5 upcoming top models to keep an eye on

They are beautiful, talented, unique. You've seen them be the stars of the latest fashion weeks, walking the catwalks of the major brands and working for the most important campaigns. Each one, with her own style and personality, is fighting to change the fashion industry, promoting inclusion, body positivity and expanding the Eurocentric concept of beauty.

Learn their names because these young women are meant to do great things: Paloma Elsesser, Maty Fall, Adesuwa Aighewi, Mona Tougaard and Raya Martigny.

Paloma Elsesser

Her face is one of the most famous in contemporary fashion, but you may not know that Paloma Elsesser was born in London in 1992, to a Buddhist-Afro-American mother and a father of Chilean-Swiss descent, but she grew up in Los Angeles. Her modeling career began almost by accident, after make-up artist Pat McGrath noticed her Instagram profile and cast her for the Golden Makeover limited edition campaign. Since then, came the covers of Vogue and other prestigious magazines, collaborations with Savage x Fenty, Fenty Beauty, Nike, ASOS, H&M, and the debut as an actress in Uncut Gems. An unforgettable highlight of her career was Glossier's Body Hero ad campaign starring Paloma, portrayed completely nude to prove that "being fat is not a burden, nor something to be ashamed of." Elsesser, in fact, is one of the most influential body positivity activists in fashion and, working in the industry, is fighting against the stereotype that suggests a model's status should be applied to someone thin, tall, and white. Her voice became even louder after Paloma walked the runway for Fendi, Lanvin, and Alexander McQueen and joined the TIME Magazine 100 Next list that names the personalities who are shaping contemporary culture. On that occasion, friend and colleague Ashley Graham described her perfectly:

"Paloma Elsesser knows who she is. From the moment I met her, I could tell she’s the type of woman who walks to the beat of her own drum. You don’t know cool until you’ve met Paloma—outgoing, dynamic and magnetic. She challenges the norm and refuses to conform to what society has set as the typical beauty standard. She reminds her friends, colleagues and fans to constantly be loud and take up space. In doing so, she’s helped so many women feel powerful within their own strong and beautiful bodies."

Salvatore Ferragamo

Lanvin

Chloé

Fendi

Alexander McQueen

Eckhaus Latta

Gabriela Hearst

Prabal Gurung

Coach

Fendi

Marni

Savage X Fenty

Maryam Nassir Zadeh

Ganni

Maty Fall

Maty Fall Diba is 19 years old, she lives in Chiampo, in the province of Vicenza, but she comes from Ouest Foire, a Senegalese city a few steps from Dakar and the Atlantic Ocean. Beautiful and very young, the Img Models agency recruited her immediately after meeting her and Pier Paolo Piccioli cast her to close the SS20 show of Valentino. In a short time, she has walked the major catwalks: from Saint Laurent to Dior, from Jacquemus to Burberry, from Salvatore Ferragamo to Etro. A shot of her on the cover of Vogue Italy in February 2020 has aroused (sterile) controversy, and Maty responded with a smile, continuing to divide her life between her high school teenager and successful model. Because the revolution needs facts and not words.

Etro

Philosophy by Lorenzo Serafini

Dior

Lanvin

Versace

Sportmax

Hugo Boss

Alberta Ferretti

Saint Laurent

Dsquared2

Valentino