. And I would have to study during fittings, backstage, and in my hotel.” Despite juggling school and modeling, the 18-year-old still managed to grace the runways of Valentino, Sonia Rykiel, and Dior, as well as land a British Vogue cover alongside Stella Tennant, Edie Campbell, and Kate Moss.
#3. She’s proud of her Moroccan heritage
The British-born model can speak her mother tongue, albeit not fluently. “I picked up the language and can understand it, but my Arabic is quite broken. But because I visit so often, I feel connected to the culture. I often talk to my Moroccan friends,” she says to Vogue Arabia. Her favorite places in the North African country? “I would recommend going to the Old Medina in Tangier and to the markets there. It’s beautiful, very traditionally Moroccan-looking.”
#4. She wants to be a criminologist
Attal, who has only been working as a full-time model since June after completing her A-levels, admits that if she wasn’t modeling, she would be a criminologist. “I’m taking a gap year, but after the year I will return to studying, starting a criminology and psychology degree in London,” she says.
#5. Michelle Obama inspires her
Her inspiration is former US First Lady Michelle Obama, because, she says, “she’s not afraid to say what she thinks. She’s unapologetic. Her message is that women should grow up believing that they can do anything, and that every girl should be able to pursue what they want to do.”
