The first transgender woman to win Model of the Year is American model Alex Consani, who has made numerous high-profile runway appearances for brands like Victoria’s Secret, Stella McCartney, and Chanel.
The highly sought-after 21-year-old, who is renowned for her unusual bleached hair and eyebrows, took home the trophy on Monday night at the 2024 Fashion Awards in London.
Consani described her victory as a “big step in the right direction” during her acceptance speech to a star-studded audience at the Royal Albert Hall.
“Now, more than ever, it’s an important conversation that should be had about how to truly support and uplift one another within this industry, especially those who have been made to feel insignificant,” she added, to cheers from the crowd, after collecting her trophy from model and body activist Ashley Graham and “Baby Reindeer” star Nava Mau.
“Because change is more than possible — it’s needed.”
In 2019, Consani became well-known on TikTok, where she currently has about 4 million followers, after signing with IMG Models, an agency that represents supermodels like Claudia Schiffer, Hailey Bieber, and the Hadid sisters. She walked the catwalk for Versace and Alexander McQueen after making her debut for Tom Ford in 2021.
Consani and Valentina Sampaio created history in October when they were the first trans models to walk the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show catwalk.
California-born Consani, who was wearing a torn Union Flag dress by Turkish-British designer Dilara Findikoglu, honored Black transgender women, including fellow models Aaron Rose Philip and Connie Fleming, in her acceptance speech by saying that they “really fought for the space … that allowed me to flourish today.” She also thanked her parents for helping her pursue her dream of being a model.
According to the British Fashion Council, which organizes the award, the renowned Model of the Year Award combines the feedback of an industry panel with the outcome of a public vote to recognize the “global impact” of someone who has “dominated the industry” in the past 12 months. Last year, plus-size model Paloma Elsesser received the prize, while Kai-Isaiah Jamal, a black trans model, was one of the nominees.
Jonathan Anderson, the founder of JW Anderson and creative director of Loewe, took home the coveted Designer of the Year award for the second year in a row at Monday’s gala. Additionally, Tom Ford received the Outstanding Achievement Award from Anna Wintour, the editor-in-chief of Vogue.
The glamorous event, which included performances by Blondie singer Debbie Harry and Afrobeats artist Wizkid, brought together prominent figures from the fashion sector with celebrities from the entertainment, music, and sports industries, such as Rita Ora and Venus Williams. Rihanna, whose partner A$AP Rocky won the Cultural Innovator Award, was also present (and sporting a striking blue furry cap).
Meanwhile, Simone Rocha and Grace Wales Bonner won the categories for the top British womenswear and menswear designers, respectively. Rocha approached the stage with a plea to “free Palestine,” and her acceptance speech was one of many political moments.
A few days after London Fashion Week declared it would be the first of the “big four” fashion weeks to forbid exotic animal skins on its runways, an animal rights activist stormed the red carpet earlier in the evening to protest the fashion industry’s usage of feathers.
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