Jill Kortleve
Bust
36
Waist
30
Hip
41
Eyes
Brown
Hair
Brown
Shoes
9
Height
5 Feet, 9 Inches

Net worth $2.3 Million

Birthday
November 5, 1993
Birthplace
Birth Sign

About

Jill Megan Kortleve is a Dutch fashion model who has made headlines for paving the way for bodies that were not long ago denied runway real estate. Born 5 November 1993 in Heerlen, the Netherlands, she combines Dutch, Surinamese, Indonesian, and Indian heritage, a blend that speaks to her striking appearance and warm, easy charm.

Her resume now includes Chanel, Alexander McQueen, Versace, and dozens more labels, along with covers for almost every major edition of Vogue. But despite all the A-listers, fans mostly applaud her for remaining refreshingly authentic when it comes to body image and mental health on social media. Whether she posts behind-the-scenes selfies or self-confidence notes, Kortleve reads less like an inaccessible icon and more like a fashion-forward friend who’s rooting for you.

Before Fame

Kortleve’s modelling story started far from Paris catwalks. After finishing secondary school in the Netherlands, she was scouted by her best friend Jimi—who later founded The Movement Models agency in Amsterdam—and persuaded to try a few test shoots. A Nike campaign and Diesel look‑book followed, but early work also came with pressure to shrink her body. When extreme dieting started getting the better of her health, she left for a while, learned to exercise for pleasure instead of punishment, and came back to the industry on her own terms. The timing was perfect: labels were finally looking for more realistic sizing, and Chanel tapped her for its autumn 2020 show in Paris—the first “midsize” model the house had used since 2010. That single walk turned her into a headline overnight and cemented her place as a voice for inclusivity.

Trivia

  • Body‑positivity mantra: In a recent interview, she said the best confidence advice is simply to “stop overthinking.” It’s the line fans quote back to her most often.
  • Nickname: Friends call her “Jilla Tequila,” a playful spin that also doubles as her Instagram handle.
  • Record‑breaking runway: Walking for Chanel made her only the third visibly curvy model in the house’s 100‑plus‑year history.
  • Hidden talent: She paints in gouache while travelling—she says it keeps her grounded during fashion‑month chaos.
  • First big cover: Vogue France March 2021, shot on a windswept beach, was the breakthrough editorial that led to seven more Vogue covers within a year.
  • Feel‑good ritual: Whenever a job wraps, she treats herself to mint tea, a nod to her Surinamese‑Indian grandparents.

Family Life

Kortleve tends to thank her parents, divorced when she was 14, for modeling resilience. On her 21st birthday, they handed over their wedding rings, now linked together as a good-luck necklace she wears. She remains close to her mother—Instagram sometimes posts throwback pictures of mum and dad at their wedding day—and maintains links with Heerlen by seeing relatives between performances.

Though her schedule pulls her between Amsterdam, Paris, and New York, she says home is wherever her family and her three childhood friends can gather for a long dinner. Romantic rumours surface from time to time (she was once linked to a Paris‑based creative called Chris), but Kortleve generally keeps love life details offline and insists that focusing on friendships, therapy, and good food “feels healthier than obsessing over labels.”

Associated With

Professionally, Kortleve has shared runways with Paloma Elsesser, Precious Lee, and Ashley Graham—forming a new guard of curve and midsize stars pushing fashion’s size ceiling higher. She remains a favourite of Chanel creative director Virginie Viard, appears frequently in Jacquemus shows, and has also fronted campaigns for Fendi, Valentino, and Mugler. Industry watchers sometimes compare her impact to Crystal Renn’s earlier breakthrough, noting that Kortleve’s Chanel appearance happened almost exactly a decade after Renn’s, signalling progress but also highlighting how slow change can be. Off the runway, she has worked with photographers like Tyler Mitchell and Dan Martensen, and counts stylist Carlos Nazario as an informal mentor who helps her navigate fame while keeping her voice authentic.

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