How To Do High-Fashion When You're Only 5'1"

Almost every profile on Amina Blue starts with an anecdote about her size. That's because she's only 5'1", yet has walked the runway for Kanye West a whopping five times. This makes her a unicorn in the rarefied world of modeling. (Remember: It's a world where Cara Delevingne, at 5'7", is considered "short.") The reason behind Yeezy's fascination with Blue becomes more apparent after a quick scan of her Instagram profile. You might think the half-German, half-Pakistani 24-year-old was a long lost sister of Kim, Kourtney, Khloe, Kendall, and Kylie: She wears Life of Pablo merchandise, takes bathroom selfies in FashionNova, and promotes SugarBearHair. But, Blue isn't from Calabasas — she was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York.




"Growing up, I always liked makeup and shopping and all that girly stuff," she tells Refinery29. "But I was always short, so I knew being a model might not work out." Yet it did. After early gigs in "urban music videos" for people like A$AP Ferg, 50 Cent, and Future, and what she describes as "sexier photo shoots," Blue was able to pivot into a more high-fashion career, thanks in part to one of the most influential artists of our generation.

"I’ve been turned down because of my height [in the past], but slowly, the fashion world is accepting that every girl isn’t tall and skinny, and I like to think I have some sort of contribution to that," she explains, noting that her ability to gain the confidence to ignore stereotypes and overcome rejection ultimately helped propel her career. "You can overcome just about anything if you are determined and confident in yourself, and that [confidence] rubs off on people." A vote of confidence from Mr. West probably doesn't hurt, either.

"I met Kanye [West] at his fitting for Yeezy Season 1," Blue says, noting that she was first cast as just a fit model. "What was supposed to be a casting for me turned into day one of working with Kanye." After appearing on stage in a full body stocking, bra top, nude underwear, and heels covered by knee-high socks, her fate was sealed as the ultimate Yeezy woman: She's since walked in the brand's subsequent shows, even becoming known as "the model who took her heels off " during Season 4. "I love working with 'Ye," she adds. "This job is so much easier when you work with genuinely good people who want to create dope stuff, and that's exactly what working with Kanye is like."

West, however, isn't the only famous name taken with Blue. "I met Carine [Roitfeld] through Kanye," she says; Blue has starred in the French fashion editor's namesake magazine, CR Fashion Book, on multiple occasions, including a modern pin-up shoot dubbed "Not Safe For Work," a model portfolio alongside Gigi and Bella Hadid, Nina Agdal, and Irina Shayk, among others, and the glossy's "see now, buy now," holiday announcement.