14 Trans Figures Making Fashion History

LA-based Pierre Davis was the first Black trans designer to ever debut a collection at New York Fashion Week. With a well-deserved title, Davis made headlines for her inclusive brand No Sesso, which translates to “no sex/no gender.” With her avant-garde designs and creative vision, Davis focuses on celebrating the Black community and building an all-inclusive environment through fashion.

After being discovered by Louis Vuitton designer Nicolas Ghesquière, Teddy Quinlivan became a high-profile model and advocate. After coming out in 2017, she became one of the influential models speaking out for trans advocacy and the #MeToo movement. A true trailblazer, Quinlivan became the first trans model to front a Chanel campaign.

You may recognize Hunter Schafer from the runways of Marc Jacobs, Prada, and Miu Miu, or, most notably, from HBO's Euphoria. Before the 26-year-old became a model and actor, however, Schafer was always a trans activist. As a high schooler, Schafer protested for trans rights, even suing North Carolina over the bathroom bill, which requires people to use public restrooms according to the gender they were assigned at birth. Schafer also spoke out against the Trump administration after seeing her gender changed on it to the one she was assigned at birth.

Bronx-native Indya Moore was named one of Time's most influential people in 2019, and for good reason. The nonbinary actor is outspoken about trans and gender-nonconforming representation and has made an impact in fashion and Hollywood. Before their role as Angel Evangelista on Pose, Moore modeled for Christian Dior and Gucci as a teenager, and opened Jason Wu's socially-distanced Spring/Summer 2021 show.

Known and loved by many, Alex Consani is easily the biggest model at the moment. At only 21 years old, Consani has already walked for the biggest brands in fashion. From Mugler, Givenchy, Marc Jacobs, Ferragamo, Moschino, Grace Ling, Luar, and many others, Consani has been dominating the runways, campaigns and magazines. She is also extremely loved by her millions of followers on TikTok, where her quirky and funny personality have made her the most loved model of the moment. She was also named Model of the Year at the 2024 Fashion Awards in London, becoming the first trans model to do so.

Chella Man is a prominent voice for both the deaf and LGBTQ+ communities. The 26-year-old is an activist and artist, who has shared his journey on social media, making YouTube videos about his life as a trans, deaf, genderqueer, and Chinese and Jewish person of color. As a model, he's been featured in Christian Cowan’s Spring/Summer 2021 collection and worked on campaigns for Calvin Klein and Gap.

One of the most notable male trans models today, Laith Ashley has a long list of high-profile modeling gigs, including a Calvin Klein underwear campaign. Before becoming a model, he worked as a social worker at an LGBTQ+ community health center. With a heart of gold, the model continues to be an inspiration for the trans community.

Despite training as a Buddhist monk, Mimi Tao always knew that lifestyle wasn’t for her. Training under former Thai model Rojjana “Yui” Phetkanha, Tao had her sights on becoming a supermodel in New York City. After debuting as Project Runway’s first trans model, Tao continues to walk fashion week runways and star in editorials.

Brooklyn resident and designer Gogo Graham handmakes clothes for the trans community. Before creating her own Depop shop, Graham designed for J-Pop bands and LGBT icon RuPaul. Now, she creates garments for trans women that are made with different body types in mind, and donates proceeds from specific pieces from her shop to organizations like For the Gworls, which supports Black trans communities.

Nathan Westling is no stranger to the runway. He made his debut for Marc Jacobs in 2013 and starred in campaigns for houses including Chanel, Versace, Prada, and Christian Dior. Since transitioning in 2019, Westling left New York for the sunny streets of Los Angeles as Nathan and went on pause from modeling, but has expressed that he'll likely return to fashion.

Competing on America’s Next Top Model in 2008, Isis King was one of the few trans women to appear on TV. She first gained modeling experience in the ballroom scene. After ANTM, she pursued acting and went on to be cast in Ava DuVernay’s When They See Us. King continues to work in fashion, modeling for Rihanna's Savage X Fenty, Christian Cowan, and other cutting-edge designers.

A trans model icon and recent Victoria's Secret angel, Jones is a model that is beloved by many in the fashion community. Known for her powerful walk publicly labeled as 'the walk of all walks,' Jones has gone viral on social media for her several runways for brands like Maison Margiela, Ferragamo, Mugler, Chloe, ALL-IN, and Dsquared2, to name a few. This fashion month, she's already walked Ferragamo, Etro, and Boss and, like Alex Consani, is set to be in Paris, where we will probably get to see more of her iconic walk.

With her debut only a year ago at Burberry, Dubois has made a huge name for herself in the modeling industry, having opened for Dolce and Gabbana and closed for Diesel. She's walked dozens of shows like Balmain, Mugler, Off-White, Ferragamo, Maison Margiela, and GCDS, among many others, and has appeared on covers of magazines and campaigns. 

Singer and model Britney Manson already has a pretty big following, yet every year she continues to dominate the catwalks in New York, London, Milan and Paris - and this year is no different. Having already walked for her dream brand this season, Philipp Plein, and with Paris Fashion Week just beginning, we're anticipating seeing more of Manson's iconic walks very soon.