With the start of a new season of Fashion Month comes a fresh cast of faces vying to be the next Karlie, Joan, or Gigi. Here in New York, that means the city suddenly seems to be crawling with 5’11 teenagers in black skinny jeans as girls make their way from castings to fittings to presentations and shows—and for everyone else, that means there’s a brand-new batch of models on the rise to follow on social media.
Even before NYFW really gets underway, a few have pulled ahead as front runners for the big shows (think Marc Jacobs, Alexander Wang, and Proenza Schouler), whether through a splashy debut last season, blue-chip campaign bookings, or just a general buzz in the air (see, modeling doesn’t really traffic in fact and figures so much as je ne sais quois).
Ahead, meet ten of our favorite girls of the season, from a flame-haired Wang fave to a Dominican Louis Vuitton star making her NYFW debut. There’s still plenty of time for rookies to pull ahead, but for now, these are our picks for the head of the class.
Katie Moore
@katherineann.moore
Moore's fate was sealed the second she stomped out as the opening face at Alexander Wang's Fall 2016 show, hair freshly shorn and dyed a supernatural shade of red by stylist Guido Palau. As a registered member of the #WANGSQUAD, you can bet we'll be seeing the Texan at the September 10 show—but we hope that recognizable 'do will also be popping up elsewhere in New York this time around.
Photo:
Trump Models
Katie Moore
Photo:
instagram
Katie Moore
Photo:
Trump Models
Mayowa Nicholas
@mayowanicholas
Even in a crowd of professionally beautiful people, this statuesque Nigerian manages to stand out. First, there's the walk: it's pretty much perfect. Then, there's the preternaturally glowy skin and piercing stare—no wonder Miu Miu and Dolce & Gabbana have come a'knocking.
Photo:
The Society
Mayowa Nicholas
Photo:
instagram
Mayowa Nicholas
Miu Miu Fall/Winter 2016 campaign
Photo:
instagram
Faretta
@lafaretta
As far as career kickoffs go in modeling, a Givenchy exclusive is pretty close to the top. This feline Croat is just in her second season (third if you count a killer couture week), but with the seal of approval from Riccardo Tisci, she's on the fast track to the top.
Photo:
The Society
Faretta
Photo:
Getty Images
Charlee Fraser
@charleefraser
Another beneficiary of Guido Palau's magic scissors, Fraser enjoyed a few years of steady work before rocketing to the upper levels of the industry in the wake of Alexander Wang's fall show, at which she debuted a swingy, face-framing bob. Since then, the 21-year-old, who's of Indigenous Australian descent, has booked campaign work with Céline, Givenchy, and Net-A-Porter, and appeared in American Vogue.
Photo:
IMG Models
Charlee Fraser
Photo:
instagram
Charlee Fraser
Céline Winter 2016 campaign
Photo:
Céline
Estelle Chen
@chen_estelle
It's a very good sign when both the Chanels and H&Ms of the world are calling your name, and this French model-in-the-making has got everyone shouting. Follow her for behind-the-scenes snaps from her magazine shoots and world travels, plus the occasional chia pudding bowl for good measure.
Photo:
The Society
Estelle Chen
Photo:
instagram
Estelle Chen
Photo:
instagram
Caitie Greene
@donnie_darko0
While she may look stone-cold serious in this season's Prada and Coach campaigns, on Instagram, this Midwestern model is kind of a goofball, posting shots of toy dolls found strewn on the street and ultra-closeups of cats faces alongside pics from her Vogue Italia cover shoot with Steven Meisel.
Photo:
Next Management
Caitie Greene
Photo:
instagram
Caitie Greene
Photo:
instagram
Luna Bijl
@mxlunaa
This Dutchie hit the major leagues this summer with the August cover of Vogue Paris just a year after making her runway debut. With crossover appeal that's earned her gigs for Topshop as well as Emporio Armani, we'd be shocked if she didn't clean up at the Spring '17 shows.
Photo:
DNA Model Management
Luna Bijl
Photo:
instagram
Luna Bijl
Photo:
instagram
Luisana Gonzaléz
@luisana_gonzalez24
She might not have quite as many Instagram followers as her neighbor in the newest Louis Vuitton campaign—ahem, that would be Selena Gomez—but this Dominican stunner is building a steady fanbase in the industry, and we'd bet good money you'll be seeing her face around more and more in seasons to come.
Photo:
Ford Models
Luisana Gonzaléz
Photo:
instagram
Luisana Gonzaléz
Louis Vuitton Fall/Winter 2016
Photo:
Louis Vuitton
Nicole Atieno
@nicoleatieno
Not only did her turn in Gucci's Spring 2016 show land her a spot in the brand's campaign, it was so memorable it inspired fan art—which the German-born model dutifully re-grammed. With her close-cropped natural hair and brilliant, toothy smile, Atieno embodies the youthful spirit Alessandro Michele has harnessed with the label—and other designers are no doubt taking note.
Photo:
Wilhelmina
Nicole Atieno
Photo:
instagram
Nicole Atieno
Photo:
Wilhelmina
Lily Olsen
@lily0e
Brand new to NYFW, Olsen is a sculptor and photographer (check her work here) who was plucked from obscurity (read: Instagram) last season by Lotta Volkova, stylist and right-hand woman to Demna Gvasalia, to walk for Vetements and Balenciaga in Paris.
Photo:
Ford Models
Lily Olsen
Photo:
instagram
Lily Olsen
Photo:
instagram