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's 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 line-ups 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.
- Photo: Yannis Vlamos / Indigital.tv,Photo: Yannis Vlamos / Indigital1/12
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
2/12Age: 18 Nationality: Australian Height: 175cm Represented by: The Society Management
Born in 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 at the age of seven. Her modelling career began 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
Indigital3/12Calvin Klein
- Photo: Kim Weston Arnold / Indigital.tv,Photo: Kim Weston Arnold / Indig4/12
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: @tingstopsign
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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 who launched her career with Calvin Klein, 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
- Photo: Yannis Vlamos / Indigital.tv,Photo: Yannis Vlamos / Indigital6/12
Age: 18
Nationality: British Height: 178cm Represented by: Storm ManagementSpring/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 culinary adventures.
Instagram: @fransummers
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Age: 22 Nationality: Trinidadian
Height: 183cm Represented by: Crawford ModelsOriginally 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
- Photo: Marcus Tondo / Indigital.tv8/12
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
