FYI

Everything You Need to Know About Barbara Palvin, Dylan Sprouse’s Apparent New Girlfriend

A primer on the 24-year-old Sports Illustrated and Victoria’s Secret veteran.

by Katherine Cusumano

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Gucci dress and shorts; Carine Gilson bra and corset; Agent Provocateur stockings; Solange Azagury-Partridge ring; Prada shoes. Photography by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott Styled by Edward Enninful

Cole Sprouse might have gotten all the attention on his birthday thanks to Lili Reinhart’s Instagram confirmation of their relationship (and Riverdale costar Camila Mendes’s more subtle reference), but his twin, Dylan Sprouse, also turned 26 on August 4th. Fortunately, the mead aficionado had the model Barbara Palvin, whom he has reportedly been dating since at least early July, to commemorate the occasion.

“Even though it’s your birthday I feel I just got the biggest present of all,” Palvin wrote, accompanied by the creepy handsy emoji and a black heart. “Happy birthday Boss Baby.”

The two started appearing on each other’s Instagrams around World Cup season, when they went to Russia together to take in a couple of matches. After returning (on the same flight), they showed up at a New York film screening together, and Sprouse posted a photo from the evening to his Instagram Stories, captioned, “Having a hair competition”—a self-deprecating nod at his shoulder-length hair.

While Sprouse might be famous as the erstwhile star of The Suite Life of Zack and Cody and as one-half of a very famous twin brother duo—as well as the owner-operator of the Brooklyn-based meadery All-Wise—Palvin is likely less recognizable outside of fashion circles. But the 24-year-old Hungarian model has a cool 8.4 million followers who keep up with her every move—so, for the uninitiated, here’s everything you need to know about Palvin, Dylan Sprouse’s reported new girlfriend.

She’s signed to IMG

Palvin is part of the star-studded IMG roster that also includes Gigi and Bella Hadid, Hailey Baldwin, the actress (and Leonardo DiCaprio’s girlfriend) Camila Morrone, Kaia Gerber, Lara Stone, Joan Smalls—the list goes on. Since she started modeling at 13, she’s covered Tatler, international editions of Vogue, GQ, and Glamour, and she’s appeared in campaigns for Giorgio Armani (as the face of its Acqua di Gioia fragrance), L’Oréal, and Cartier. She has also walked in the Victoria’s Secret fashion show.

She was a Sports Illustrated Rookie of the Year in 2016

Palvin had already been modeling for nearly a decade by the time she landed a coveted spot on Sports Illustrated’s Rookie of the Year roster, which saw her join a legion of beloved models like Nina Agdal, Chrissy Teigen, Kate Upton, and the model turned actor Kelly Rohrbach, who went on to star in the Baywatch movie.

Despite all her successes modeling, she’s not immune to criticism

Around the time of the release of her Sports Illustrated shoot, Palvin found herself the subject of trolling comments, describing her as “fat” and looking pregnant. It was enough to merit a response, and she swiftly replied on Twitter, writing, “wooow. i got some nasty comments about me being fat. well i am not as skinny as i was when i was 18. but i don’t consider myself fat!”

Before Sprouse, she was linked to the Formula 1 racer Lewis Hamilton and the newly engaged pop star Justin Bieber

In 2016, it was reported that Palvin was dating Hamilton; as recently as last week, she was seen with him at a racetrack, where she even hopped into a car for her own spin around the track. Four years before that, in 2012, she was first linked to Justin Bieber, but that was a totally different iteration of the young star as we know him to be today. (In 2013, there were also brief rumors that she dated the notorious model-lover Leonardo DiCaprio.)

The people love her

In 2017, Palvin was named one of Tumblr’s most popular models alongside the likes of Kendall Jenner, the Hadid sisters, and Emily Ratajkowski. It’s not just that she has 8.4 million followers on Instagram—she’s also one of the most talked-about models on Tumblr.

She knows the best spots for medicinal mud in Budapest

And she’s willing to spill her insider tips.