Kendall Jenner opens up about bullies in the modelling industry

Celebrity

Apr 29, 2015

Over the last 18 months, Kendall Jenner has gone from being known only as a reality star and socialite to being one of the biggest catwalk models of the moment.

She's walked the runway for everyone from Chanel and Fendi to Marc Jacobs and Balmain, and has also just been announced as the face of Calvin Klein's new campaign.

However the 19-year-old's rise to success wasn't as smooth as you might imagine. In a new interview with V magazine, Kendall reveals it was a real struggle to convince people to take her seriously as a model, with many people making fun of her best efforts.

"You have no idea how many doors closed on me and how many adults were either initially reluctant to take a chance working with me or who outright laughed at me behind my back," she confessed.

"It was kind of hard because all I was doing was going on go-sees, trying my best to break into this business as a teenager."

Last year it was revealed the young model had dropped the "Jenner" from her name for work, only going as "Kendall" on her agency profile, in an attempt to carve out her own identity.

"Some people might think that what I’ve done before made it easier for me to get jobs, but it was actually a disadvantage. I had to work even harder," she said at the time.

Despite not being respected by many during her early days as a model, Kendall says that some people did agree to take a chance on her. "I am so grateful to Marc Jacobs, Riccardo Tisci, Karl Lagerfeld, and Katie Grand, who took a chance on me that first season and gave me an opportunity," she told V.