13 model influencers to watch in 2026
The phrase “rising model” can mean different things. For some names, it refers to a breakout runway season; for others, it describes a creator whose fashion, fitness or lifestyle work has developed into a recognizable public career.
This list uses those two lanes separately. Each entry is based on an agency profile, an official brand or event page, a model-industry database, or named fashion coverage. Exact follower totals and show counts are avoided when the underlying source or counting method is unclear. “To watch” is an editorial description, not an official industry ranking.
Runway and editorial names
1. Bhavitha Mandava
Bhavitha Mandava’s rise began with a subway scouting story, but her runway record quickly gave it substance. NYU’s official profile identifies her as an Integrated Design and Media alumna and says she was spotted by a modeling scout on a New York subway in 2024. She made her runway debut as an exclusive for Bottega Veneta’s Spring/Summer 2025 show.
On December 2, 2025, she opened Chanel’s Métiers d’art 2026 show in New York. Vogue, Dazed, NYU and Models.com described her as the first Indian model to open a Chanel show. That narrower, attributed wording is preferable to the broader “first South Asian woman” claim sometimes attached to her profile.
Read the NYU profile, Vogue’s report and Chanel’s official collection page for the documented timeline.
2. Alex Consani
Alex Consani is an American model represented by IMG Models. She won Model of the Year at the British Fashion Council’s 2024 Fashion Awards and became the first openly transgender person or woman to receive the award, according to coverage from NBC News and UPI.
Her confirmed work includes Alexander McQueen’s Autumn/Winter 2025 campaign and the Stella McCartney x adidas Rasant trainer campaign. She has also appeared on major runways including Chanel, Burberry, Max Mara and Stella McCartney, but runway appearances should not be described as advertising campaigns without separate campaign credits.
Consani’s TikTok account had millions of followers when checked, although the number changes. Her combination of runway work and comedic fashion content makes her a strong example of a model whose public career crosses fashion and social media.
Sources include IMG Models, NBC News, Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney.
3. Wisdom Kaye
Wisdom Kaye is a model and fashion content creator represented by IMG in New York, London, Milan, Paris and Los Angeles. Vogue called him “the best-dressed guy on TikTok” in a 2020 profile, a description that captured the role personal styling played in his early rise.
Teen Vogue reported that IMG scouted and signed Kaye in 2020 and that he had already worked with brands including Dior. The available evidence does not support the stronger Dior-campaign claim, so that detail has been removed.
His story is useful because it shows how consistent fashion content can become a route into agency representation and commercial work. See his IMG profile, Vogue interview and Teen Vogue profile.
4. Lila Moss
Lila Moss, the daughter of Kate Moss and Jefferson Hack, made her runway debut by opening and closing Miu Miu’s Spring/Summer 2021 show in October 2020. The season label and the event date are both important: describing the debut simply as a 2021 event is misleading.
She has since appeared on covers of British Vogue, Vogue Hong Kong, Vogue Japan and Vogue España. The official magazine pages confirm British Vogue’s May 2022 cover, Vogue Hong Kong’s October 2021 issue, Vogue Japan’s November 2025 issue and Vogue España’s 2025 cover work.
Some profiles also report that Moss enrolled at Parsons School of Design in 2022. Because that detail was not confirmed through a primary school or personal source during this review, it is not presented here as a current education fact. For the documented fashion timeline, see British Vogue, Vogue Japan and Vogue España.
5. Salem Mitchell
Salem Mitchell is a Los Angeles–based working model represented by Freedom LA. She has also used interviews and social platforms to speak about inclusion, racial representation and the fashion industry’s approach to diversity.
Her modeling and public commentary have been covered by Nylon and i-D, including features published between 2017 and 2020. That is a documented history of coverage, but it should not be inflated into a claim of uninterrupted or current media attention.
Mitchell’s place on this list reflects the broader meaning of influence in fashion: not only campaign visibility, but also the ability to contribute to conversations about who is represented and how. See her Freedom Models profile, Nylon coverage and i-D profile.
6. Achol Ayor
Achol Ayor is a South Sudanese model who walked Prada and The Attico during Milan Fashion Week’s Spring/Summer 2026 season. Her mother agency, Joram Model Management, posted credits for both appearances in September 2025.
Coveteur also reported Milan SS26 appearances at Bottega Veneta, Sportmax, Roberto Cavalli, Etro and Alberta Ferretti, along with other fashion-month appearances at Saint Laurent, Simone Rocha, Tom Ford and Alexander McQueen. Because the complete list comes from that named report rather than one primary runway database, it is presented as attributed coverage rather than an independently audited show count.
The earlier “seven major houses in Milan alone” wording has been replaced with a source-led description. See Models.com, Coveteur’s breakout-models feature and Joram’s Prada credit.
Fashion-week regulars to watch
7. Betsy Gaghan
Betsy Gaghan is an American model represented by Next Management, including Next New York. Models.com described her as walking more than 30 shows during the Fall/Winter 2025 comeback season, while Business of Fashion reported 35 Autumn/Winter 2025 shows and 29 additional Spring/Summer 2025 shows.
Those published figures do not support the earlier exact annual total. Show-count totals vary according to which seasons, presentations and databases are included, so this article uses the attributed figures instead of presenting one unsupported total.
Gaghan also walked Chloé’s Spring/Summer 2026 show in Paris, according to Tagwalk’s runway record. See her Next profile, Models.com feature and Chloé runway record.
8. Hejia Li
Hejia Li is a Chinese model whose Shanghai mother agency is esee Model Management. Models.com also lists agencies in other international markets, so “represented by esee” is best understood as a mother-agency relationship rather than an exclusive worldwide arrangement.
Esee credited Li with Chanel’s Spring/Summer 2026 show in an October 2025 post. The earlier exact show-count claim has been removed: fashion databases use different tracking rules, and the sources reviewed did not establish a definitive total.
For a documented starting point, read Vogue’s interview, Models.com and Esee’s Chanel post.
9. Sara Caballero
Sara Caballero is a Chilean-Spanish model represented by Elite Paris. Models.com’s November 2025 profile says she logged 35 shows across Milan, Paris and New York during that season.
She also walked Victoria Beckham’s Spring/Summer 2026 show, according to Tagwalk’s runway record. The earlier exact show-count claim was not supported by the strongest available source, so it has been removed rather than replaced with another unexplained number.
See Elite Paris’s model listing, Models.com and the Victoria Beckham runway record.
10. Awar Odhiang
Awar Odhiang is a Canadian model whose mother agency is Calgary-based Mode Models International. The Calgary Herald and Business of Fashion have described her work for major fashion houses, including Hermès.
The sources reviewed do not substantiate the earlier exact annual total. Business of Fashion uses the more careful wording “dozens” of major shows, while Models.com displays a cumulative show archive rather than a verified calendar-year total.
That distinction matters: a documented Hermès appearance is useful information, but an exact annual ranking needs a dated show log and a transparent counting method. Read her Mode Models profile, Calgary Herald profile and Business of Fashion profile.
11. Lauren Huyskens
Lauren Huyskens is a Belgium-listed fashion model represented by agencies including RAYM Management, Viva Paris and The Society in New York. Her Viva Paris profile credits her with a Sacai runway appearance.
Models.com has also included Huyskens on its Hot List, a curated selection of in-demand newcomers. That is a specific industry-platform designation, not proof of a universal European consensus that she is a “face to watch.”
The more precise description is therefore a model with a documented Sacai credit and a current Hot List mention. See Viva Paris, Models.com and the Sacai show record.
Social-first fashion and fitness creators
12. Leana Deeb
Leana Deeb is a fitness and lifestyle content creator known for workout, routine and personal-growth content. She is also the founder of Uplift You, a platform focused on fitness and personal development.
Gymshark’s official profile confirms that Deeb collaborated with the brand on a modest activewear collection and helped design it. TIME and Women’s Health also covered the collaboration. The available evidence supports calling Deeb a creator, trainer or fitness influencer; it does not establish that she is a professional fashion model, so the earlier occupational label has been removed.
Explore her official YouTube channel, Uplift You and Gymshark profile.
13. Becca Bloom
Becca Bloom, whose public name is Rebecca Ma, is a luxury-fashion and lifestyle content creator. Her posts cover fashion, travel, finance and advice, and UTA announced her representation in all areas in April 2025.
The sources reviewed describe Bloom as a content creator and influencer, not as a fitness model. A workout video or fashion image is not enough to establish a professional modeling occupation, so the earlier occupational description has been corrected.
For more context, read UTA’s announcement, TIME’s profile and Variety’s report. The image caption has also been corrected to identify Becca Bloom rather than Leana Deeb.
How this list was checked
This article was rebuilt around public agency listings, official brand or event pages, model-industry records and named fashion coverage. Exact show counts are included only when the source and counting scope are clear. Where a source reports a runway credit or historical distinction, the wording identifies that source instead of presenting a promotional claim as an objective ranking.
A model’s follower total, agency listing or campaign credit can change. The absence of a figure in this article is intentional: it is better to leave out a number than to give readers a false impression of precision.
Final assessment
These 13 names represent different routes through the current fashion ecosystem. Some, such as Bhavitha Mandava, Alex Consani and Lila Moss, have documented runway or editorial milestones. Others, including Leana Deeb and Becca Bloom, show how creator-led fashion and lifestyle work can develop alongside—or instead of—a traditional runway career.
The list is a source-led watchlist, not a claim that these models are ranked by wealth, followers or industry power. Their careers will continue to change, so readers should treat dated agency, runway and platform information as a snapshot rather than a permanent label.
Editorial note
Reviewed October 9, 2026. Claims were checked against official agency, brand and event pages; Models.com, Tagwalk and other industry databases; and named fashion publications. Unsupported exact show counts, overstated campaign descriptions and unverified occupational labels were removed or qualified. Existing article images were retained; the final image caption was corrected to identify Becca Bloom.
Read more
If you enjoy profiles that separate public evidence from online assumptions, read our guide to how to tell whether an Instagram model is AI-generated. For another creator-to-business story, you can also read about models who turned into founders, with the usual caution to check each article’s sources.
Sources reviewed
- NYU profile of Bhavitha Mandava — education, scouting and runway timeline.
- IMG Models: Alex Consani — representation and professional profile.
- British Fashion Council Awards coverage via NBC News — 2024 award and historical distinction.
- IMG Models: Wisdom Kaye — current agency profile.
- British Vogue: Lila Moss — family context and Miu Miu debut.
- Freedom Models: Salem Mitchell — agency profile and representation work.
- Coveteur: 2025 breakout models — attributed Achol Ayor runway coverage.
- Models.com: Betsy Gaghan — season context and show-count wording.
- Esee Model Management’s Chanel post — Hejia Li’s attributed SS26 credit.
- Elite Paris: Sara Caballero — agency listing.
- Mode Models: Awar Odhiang — official agency profile.
- Viva Paris: Lauren Huyskens — Sacai runway credit.
- Gymshark: Leana Deeb — creator and activewear collaboration.
- UTA announcement: Becca Bloom — representation and creator description.
