Alex Consani becomes first transgender Model of the Year

By Oscar Holland, CNN

(CNN) — American model Alex Consani has become the first transgender woman to win Model of the Year, following a string of high-profile runway appearances for labels like Chanel, Stella McCartney and Victoria’s Secret.

The in-demand 21-year-old, who is known for her distinctive bleached hair and eyebrows, claimed the title at the 2024 Fashion Awards in London on Monday evening.

In her acceptance speech, Consani told a star-studded audience at the Royal Albert Hall that her victory marked a “big step in the right direction.”

“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.”

Having signed with IMG Models (an agency representing supermodels including Claudia Schiffer, Hailey Bieber and the Hadid sisters) in 2019, Consani rose to prominence through TikTok, where she now boasts almost 4 million followers. She made her catwalk debut for Tom Ford in 2021 and later walked for top labels such as Alexander McQueen and Versace.

In October, Consani and Valentina Sampaio made history by becoming the first trans models to appear on the runway at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.

Wearing a ripped Union Flag dress by Turkish-British designer Dilara Findikoglu, California-born Consani used her acceptance speech to honor the Black transgender women — including fellow models Connie Fleming and Aaron Rose Philip — who “really fought for the space … that allowed me to flourish today.” She also paid tribute to her parents for supporting her modeling aspirations.

Recognizing the “the global impact” of someone who has “dominated the industry” in the last 12 months, the prestigious Model of the Year prize combines the opinion of an industry panel with the result of a public vote, according to award organizers the British Fashion Council. Black trans model Kai-Isaiah Jamal was among the nominees for last year’s award, which was ultimately won by plus-size model Paloma Elsesser.

Elsewhere at Monday’s ceremony, Jonathan Anderson, creative director of Loewe and founder of JW Anderson, won the coveted Designer of the Year award for the second consecutive year. And Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour presented Tom Ford with the Outstanding Achievement Award.

Featuring performances from Blondie singer Debbie Harry and Afrobeats star Wizkid, the glitzy ceremony saw major fashion industry figures rub shoulders with the stars of entertainment, music and sport, including Rita Ora and Venus Williams. Also in attendance (and wearing an eye-catching blue furry hat) was Rihanna, whose partner A$AP Rocky took home the Cultural Innovator Award.

Categories for the best British menswear and womenswear designers were meanwhile awarded to Grace Wales Bonner and Simone Rocha, respectively. Rocha’s acceptance speech was among several political moments, as she took the stage with a call to “free Palestine.”

Earlier in the evening, an animal rights demonstrator stormed the red carpet to protest the fashion industry’s use of feathers — just days after London Fashion Week’s announced that it will become the first of the “big four” fashion weeks to ban exotic animal skins on its runways.

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