Table View's own appear in glam mag

At just 19, Jordan Hickman has done what many only dream of—appearing twice in Vogue Italia, one of the world’s most prestigious fashion publications.

Born in the USA, Jordan moved to Durban at age three before settling in Table View in 2015, where she attended Table View Primary School. It was here that her love for performing and modelling began to bloom.

“My older sister was scouted by an agency, and I was so excited for her that I wanted to be part of that world too. Modelling has always been my dream. My sisters and I would dress up in our mom’s heels and pretend we were on the runway,” she said.

She began modelling at the age of nine, balancing school and her career with ease thanks to agencies that supported her education.

 Between grades 4 and 6, she also excelled in high jump, earning her Western Province colours and even a feature in Tabletalk in 2017.

Jordan’s journey wasn’t without challenges - especially when the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 brought everything to a halt - school, sport, and modelling. “It was a ghost year for me. Everything went downhill,” she said.

The next year, in 2021, things started looking up again when Jordan made the school’s first netball team and joined a new modelling category, Future Faces, designed to prepare young models for international careers.

She also transitioned from child modelling to adult campaigns.“In 2022, my (facial) features were changing, and balancing work and school became harder,” she said.

However, that same year, she was signed by L’Oréal.

She said after thoughtful discussions with her parents, she switched to homeschooling, promising to give her all to both school and her growing career. “My parents made me promise I’d keep up with my online classes and my modelling. They’ve always been my biggest supporters,” she said. “Family is so important. They’ve always picked me up during my low times,” she said.

By 2023, Jordan was already landing jobs and was collaborating with her mother, Carmen Hickman, who is also in the industry.

Together, they took on a massive modelling project in 2024, marking another milestone in their family’s creative journey.

After cutting her hair and embracing her natural look, she caught the attention of designers in a test shoot, one that led to her Vogue Italia debut, covering Chelsea Jean Lamm’s SS26 show at Milan Fashion Week.

Jordan says her journey is about more than modelling—it’s about breaking barriers for girls from small towns.

“Women from small suburbs often believe they can’t make it because of where they’re from. But that’s not true. It doesn’t come easy—you have to work hard and have self-discipline. Just because I’m from Table View doesn’t mean my options are limited,” she said.

She said she would like to tell her younger self and the youth in her community that: “Everyone has their own path—don’t compare your journey to others. Rejection is part of life, but it’s what you do with it that counts.”

Despite her climbing modelling career, Jordan describes herself as “a bit of a geek,” with big dreams beyond the runway. She plans to travel for work next year but hopes to study meteorology, inspired by her love of science.

For now, she’s focused on business management to strengthen her career foundation.

“Table View will always have my heart. It’s where I met my lifelong friends, got scouted for international projects, and began my journey.”

Her rise is not just her own—it’s a proud chapter for the Table View community, showing that with resilience, faith, and hard work, even the smallest hometown dreams can make it all the way to Vogue, she said.