If you haven’t heard of supermodel Alex Consani, buckle up because she is making fashion history. The superstar shows no signs of slowing down as she quickly becomes a staple in the contemporary zeitgeist. Tandem to strutting down runways and keeping us all laughing with her content, she is adamant about using her influence to pave a more inclusive tomorrow.
Who is She?
Just this past December, Alex Consani made history as she became the first transgender model to win Model of the Year at the annual Fashion Awards in London. This happened mere months after Consani, along with Valentine Sampaio, became the first transgender model to walk in a Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. Just recently awarded a spot on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Youngest list, Alex Consani has cemented herself as a modern-day it girl.
Getting her start on TikTok in 2019, Consani has spent 2024 cementing herself in high fashion. She has amassed a dedicated fan base of over 4 million followers on TikTok and has strutted down some of the world’s most renowned catwalks. Consani has walked in over twenty shows, including Ferragamo, Jean Paul Gaultier Haute Couture, and Thom Browne. Additionally, she starred in a Rhode Beauty campaign with Hailey Bieber and Paloma Elsesser and went viral for her cameo in Charli XCX’s star-filled “360” music video.
Getting Her Start
Consani grew up in Marin County, just a short drive from San Francisco. Starting at a young age, Consani’s mother took her to a trans youth summer camp, where joy was the norm. It was at this summer camp that Consani says she first felt truly connected to her community. One summer, on the eight-hour drive back from the camp, Consani asked her mom if she could model. Thus, at age 13, Consani signed with Slay Model Agency, a small West Coast agency committed to increasing trans visibility.
“Having the title of being the youngest-ever signed trans model on my chest pushed me to work harder and strive for more in my career. I go to work now and am reminded of those times when I was doing it for free and doing it with my mom and having to beg her to drive me eight hours, seven hours, five hours—whatever just to be out there.”
Alex Consani, Meet Alex Consani: The People’s Princess
Now, Consani lives as a starlet of New York City, often going viral on TikTok for screaming obscenities in subway stations or strutting around in the latest fashions.
Alex Consani’s Call to Action
Tandem to her work in fashion and her witty TikTok content, Consani is adamant about reminding her fans, and now the world, that there is still work to be done to create a more inclusive fashion industry. In a conversation with People Magazine, she shares,
“When we have conversations about fashion, we’re talking about what society views as beautiful or acceptable. I don’t see the people I’m inspired by doing the same jobs I’m doing or getting the same support. It’s upsettinig. Where are the dolls [a term used to refer to other trans women] of color? Where’s the South Asian models? The Native American/Indigenous model?”
Alex Consani, Alex Consani Says ‘It’s Crazy’ Being One of the 1st Trans Models to Walk Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show: ‘More We Can Do’
Not only does Consani call for more diversity, but she also brings awareness to her privilege. She often states that she owes her success to her whiteness, making it a point to pay homage to the black trans women who paved the way for her success. She told People Magazine,
“The personality that I have and the energy I give is so heavily inspired by Black Trans women. People see me as kitschy and different, but if you’re ever around a black doll then you kind of get the same energy I am celebrated for. I’m celebrated because I’m white.”
Alex Consani, Alex Consani on the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, Being a Gen Z Icon, and Trans Representation in Fashion
History of Exclusivity in the Fashion Industry
When talking about Alex Consani as a trailblazer, it is important to recognize the historic exclusivity of the fashion industry. An example of this comes from the company that is now being praised: Victoria’s Secret. In 2017, Leyla Bloom, a transgender model, tweeted, “trying to be the 1st trans model of color [to] walk a #VictoriaSecret Fashion show,” followed by #transisbeautiful and #leynabloom. In an indirect response to her proposal, the disgraced former CMO of L Brands (Victoria Secret’s parent company) Ed Razek retorted that he wouldn’t put trans models on the runway because “the show is fantasy,” creating a controversy that the brand has never really recovered from.
To better understand why this prejudice exists, we can reflect on the figure of the fashion model as it relates to capitalism and culture. Sociologist Ashley Mear argues in her book Pricing Beauty that the fashion industry is built on the illusion of glamour that models help to facilitate. In this process, the model’s body becomes commodified—a tool used to sell a fantasy, a product, or a desired lifestyle. Therefore, the model’s body takes on a cultured meaning; models create culture’s desired image/s of beauty, luxury, and sex. As a result, producers of the fashion industry leverage this cultural influence to define trends. Modeling scouts act as eagles hunting for girls they can be mold to perpetuate these images and trends. These models, almost, are always cis, white, and thin.
“In other words, in signing a modeling contract, the model has agreed to her commodification. In this commodification process, the ideal gender is constructed because modeling is the ‘professionalization of gender,’”
Ashley Mear, Pricing Beauty: The Making of a Model
Where are we Today?
While models like Consani and Victoria Sampaio get their well-deserved and overdue praise, the fashion industry continues to exclude models that do not fit the dominant images of male and female. The distinction between male and female is how the fashion industry organizes itself commercially and artistically. Consequently, Non-binary models are been denied space within the fashion industry, as they do not fit the binary that the industry hinges on. If non-binary models are represented, it is in this aestheticized vision of “difference.” They appear blatantly separate from the other models, typically in an off-brand version of androgyny.
Consani brings attention to this “digestible diversity” that is taking place.
“If you think about things in terms of politics, it’s difficult because trans people being present is political… It shouldn’t be, but nowadays, it is. As much change as there is, there are a lot of people who are fearful of that. That’s why when we talk about inclusivity, it’s always digestible inclusivity. If you’re a minority, that’s all you can be. You have to be skinny and Black or skinny and trans or trans and white or trans and trans-passing.”
Alex Consani, Meet Alex Consani: The People’s Princess
In our current political climate, lawmakers heavily scrutinize trans bodies. This year alone, legislators introduced over 550 bills aimed at rolling back gender-affirming care and equitable conditions for trans people in sports, education, and healthcare, according to the Trans Legislation Tracker. These laws primarily target trans youth, blocking their access to medical tools and hormone replacement therapy that empowered Consani to live her truth and achieve her dreams. Politicians increasingly politicize and regulate transgender children, denying them the chance to live authentically. Consani’s success as a trans child underscores the necessity of these resources
Modern Efforts Towards Inclusion
This is not to say that the fashion industry is not putting more effort into diversifying. Now more than ever, fashion is working to separate itself from its history. For example, many modeling agencies have tried to show their allegiance to non-binary models by not categorizing their models by gender.
A great example of a high fashion house making efforts towards inclusion is Maison Margiela’s. Creatively directed by John Galliano, a legendary and controversial fashion figure, Margiela’s Spring Summer 2024 Artisanal show recently made waves in pop culture. Held under the Pont Alexandre III in Paris, the show opens with a stellar performance by one-armed singer Cate le Bon, followed by a runway show featuring an intentional variety of races, ethnicities, and body types.
Regarding the VS show, Victoria Sampaio tells PEOPLE,
“Today, The Victoria’s Secret family has shown the world that being trans is just as exceptional and beautiful as anyone else on that runway.” She continued, “Inclusivity is crucial to the world we’re building, and I’m honored to walk with pride, love, and the hope of inspiring the next generation.”
Alex Consani, Alex Consani Says ‘It’s Crazy’ Being One of the 1st Trans Models to Walk Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show: ‘More We Can Do’
As viewers and lovers of fashion, we must remain vigilant, as Alex does. It is important to celebrate the success of Consani and the industry’s momentum toward inclusivity while also agreeing with her sentiment that more needs to be done. In the wise words of Ms. Consani, who has had a kick-ass 2024 and has taken impactful steps to start important dialogues and mobilize the industry producers,
“Now more than ever, it’s an important conversation that should be had about how to truly support and uplift one another within the industry, especially those who have been made to feel insignificant. Because change is more than possible—it’s needed.”
Alex Consani, In a First, Transgender Woman Wins Model of the Year
