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12 models to watch at New York Fashion Week
As New York Fashion Week steps into gear, Vogue calls on casting agents Ashley Brokaw and Gilleon Smith to introduce the models poised for a breakout season
Who is that girl? The next Liu Wen? The next Kate Moss or Karlie Kloss? These are questions casting agents Ashley Brokaw, the woman responsible for the model lineups at Calvin Klein, Coach and Proenza Schouler, and Gilleon Smith, the woman behind Chromat’s applaudably inclusive and diverse casting, get all the time. It is never a straightforward answer, especially with the multitude of scouting methods in action these days. Smith is partial to street-scouting talent for Chromat, but regularly works with freelance models and agencies to introduce new faces – and ideas – to the runway. Instagram, too, has launched the career of many. As New York Fashion Week swings into action, here are the faces to watch this season.
Naomi Chin Wing
Age: 18
Nationality: Trinidad and Tobago
Height: 180cm
Represented by: IMG Models
Aged just 17, Wing was hand-picked by Anthony Vaccarello and casting director Piergiorgio Del Moro for Saint Laurent’s Spring/Summer 2018 show, set against the glittering Eiffel Tower. She went on to walk for Altuzarra, Giambattista Valli, John Galliano and Rochas that season, succeeded by appearances at Dior, Givenchy, Valentino and Jean Paul Gaultier at couture in January. When off duty, she enjoys nothing more that rewatching Stranger Things and Vampire Diaries on Netflix. Her favourite supermodel? Fellow Caribbean talent Joan Smalls.
Instagram: @naomichinwing
Adut Akech
Age: 18
Nationality: Australian
Height: 175cm
Represented by: The Society Management
Born in war-torn South Sudan, Akech’s story is one of rags to Pirelli.
She spent her early childhood at a refugee camp in Kenya before arriving in Australia aged seven. Her beginning of her modelling career was set against the sparkling Eiffel Tower at Saint Laurent’s Spring/Summer 2017 extravaganza. Since then she’s walked for a number of luxury labels – Lanvin, Loewe, Givenchy, Alexander McQueen and Giambattista Valli among them. She also famously featured in Edward Enninful’s 2018 Pirelli calendar alongside Naomi Campbell, RuPaul and Duckie Thot.
Instagram: @adutakech
Ariel Nicholson
Age: 17
Nationality: American
Height: 182cm
Represented by: DNA Models
Commiting Nicholson’s Pre-Raphaelite locks to memory is not hard. The 17-year-old transgender model was first spotted on the Calvin Klein catwalk last September. Less than two weeks after signing with DNA Model Management, the high school sophomore’s status as fashion’s newest darling was cemented. She still lives with her family in Park Ridge, New Jersey, and her favourite subjects at school include history and English. She hopes to study sociology or political science at university, but we expect to see her on many more catwalks before she even gets to prom.
Instagram: @ariel.nicholson
Ting
Age: 25
Nationality: Chinese
Height: 175cm
Represented by: DNA Models
The Beijing-born, New York-based grad student found success on Instagram, when her friend sent a picture to A-list casting director and founder of The Establishment, Anita Britton. From there, she was booked to model in a Miu Miu lookbook and a number of couture shows. Her Instagram is a whistle-stop tour of her travels, from Beijing to Seoul, Bali to Los Cabos and, of course, Paris, where she walked for Giambattista Valli and Schiaparelli.
Instagram handle: @tingstopsign
Blésnya Minher
Age: 20
Nationality: Angolan
Height: 176 cm
Represented by: The Society Management
A worldwide exclusive is a big deal for any model, but landing two worldwide exclusives for the same brand is practically unheard of. Not so for Minher, the Luanda-based talent launched her career with Calvin Klein thus, and has since gone on to make her mark since the Spring/Summer 2017 runways – namely for Christian Dior, Miu Miu and Valentino. She also featured in the latter’s recent ad campaign.
Instagram: @blesnyaminher
Fran Summers
Age: 18
Nationality: British
Height: 178cm
Represented by: Storm Management
Spring/Summer 2018 marked the Yorkshire lass’s whirlwind leap into fashion shows. It started with JW Anderson in London, followed by a Prada exclusive in Milan, and crescendoed in Paris with Saint Laurent, Loewe, Céline and Louis Vuitton, among others. She has two major campaigns under her belt, too – Marc Jacobs and Chloé – and is sure to become a familiar face this season. Beyond fashion, Summers is a lover of poetry, theatre and food – she has a second instagram, @fransfeasts, chronicling her travels through cuisine.
Instagram: @fransummers
Shan Fernandez
Age: 22
Nationality: Trinidadian
Height: 183cm
Represented by: Crawford Models
Originally from Port of Spain in Trinidad and Tobago, Fernandez was scouted at Miss Lilys, a Jamaican restaurant in Soho, New York. Though a gifted dancer (she toured with the Universoul circus for over three years), she dreams of opening her own Trinidadian restaurant in the Big Apple one day. Last season she made her runway debut at Chromat, where she is slated to appear again this season.
Instagram: @fershandez
Alyssa Traoré
Age: 19
Nationality: Netherlands
Height: 179cm
Represented by: IMG Models
This rising star, who dreams of a career in aeronautics, was first scouted whilst shopping with her mother in Amsterdam by a small Dutch agency. It was IMG’s Instagram initiative #WLYG (We Love Your Genes) hashtag that then took her career global. After turning heads in Europe on the catwalks of Jacquemus and Marni, she made her stateside debut on her 19th birthday at Calvin Klein’s Spring/Summer 2018 show.
Instagram: @alyssatraore
Anok Yai
Age: 20
Nationality: American
Height: 180cm
Represented by: Next Worldwide
A viral street style snap on Instagram took Yai from total anonymity to bonafide fame. Born in Cairo, Egypt, after her family fled genocide in Sudan, the Plymouth State University biochemistry student was raised in New Hampshire. She was attending a homecoming celebration at nearby Howard University in Washington, D.C., in October when photographer Steven Hall, aka @thesunk, spotted her. The understated but striking picture – and it’s 19,000 likes – captured the eye of Next Management president Kyle Hagler. Since then, she’s taken to runway and appeared in her first fashion shoot ever – both for Prada, no less.
Instagram: @anokyai
Olivia Burgess
Age: 25
Nationality: American
Height: 175cm
Represented by: Wilhelmina
A formally trained dancer and artist, Burgess was recovering from a knee injury when she was signed as a model – it was, she tells Vogue, “something to do during her recovery”. She’s also studying holistic nutrition at the Academy of Healing Nutrition in New York. Watch out for her runway debut in New York this season.
Instagram: @oliviaLburgess
Tash Ncube
Age: 21
Nationality: Australian
Height: 177cm
Represented by: Milk Management
Born in Zimbabwe, Ncube moved to Sydney, Australia, aged four. Though she now lives in New York and works as a model – she appeared on Australia’s Next Top Modeland has done a number of editorial features and beauty shoots – the Australian talent also studies law at Macquarie University Sydney. Expect to see her at the Chromat and Black Panther shows next.
Instagram: @tashncube
Chunjie Liu
Age: 23
Nationality: Chinese
Height: 178cm
Represented by: Supreme Management
Liu, an interior design graduate, began her modelling career after participating in a casting contest hosted by her mother agency, China Bentley. After making strides at Proenza Schouler, Dior and Acne at couture, Liu’s New York debut promises to be a major moment.
Instagram: @chunjie_liu
by Sam Rogers