T and the casting director Arianna Pradarelli round up the most intriguing fresh faces — some making their runway debuts during the spring 2019 shows, others a few seasons in.
Fatou Jobe
24, United States
Born in the Bronx and raised in Gambia, Jobe was discovered by modeling scouts while taking part in a time-honored New York tradition: waiting for the subway. She debuted on the fall 2018 Calvin Klein runway and that same season she also walked for Dior, Hermès, Valentino, Givenchy and Altuzarra. Over the summer, she could be found at the cruise and haute couture shows, and in the pages of the June issue of British Vogue. (Her first magazine cover, she reveals, is coming out in December, but she can’t yet divulge for which outlet it was photographed.) “If I hadn’t become a model, I would most likely still be working at a hair salon and, at the same time, be in school working on my business degree,” Jobe says, “so that one day I’ll be able to own my own chain of salons.” She still plans to pursue this path, after modeling. In her free time, Jobe enjoys “filling up people’s stomachs with my cooking,” she says.
Represented by State Management.
Indira Scott
21, United States
The Queens, New York native made her runway debut at Dior’s resort 2019 show in May and walked again for the fashion house two months later, closing out Dior’s haute couture show in a strapless gown cut from mauve satin and her hair in box braids. She calls the entire event surreal, saying, “I only ever dreamed of moments like this.” Scott has done a handful of editorial shoots, as well — for i-D, The Gentlewoman and Document Journal, to name a few — and maintains an ever-fascinating Instagram page, where, along with posting what she’s been up to, she shares the principles of her spirituality. “I feel that my struggle makes me stand out,” she says. “My experiences fill me with a burning passion to not only express what I’ve been through but also to work to be in a position to better my family, my people and to be an inspiration to young girls facing struggles with big dreams.”
Represented by DNA Models.
Noor Chaltin
18, Belgium
Chaltin’s origin story is the stuff of fairy tales: Model scouts picked her out of the crowd at a Justin Bieber concert. She later signed with an agency in Milan and debuted on Etro’s spring 2018 runway last fall; that same season, she walked for Ermanno Scervino and Trussardi, and more recently she could be spotted at Chanel’s cruise show and at both Valentino’s and Dior’s haute couture shows. This will be her first season working in all four fashion capitals. Chaltin typically passes the time backstage drawing and otherwise likes to paint. “I’m also vegetarian,” she notes, “but I don’t like vegetables that much.”
Represented by Supreme Management.
Yin Chen
22, China
The Shanghai native just graduated from the city’s Donghua University with degrees in fashion design and engineering; she has done some modeling in China, but this season will be her first at fashion month. (She also used the time before the New York shows to shoot her first overseas editorial, a story for Manifesto magazine with the photographer Brent Chua and the stylist Jungle Lin.) Backstage, Chen is usually catching up on episodes of “The Big Bang Theory,” and when she has a spare moment, she tries to take in whatever museum happens to be nearby. If she weren’t modeling, she’d still be doing something fashion-related, she says, like styling or running a boutique.
Represented by Women Management.
Zoe Thaets
19, Belgium
After debuting at the Schiaparelli haute couture show in January, Thaets booked back-to-back Miu Miu shows (fall 2018 and resort 2019) and starred in the brand’s fall 2018 ad campaign alongside Elle Fanning, Rowan Blanchard and Adwoa Aboah. This will be the first full fashion season for Thaets, who is half Burundian and half Belgian, and now based in Amsterdam. “Backstage you’ll usually see me chatting a lot,” she remarks. “Everyone in this industry comes from all over the world and has different backgrounds, so I find it really interesting to spend time talking to others.” If she weren’t modeling, Thaets would be studying political and social sciences or something communications-related, but “I’m really grateful,” she says “because now I have more time to develop myself.”
Represented by Supreme Management.
Lex Handwork
19, United States
In April, Handwork left her hometown, Plainfield, Ill., for Los Angeles to pursue a modeling career; she and her boyfriend decided to make a road trip of it, driving through seven states in 33 hours. But relocating wasn’t the only big change: She also chopped off all of her hair. “My agency came up with the idea to give me more of an edgy look,” she says. “I didn’t even think twice about it.” Handwork is now awaiting her runway debut, slated for later in the month, in Europe. “If I weren’t modeling, I would be pursuing my love for skin care as an aesthetician,” she says, “which I still plan on doing after receiving a degree in business,” for which she’s taking online classes.
Represented by Two Management.
