The 11 Standout Models of Spring-Summer 2023

This season’s runways seemed to be brimming with Cinderella stories: A woman who was scouted on the street in Missouri as a young teenager made her runway debut for Proenza Schouler, a teenager cemented their remarkable transition from viral comedian on TikTok to bona fide high-fashion model, and a non-binary model strut for a slew of prestigious houses.

Some of the most exciting names were models who made their debuts a year or two ago. The move signals a commitment from designers to fostering exciting new talent. Below, a guide to eleven models who added memorable sparks to the season’s collections.

Photo: Courtesy of Courreges1/11Sun MizrahiAge: 24
Agency: Inch Models Management
Hometown: Tel Aviv, Israel
Season Highlights: Dior, Hermès, Botega Venetta, Fendi
Instagram: @sunmizrahiiSun Mizrahi is the daughter of the Israeli former professional football player Alon Mizrahi, but she’s making a name for herself. She only started modeling a year ago and already has an impressively stacked résumé. She has fronted a campaign for Blue Marine and walked for Y Project, Lemaire, Fendi, and Botega Venetta. Her true breakthrough moment came when she opened Jacquemus’s Le Papier show, which took place in South France in June. Not too long after, she appeared in the ad campaign for the French designer’s buzzed about collaboration with sportswear giant Nike. This season she appeared in a whopping 23 shows—six of them being Dior, Hermès, Bottega Venetta, Fendi, Michael Kors, and Tommy Hilfiger.

Photo: Filippo Fior / Gorunway.com2/11Ava ChristianAge: 18
Agency: Mother Models
Hometown: Wentzville, Missouri
Season Highlights: Miu Miu, Fendi, Proenza Schouler
Instagram: @avaa.christianThis Midwest beauty was scouted four years ago—by the St. Louis–based agency Mother Models— but made her runway debut at Proenza Schouler this season. It was certainly worth the wait. The 18-year-old was the toast of fashion month, appearing in prestigious shows such as Miu Miu, Loewe, Lanvin, Fendi, and Sacai. Christian brought naturalistic confidence and beauty to every catwalk she graced, offering up soft visions of beauty. And don’t call her winning streak beginner’s luck. This Missourian is fast-becoming Europe’s cream of the crop. She certainly has staying power.ADVERTISEMENT

Photo: Daniele Oberrauch / Gorunway.com3/11Annemary AderibigbeAge: 22
Agency: Milk Management
Hometown: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Season Highlights: Tom Ford, YSL, Versace
Instagram: @annemaryaderibigbeWith a shoot for Vogue Scandinavia under her belt, Dutch model Annemarry Aderibigbe kicked off a knockout season by walking for Brandon Maxwell. During the European collections, she donned ’90s-flavored cornrows at Sacai and Victoria Beckham, and crinkled, almost wet hair for Ludovic de Saint Sernin. The elegant beauty appeared in an impressive 17 shows this season. We’re guessing she’ll easily beat this new personal record next season.

Photo: Isidore Montag / Gorunway.com4/11Abény NhialAge: 22
Agency: Que Models
Hometown: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Season Highlights: Dior, Burberry, Hermès
Instagram: @abenynhialAbény Nhial is already part of fashion history. The 22-year-old model, who was born in Brisbane and has South Sudanese heritage, appeared on the seminal cover of February’s British Vogue. The all-African cover was a powerful celebration of diversity, inclusion, and representation, and came only a year after Nhial made her Europe debut at Alexander McQueen as part of London Fashion Week. Nhial has masterfully rode the wave pushing her forward, working for Marc Jacobs, Area, and Burberry. Able to effortlessly match the codes of each house she works for, she embodied Parisian It girl at Dior Couture and then colorful glam at Zimmermann.

Photo: Isidore Montag / Gorunway.com5/11Alin SzewczykAge: 22
Agency: Uncover Models
Hometown: Warsaw, Poland
Season Highlights: Prada, Loewe, Louis VuittonFashion often operates as an escapist fantasy where societal rules and codes can be broken. But there can sometimes be, annoyingly, an antiquated approach to gender. One bright spot towards progress came in the form of Alin Szewczyk. They were serendipitously scouted not too far from Uncover’s offices in Warsaw and signed in June 2022. Szewczyk made their debut by closing out Prada’s spring 2023 show. Their grand tour continued over in Paris for Louis Vuitton and Loewe. They are part of a growing, and much-needed, wave of non-binary models walking in top bill shows—subtly pushing for a greater and more full-throated embrace of gender non-conformity within fashion.

Photo: Isidore Montag / Gorunway.com6/11Rolf SchraderAge: 21
Agency: Francina Models
Hometown: Barcelona, Spain
Season Highlights: Prada, Acne Studios, Fendi
Instagram: @schraderrolfThis 21-year-old—who has dual nationality in Spain and Germany—was scouted one day while strolling around Barcelona. Since that fateful run-in, Schrader has become a reliable name to cast in shows. One of her standout moments came at Acne Studios, where she wore a dress that cranked the skin-revealing trend up to 100.

Photo: Daniele Oberrauch / Gorunway.com7/11Amelia Gray HamlinAge: 21
Agency: The Lions
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Season Highlights: Balenciaga, Vivienne Westwood, Diesel
Instagram: @ameliagrayAmelia Gray has been modeling for a few years now—as documented on previous seasons of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, where her mother, actor Lisa Rinna, is a fan-favorite cast member. But her most recent bout of gigs seemed to represent a bona fide high fashion breakthrough moment for the model, who currently boasts over one million followers on Instagram. Gray illustrated her ability to shape-shift as a model. She adopted British grunge for Vivienne Westwood, later crediting the designer on Instagram for inspiring her to break into fashion. And prior to that full-circle moment in Paris, Hamlin made standout appearances at Richard Quinn, Balenciaga, and Tommy Hilfiger. It’s clear: This model is a lot more than her last name.

Peter White/Getty Images8/11Alex ConsaniAge: 18
Agency: IMG Models
Hometown: Bay Area, California
Instagram: @alexconsaniAlex Consani is no joke. The 18-year-old has gone from crafting distinctly Gen-Z comedy videos on TikTok to strutting for labels such as Alexander McQueen and Versace. Not bad for someone who began their social media Cinderella story on a whim during COVID lockdowns. And while Consani hit an impressive number of runways during the fall 2022 season, this season solidified her status as a legitimate model. She was booked and busy, walking for Roberto Cavalli, Boss by Hugo Boss, Burberry, Chloé, Coperni, and many others. The most amazing part? Consani still finds time to showcase her unique and infectious sense of humor on TikTok in-between gigs.

Photo: Courtesy of The Row9/11Ida HeinerAge: 18
Agency: Women Management
Hometown: Copenhagen, Denmark
Season Highlights: Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Givenchy
Instagram: @idaheinerThis Danish beauty can’t be stopped. Heiner has become recognizable on the runway via her distinctive sharp cheekbones and prominent brow ridge. Heiner arrived on the scene with an early appearance at Louis Vuitton, and went on to walk shows like Schiaparelli, Chanel, Alaïa, and Fendi. With her dramatic look and powerful strut, the 18-year-old is growing into a knockout presence in shows and can even count an Instagram fan page dedicated to her work among her fast-accumulating accomplishments.

Photo: Daniele Oberrauch / Gorunway.com10/11Anyiang YakAge: 18
Agency: Society
Hometown: Buffalo, New Yok
Instagram: @anyiangyak
Season Highlights: Miu Miu, Valentino, Chloé.Anyiang Yak is only a high school senior and already has the impressive résumé of someone with far more years. She made her debut at the Prada and Miu Miu fall 2022 runway shows and spent the most recent season modeling for Missoni, Chloé, and Valentino among others. Still, Yak is very busy at school. She is involved in a variety of extracurriculars, including speech and debate, African dance and drumming troupe, band, tennis, and cross-country.

Photo: Isidore Montag / Gorunway.com11/11Wai Ki ChanAge: 22
Agency: Society
Hometown: Hong Kong
Season Highlights: Khaite, JW Anderson, Louis VuittonWai Ki Chan was born in New Zealand and moved to Hong Kong at the age of two. Previously, Chan had only dabbled with being a model when she was little. While at university, her volleyball teammate, a model, encouraged her to purse a modeling career. At first, Chan obliged out of curiosity towards what the fashion world be like from a model’s perspective. Today, however, she uses it as a conduit for self-reflection and self-exploration, in order to understand more about herself and her style. She believes modeling to be a way of bringing imagination to reality, a unique transformation that few careers can manifest .Since then, Chan has made the fashion industry all her own by appearing in shows for Khaite, JW Anderson, and Louis Vuitton. She is fluent in English, Cantonese, and Mandarin.

Source: Vogue