In May of this year, Hana Cross stepped on to the red carpet at Cannes and walked down it as if she’d been there a thousand times. And while the 22-year-old model has grown familiar with the flash of the camera, thanks, in part, to her relationship with a certain Beckham offspring, she is forging her own path in the fashion industry and now, she tells Grazia, towards Hollywood.
‘I’ve been having acting lessons recently,’ she admits. ‘It has always been something at the back of my head. A lot of people say that models don’t make good actors, but I don’t think that’s true. I know models like Cara [Delevingne], who have gone on to that kind of thing and seeing them has given me confidence.’ She has her sights set on Netflix, and a role in a high school drama like her favourites Riverdale or Stranger Things. ‘I’m wanting to give that a go and see where it leads.’
Before that, though, she is celebrating her latest project: Hana is one of the stars of the latest campaign to mark Topshop’s arrival on Very.co.uk. It feels like a natural fit, as it’s where her first interactions with the world of modelling began. ‘I got scouted a lot when I was 15 and 16, at festivals or on Oxford Street outside Topshop with my mum.’
Hana always declined, though, until she contemplated her future following A-levels. Back then, she didn’t feel like she understood the industry, and didn’t even have Instagram. That has changed now, of course: she has more than 300,000 followersand regularly updates them with images from her travels – Monaco, Tuscany, Cannes – and trips to Glastonbury, Wimbledon and Coachella with Brooklyn.
Her wanderings have left such an impression that she’s now planning a relocation. ‘I’m thinking about moving to New York,’ she announces. ‘And spending some time in LA.’ Her timing is fortuitous: the Beckhams are building their own base stateside ahead of David’s launch of a football franchise in Miami. They are sure to help where they can, and have been public in their affection for her. Last year, Victoria posted a family portrait on Instagram that included Hana, describing ‘my favourite people in the world’. She has also nurtured her fashion sense: Hana has been spotted in several looks from the Victoria Beckham rack. Despite this, she namechecks other brands as her favourites – ‘Saint Laurent, Alexander Wang, Off-White’ – which she likes to mix with Topshop pieces and vintage.
In fact, she says, it’s not Victoria who shapes her style, but her mum. ‘My mum knows my style better than anyone,’ she explains. ‘She’ll be looking online and will say, “This top will look good on you,” or “Why don’t you try this with this?” I can’t really buy anything without my mum giving me the yes. Even if I’m with my friends, I still ask my mum for the final opinion on it.’ Social media has introduced Hana to more style inspiration, too. ‘I look at Instagram and try to put my own twist on what others are wearing,’ she explains. ‘Hailey Bieber has got a really cool style and wears things you don’t particularly think of. She’ll be wearing a two-piece multicolour tracksuit, but she pulls it off. You have to wear it like you mean it.’
Growing up, though, Hana says she didn’t care about fashion at all. ‘I grew up around a riding stable, so most of my childhood was spent in jodhpurs and overalls. I was mucking out every day, and was definitely more of a tomboy.’ Going through adolescence free from sartorial concerns has served her well now that she has found herself at the centre of the industry.
‘I don’t like to compare myself to other girls,’ she insists. ‘With modelling these days, everyone is of different shapes and sizes. You have to embrace who you really are. I eat healthily where possible, and work out – I might go to a Kobox class or a barre class – but I try not to stress myself out about it. If I want to eat something, I eat something.’ Sushi is her staple, she says, ‘But my mum cooks a great roast.’
It must be hard carving out a name for yourself when you are so linked to one of the world’s most famous families. The Beckham name is conspicuous by its firm absence throughout our conversation. But Hana is pleasant, centred and, perhaps most importantly for the work she is pursuing, ambitious. One gets the distinct impression that, when it comes to finding her own way and making her own name, she’s going to be just fine.
The new edited Topshop collection is available to shop now at Very.co.uk