The New Guard: Four Models Who Built Empires Without Permission

The New Guard Net Worth Breakdown

Alex Consani: The Platform Builder

She wasn’t discovered in a mall. She found a Facebook ad for a trans modeling agency at twelve and decided to knock. Now, at 21, Alex Consani holds the British Fashion Awards’ Model of the Year honor as the first transgender woman to receive it, commands 4.3 million TikTok followers with absurdist comedy that bears no resemblance to polished model content, and walks for Versace, Burberry, and Jean Paul Gaultier.

The Content-First Model

What separates Consani from models who happen to use social media is intention. She built her audience during the pandemic through content created entirely independent of her modeling career. The comedy videos showcasing her personality generated followers who then discovered she also walked runways. That sequence matters. Brands booking her don’t just get a face. They get direct access to millions of Gen Z consumers who trust her voice.

Her $1 million net worth understates her trajectory. With Forbes 30 Under 30 recognition and Time 100 Creators inclusion in 2025, she’s positioned for the kind of exponential growth that turns seven-figure models into eight-figure entrepreneurs. The Victoria’s Secret walk in October 2024, where she and Valentina Sampaio became the first transgender models to appear in the show, signaled mainstream commercial acceptance that will accelerate her brand value.

Paloma Elsesser: The Industry Reformer

Pat McGrath’s Instagram DM arrived while Paloma Elsesser was waitressing in New York. The makeup legend had spotted something in her photos that twelve modeling agencies had missed. That discovery launched a career that would culminate in the 2023 Model of the Year award, making Elsesser the first plus-size model to receive fashion’s highest individual honor.

Beyond Body Positivity

What distinguishes Elsesser from earlier plus-size pioneers is her refusal to be defined solely by size. Her 2024 Victoria’s Secret walk marked the brand’s public acknowledgment that beauty standards have permanently shifted. Her work for Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Dior demonstrates that luxury houses now compete for her presence rather than tokenizing it.

At $2 million net worth, she’s built wealth primarily through brand ambassador deals with Fenty Beauty and Nike, supplemented by premium runway fees and editorial rates. Her participation in CFDA diversity initiatives positions her as an industry voice beyond modeling, a path toward influence that outlasts booking calendars.

Anok Yai: The Accidental Icon

A photographer at Howard University’s 2017 homecoming asked to take her picture. That single frame went viral within hours, generating 20,000 Instagram likes and a flood of agency interest. Four months later, Anok Yai was opening for Prada, becoming the first Black model to do so since Naomi Campbell in 1997.

The Reluctant Pioneer

The biochemistry student from New Hampshire wasn’t seeking fashion fame. She was planning a medical career when destiny interrupted. Her acceptance speech at the 2025 British Fashion Awards captured the weight of what she represents: “To all my little Black girls who are watching me right now—your color is not a curse. You are not a trend, you are not unfortunate. You are worthy, you are capable and you are more powerful than you can imagine.”

Her $5 million net worth reflects years of premium campaign work for Estée Lauder, Mugler’s Alien fragrance, Tiffany & Co., and Nike. American Vogue has featured her on its cover three times. Creative director credits on magazine shoots suggest she’s building toward influence that extends beyond appearing in images to shaping them.

Emily Ratajkowski: The Template

If the younger models on this list follow anyone’s blueprint, it’s Emily Ratajkowski’s. The 33-year-old has systematically constructed an empire across modeling, acting, entrepreneurship, publishing, and podcasting that generates $8-10 million in net worth while remaining entirely under her control.

The Intellectual Model Archetype

Her 2021 essay collection “My Body” forced critics who dismissed her as a pretty face to reconsider. The New York Times bestseller examined power dynamics and exploitation in the modeling industry with the rigor of academic analysis, positioning her as a thinker rather than merely a subject of thought.

Inamorata, her swimwear-to-lifestyle brand launched in 2017, represents what owning your business means versus renting your image. The brand’s revenue flows to her company. When she appears in campaigns for DKNY or Versace, she’s building her brand’s visibility while collecting fees. The High Low podcast extends her platform into audio, capturing audiences who might never pick up Vogue.

What the New Guard Means for Fashion

These four models share something beyond individual success: they’ve collectively proven that the industry’s traditional power structures have permanently shifted.

The Discovery Paradigm Has Collapsed

None of them were plucked from obscurity by scouts at shopping malls. Consani found her own agency through a Facebook ad. Elsesser was DM’d on Instagram by the industry’s most connected makeup artist. Yai went viral through a photograph she didn’t seek. Ratajkowski built momentum through strategic positioning rather than waiting to be noticed. The lesson: waiting to be discovered is a strategy for a different era.

Platform Matters as Much as Presence

Consani’s TikTok following gives her leverage no previous generation of models possessed. Ratajkowski’s podcast and author platform create income streams immune to booking fluctuations. The models building careers in 2025 understand that runway fees and campaign rates represent only part of potential earning power. Those who control their own platforms control their own futures.

Diversity Wins Commercially

Elsesser’s Fenty Beauty partnership didn’t happen because Rihanna wanted to make a statement. It happened because inclusive representation drives sales. Yai’s Estée Lauder ambassadorship serves commercial goals as much as cultural ones. Consani’s Victoria’s Secret appearance reflected the brand’s need to reach audiences it had alienated. The industry isn’t diversifying out of moral evolution. It’s diversifying because money demands it.

The Hamptons Relevance

Each of these models represents the demographic evolution reshaping East End social dynamics. Legacy heirs in their twenties and thirties follow Consani’s TikTok and read Ratajkowski’s essays. Tech founders who summer in Southampton recognize Yai from Mugler campaigns. The fashion-forward audiences at Polo Hamptons and Art Southampton increasingly expect guest lists reflecting the diversity these models represent.

The Investment Angle

For Hamptons real estate, the New Guard’s trajectory suggests future buyers. Models at this career stage often begin acquiring vacation properties as their wealth stabilizes. Their aesthetic preferences influence what developers build and what designers stock in boutiques from Westhampton to Montauk. Understanding who they are means understanding where demand is heading.

Closing Reflection

The four women profiled here share a quality more valuable than their combined $16 million in net worth: they’ve each constructed careers that exist on their own terms rather than the industry’s traditional structures. Consani didn’t wait for agencies to accept trans models. Elsesser didn’t shrink to fit sample sizes. Yai didn’t plan for the opportunity that found her but recognized it when it arrived. Ratajkowski didn’t accept the limits others imposed on what a model could become.

They are the template for what comes next. The models following them will inherit an industry already transformed by their presence. The gatekeepers who once determined who entered fashion’s highest rooms now find themselves irrelevant. The doors are open. The New Guard walked through.

The Complete New Guard Collection

• Alex Consani Net Worth 2025: From Facebook Ad to Fashion’s Highest Honor
• Paloma Elsesser Net Worth 2025: From Waitressing to Rewriting Fashion’s Rules
• Anok Yai Net Worth 2025: One Viral Photo, One Historic Career
• Emily Ratajkowski Net Worth 2025: The Multi-Platform Empire

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