Top 18 Transgender Models to Follow in 2026

Modeling used to be an industry whereby transgender people weren’t given the opportunity to tread—or walk. Well, after all, when modeling is mentioned, runway comes into mind. But we digress. Today, we’re not going to be talking about the oppression and exclusivity of the best.

We’ve created this guide to celebrate the most wonderful transgender models in the world. If you’re into fashion or an aspiring transgender supermodel, keep reading. Or… if you’re just into extraordinarily beautiful women, you’re most welcome.

1. Alex Consani

Alex Consani, a 21-year-old American model and influencer, has significantly impacted the fashion industry as a transgender woman. She began her modeling career in 2015 at age 12, becoming the world’s youngest transgender model at that time.

In October 2024, Consani made history as one of the first transgender models to walk the runway at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, marking a pivotal moment in the brand’s move towards inclusivity.

Her achievements continued when she was named Model of the Year at the 2024 Fashion Awards, becoming the first transgender woman to receive this honor.

Beyond the runway, Consani has amassed a substantial following on TikTok, where she shares comedic content and advocates for transgender representation. Her journey from a young model to a trailblazer in the fashion industry serves as an inspiration, highlighting the importance of authenticity and persistence.

Follow Alex Consani: Instagram | TikTok

Read also: Alex Consani’s Journey from TikTok to Victoria’s Secret

2. Hunter Schafer

Hunter Schafer built a fashion career before becoming widely known as an actress. She has walked major runways and worked with internationally recognized fashion houses, bringing an artistic and unconventional presence to both campaigns and red carpets.

Her role as Jules in Euphoria introduced her to a much larger audience, while later film work expanded her career beyond television. Schafer has also spoken publicly about transgender rights and previously challenged discriminatory policies in North Carolina.

Her influence comes from the way she moves between fashion, acting, art, and advocacy without allowing any single label to define her. She represents a generation of trans talent whose visibility reaches well beyond the runway.

Follow Hunter Schafer: Instagram | IMDb

3. Valentina Sampaio

When people are asked who their favorite model is, they immediately think of names from Victoria’s Secret. Women, most especially men, even without being adept with fashion, can at least name two Victoria’s Secret angels. Valentina is not only a transgender model, she’s a Victoria’s Secret model!

Moreover, her beauty didn’t only translate well into pop culture. Thanks to her androgynous siren-like allure, she became the first transgender woman to ever be on the cover of Vogue magazine. Added to that, this Brazillian babe is also Sport’s Illustrated magazine’s first transgender model.

Although she wasn’t as popular in the high-fashion industry as Teddy Quinlivan, she’s making a name as a rightful bombshell.

Follow Valentina Sampaio: Facebook | Instagram

4. Hari Nef

Hari Nef is an American model, actress, and writer whose career helped open important doors in fashion. After runway appearances at New York Fashion Week, she became the first openly transgender woman signed by IMG Models.

Her fashion work has included runway shows, editorials, and major campaigns, while her acting career has brought roles in television, film, and theater. Nef has also written about art, culture, gender and identity.

What makes her especially influential is her ability to bring an intellectual, fashion-forward voice to every field she enters. Her success showed that a trans model could be treated as a serious creative figure rather than a temporary symbol of diversity.

Follow Hari Nef: Instagram | X | IMDb

Read also: Hari Nef – The Transgender Triple Threat in Entertainment

5. Andreja Pejic

She started in the fashion industry as a male model. The Australian stunner of Bosnian descent was discovered while working at McDonald’s at the tender age of 17.

Just like Teddy Quinlivan, she is one of the hottest transgender models in the high-fashion world. She has worked with no less than Jean-Paul Gaultier, Marc Jacobs, and more. She also became the cover girl of L’Officiel, GQ, Elle, Marie Claire, Harper’s Bazaar, Numero, and more.

She was ranked 18 on Models.com Top 50 Models list. She also appeared in Vogue and Allure magazine’s editorials. A true trailblazer, she was the first openly transgender model to be profiled by Vogue. Andreja also dabbled in the movie industry when she debuted in a film called The Girl in the Spider’s Web.

Follow Andreja Pejic: Instagram | Threads

Read also: Andreja Pejić – When Fashion Meets Transgender Visibility

6. Leyna Bloom

Leyna Bloom is a trailblazing transgender model who has made significant strides in the fashion industry. Born in 1993, she began her modeling career in 2014 and has since become an influential figure, challenging societal norms and advocating for greater representation for trans people of color.

She has been featured in major fashion campaigns, including H&M, Levi’s, and Calvin Klein, and has graced the covers of several publications, including Vogue India and Teen Vogue.

Bloom has also made history as the first trans woman of color to star in a feature film at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2019, she starred in the movie “Port Authority” which premiered at Cannes and received critical acclaim. The film, directed by Danielle Lessovitz, follows the relationship between a young cisgender man and a trans woman of color in New York City.

To stay updated on Leyna Bloom’s work and advocacy, you can follow her on social media. Her Instagram handle is @leynabloom, where she regularly shares stunning photos and updates on her career. She also uses her platform to promote body positivity and self-love, inspiring her followers to embrace their true selves and live their best lives.

Follow Leyna Bloom: Instagram | TikTok

Read also: Leyna Bloom – When Fashion Meets Transgender Visibility

7. Ines Rau

When it comes to the discussion of hotness, Ines Rau always comes at the top of the list. It’s not hard to understand why as she’s French Playboy’s first transgender model. This is all thanks to her delicate and seductive features.

She was born in Paris and is of Algerian descent. A true-blue itgirl, she has been in the party scene of Ibiza since she was a teen. Because of her partying days, she was able to create many connections—David Guetta being one of them.

Her big break came when she was invited to pose nude with male supermodel Tyson Beckford for OOB, a French luxury magazine. Shortly after that stint, Playboy contacted her.

Currently, she’s still active in the modeling industry—appearing for campaigns of Balmain and Vogue Italia. She has also worked for Barneys New York, Alexis Bittar, and Nicole Miller.

Follow Ines Rau: Instagram

8. Teddy Quinlivan

Anyone who’s into high-end cosmetics and fashion would know Teddy Quinlivan. After all, she’s the first transgender model face of Chanel. In 2015, Louis Vuitton’s creative director Nicolas Ghesquiere discovered her. She started as a male runway model.

While she was experiencing a lot of success from male modeling, she decided to transition. Luckily for her, the decision she made didn’t affect her career negatively. She became more popular as a female model and has worked with many luxury brands.

Some of her collaborations include no less than the greats such as Dior, Louis Vuitton, Jeremy Scott, Jason Wu, Carolina Herrera, and Yves Saint Laurent. According to models.com, she’s one of their Top 50 models.

Follow Teddy Quinlivan: Instagram | Threads

9. Munroe Bergdorf

Munroe Bergdorf is a British model, writer, and activist known for connecting fashion with direct conversations about race, gender, and social justice. She has appeared in campaigns and walked at fashion weeks in London and New York.

In 2017, she became the first transgender model featured in a L’Oreal campaign in the United Kingdom, and she later joined the company’s diversity and inclusion advisory board. Bergdorf has also written books and worked on documentary projects that explore identity, survival, and public activism.

Her influence comes from refusing to separate beauty from politics. She uses fashion visibility as a platform for difficult discussions about the systems that shape trans lives.

Follow Munroe Bergdorf: Instagram | Threads

Read also: The Rollercoaster Ride of Munroe Bergdorf’s Life

10. Lea T

Brazilian-born and Italian-raised Lea T is one of the most influential transgender models in modern high fashion. Riccardo Tisci selected her for Givenchy’s 2010 campaign, helping place an openly trans woman at the center of a major luxury fashion conversation.

She later appeared in leading magazines and campaigns and became associated with global beauty and hair-care work. Models.com has recognized her as both a top model and an industry icon. Lea T’s importance is not limited to memorable photographs.

Her career challenged the industry’s old assumptions about who could represent couture, beauty, and international style, creating more room for the trans models who followed.

Follow Lea T: Instagram

11. Geena Rocero

Filipino-American model Geena Rocero combines fashion with global transgender advocacy. She began competing in beauty pageants in the Philippines before building a modeling career in the United States, including years of swimsuit and beauty work.

In 2014, she publicly came out as transgender during a widely viewed TED Talk. Rocero later founded Gender Proud, a media and advocacy organization focused on transgender stories, justice, and legal recognition.

She has spoken at major international institutions and written about her life and identity. Her career is powerful because it connects glamour with public service, showing how a model’s platform can become a tool for dignity, representation, and policy awareness.

Follow Geena Rocero: Facebook | Instagram | Threads

12. Dominique Jackson

Dominique Jackson is a Tobagonian-American model, actress, author, and ballroom icon. She began modeling in New York and appeared in fashion and television projects before reaching an international audience as Elektra Abundance on the acclaimed series Pose.

The role drew on the strength, style, and survival found in ballroom culture while giving Jackson space to create one of television’s most memorable trans characters. She has also appeared in fashion editorials and used her public platform to advocate for transgender people, particularly Black trans women and immigrants.

Jackson’s commanding presence makes her a natural model, but her larger legacy is the dignity and authority she brings to every stage and screen.

Follow Dominique Jackson: Facebook | Instagram | Threads | Youtube | TikTok | IMDb

13. Anjali Lama

The Nepalese beauty broke into the fashion scene—all thanks to her stunning gaze and modelesque facial structure. What’s amazing about her career is that she was able to break into Bollywood. Unlike in the US, India is not as open when it comes to letting transgender women be the stars in the entertainment industry.

Lakme, the biggest cosmetics brand in the Indian Diaspora, allowed her to walk for their fashion week, making Anjali the first-ever transgender woman to strut their runway. But that’s not the end-all-be-all for her career as she’s currently trying her luck in the international scene.

Follow Anjali Lama: Facebook | Instagram | Threads | TikTok

14. Carmen Carrera

Carmen Carrera is a model, actress, and transgender advocate who first reached a broad television audience through RuPaul’s Drag Race. She later established herself in fashion and became the first openly trans model signed by Elite Model Management in New York, according to her official biography.

A public campaign also called for her inclusion in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, reflecting the audience she inspired. Carrera has appeared in major fashion publications and expanded into acting, including television and film roles.

Her career helped challenge the idea that trans women should remain outside mainstream glamour, while her advocacy has promoted both transgender inclusion and broader body diversity.

Follow Carmen Carrera: Facebook | Instagram | Threads | X | Youtube | TikTok | IMDb | Official Website

Read also: Carmen Carrera – From Drag Race to Global Trans Trailblazer

15. Isis King

Let’s start with a trailblazer who helped popularize the dream of some transgender women becoming runway models, Isis King. She rose to fame when Tyra Banks noticed her from the background of one of the contestant’s photos. Tyra, who was a supermodel and a veteran in the industry, was keen on knowing who has modeling material and who has not.

And that’s when she discovered Isis King. Miss King had great exposure and a lot of support from the LGBTQ community when she became the first transgender contestant in the hit TV reality show America’s Next Top Model. But her journey wasn’t easy, not because she didn’t win the coveted crown, but from being discriminated against.

Some of the other models excluded her from bonding moments and friendship groups because of her gender identity. But sadly for them, Isis has stood tall and is now the most relevant contestant from her batch on ANTM.

Follow Isis King: Facebook | Instagram | Threads | Youtube | TikTok

16. Arisce Wanzer

Arisce Wanzer is an American model, actress, and comedian whose work spans fashion, television, and digital media. She became the first openly transgender model featured in the Spiegel catalog and has appeared in publications including Elle, Vogue, Vogue Italia, Forbes and Purple

Her career reflects both high-fashion credibility and a sharp, outspoken public personality. Wanzer has also used interviews and entertainment work to discuss dating, representation, discrimination, and the pressure placed on trans women in public life.

By moving between modeling and comedy, she shows that trans creatives can be glamorous, funny, critical, and fully multidimensional rather than confined to one industry role.

Follow Arisce Wanzer: Facebook | Instagram | TikTok

17. Jenna Talackova

&She is dubbed as one of the most controversial transgender models in the world. She made buzz when she sought legal action against the Miss Canada Universe beauty pageant for not allowing her to join because she’s a trans woman. Because of this, Miss Universe opened their doors to transgender beauty queens who aspire to be Miss Universe.

Jenna also joined Miss International Queen before subsequently being allowed to join Miss Universe Canada. Although not winning either crown, she won the hearts of many transgender people. She rose to fame from the media frenzy and was associated with Donald Trump for allowing transgender women to compete in Miss Universe.

Currently, she is a print model and an ambassador for many brands. Her ads for Lionesse cosmetics appear around the globe. She also dabbled into the world of entertainment by appearing on various TV shows including the Netflix hit Brave New Girls.

18. Valentijn de Hingh

Let’s round up this list with the gorgeous Valentijn de Hingh. Unlike most transgender models who started their careers in the fashion industry, she was first spotted on TV. She was one of the contestants in the Dutch version of America’s hit show Survivor.

Because of her classic Dutch beauty and striking features, IMG models signed her. She is the company’s first-ever transgender model. She has walked the runways of Maison Martin, Comme des Garcons, Margiela, and other world-renowned brands.

Follow Valentijn de Hingh: Instagram

Did we miss any of your favorite transgender models? Kindly join the conversation and comment their names below. Share this to spread awareness.