A new generation in motion—reflecting on identity, atmosphere, and their personal worlds.
XARIA CARTER
What part of home do you carry with you?
Barbados is beautiful! But for me, it’s less about the physical place and more about what makes it feel like home. So, I carry certain habits, routines, values, and morals that were instilled in me by my parents and grandparents. The important things, like how you treat people and much more.
Does your environment shape your mood or style?
If I truly let it, my environment could shape my mood or style. However, whatever the environment around me is, whether it be calm, noisy, warm, or cold, I always try to stay true to myself.
What kind of future are you working toward?
Personally, I am working towards a building a future that will last beyond modeling. A future where modeling opens doors but doesn’t define my limits. I am working towards having longevity in my career; where I keep building my identity, building strong relationships with clients, agents, friends etc. but outside of that I definitely want more for myself!
I want to develop many more skills overtime as I grow into the person that I am becoming and as I do that, I will figure out what is best for me and my future; because I believe that we should all work towards a future where we have choices. I always want to do more and need to do more for myself.
Follow Xaria Carter @xaria.ec at Lumien Creative Models.
ASHLEY LAUREN
What has modeling taught you about identity?
Modeling has taught me that it’s cool to still be discovering yourself and finding your identity.
Follow Ashley Lauren @ashleylaurenrockz at Wilhmenia New York.
SYLVIA KAGAN ANDERSON
What part of home do you carry with you?
I have lived in upstate New York for my entire life and spend a lot of time in the forest. It is very important to me.
Where in the city do you feel most yourself?
I feel most like myself when I am alone.
What has modeling taught you about identity?
To be yourself even if you are strange.
Does your environment shape your mood or style?
I think that my style and mood have been influenced by many different things including
my environment.
What change do you want to see in this industry?
For people to be more honest.
What kind of future are you working toward?
I try to be good. I think if more people did, it would make for a better future.
Follow Sylvia Kagan Anderson @sylviakanderson at Women Management New York.
FISHER BURNEY
What part of home do you carry with you?
My southern hospitality.
Where in the city do you feel most yourself?
Washington Square Park, I like people watching and at Washington Square you can see
all different types of people.
Does your environment shape your mood or style?
Definitely my mood, my style always stays the same.
What has modeling taught you about identity?
Being yourself and comfortable in your skin is best thing you can do for yourself.
What change do you want to see in this industry?
A ban to AI models.
What kind of future are you working toward?
A future with beaches and no stress. Or maybe living in a castle.
Follow Fisher Burney @Fisher Burney at Society NY
JOSHUA SETH
What part of home do you carry with you?
Growing up in Morehead City, I carry a strong sense of community and resilience with me.
Follow Joshua Seth @dvojosh at Heroes Model Management
LILY VANDER MEEDEN
What part of home do you carry with you?
Home is incredibly subjective term and I think rather than carrying parts of home with me, I find home in the people that I meet and the memorable interactions and experiences I get to have.
Where in the city do you feel most yourself?
I don’t think there’s a certain where, but I think I feel the most myself when I’m fully present and not in my head.
Does your environment shape your mood or style?
I think it can have a big impact on mood and style but at the end of the day it’s how you choose to show up and work with the conditions you are given. It’s important to be grateful especially for whatever circumstances you are put in especially because this job makes our life very easy.
What has modeling taught you about identity?
I think modeling forces you to develop an identity a lot faster than a regular person would. I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing but I also see a lot of girls performing a personality that’s not authentic to them in order to keep up with the demand for something new and interesting constantly. I think there’s a lot of power in saying I don’t know who I am yet and that’s ok.
What change do you want to see in this industry?
I think inclusivity in high fashion is performative and I’m disappointed and bored to constantly see predominantly white casts. I would love to see a shift in the industry’s ideals, especially where being mixed, South Asian, Middle Eastern, i.e. having tan/brown skin isn’t dismissed as “too commercial” or seen as less desirable. It’s disheartening to be told that you are too dark or should lighten your skin, a struggle many mixed/brown girls face especially during show seasons.
Follow Lily Vander Meeden @lilyvandermeeden at Ford Models.
SAM CASE
What part of home do you carry with you?
My family have always been my best friends, so being away from them all the time for work is hard. I always keep a little piece of each of them with me. For example my mom and I are in a book club (just the two of us), so reading our current book makes me feel connected to her. I miss California dearly when I’m gone, but just knowing they’re excitedly waiting for me to come home keeps me going. (Current read is The God of the Woods by Liz Moore:)
Does your environment shape your mood or style?
Environment definitely has a big impact on how I act or dress on any given day. The winter can make me very brooding, and packing mostly neutrals reinforces this, especially in the winter. Being from O.C. I will always have a deep appreciation for those who can layer well because it’s a skill I never had to learn. I definitely prefer the bright colors and light feeling of summer clothing, and the positive feelings it adds to my days.
What kind of future are you working toward?
When I started modeling at 15, I obviously had no idea who I was or what I wanted to get out of it. After doing it for so long, my love for being part of something bigger has grown. My love for my job grows all the time, along with my desire to work for my Bachelors degree at the same time. I really just want to feel accomplished professionally and academically while most importantly getting to make memories with the people I love.
Follow Sam Case @sam.nicole.10 at Next NY
SUMMER DIRX
What kind of future are you working toward?
An expensive one.
Follow Summer Dirx @summerdirx at Wilhmenia New York.
THANIAR SERENA
What part of home do you carry with you?
For me, home is a feeling, not a place. It’s something I carry within in my accent, in my way of being, in how I connect with others. It’s the people I love, the values I grew up with. As long as I have that, I feel at
home anywhere.
Where in the city do you feel most yourself?
New York is one of the few places where I feel a real sense of belonging. Here I can be myself everywhere, without judgment or shame. But if I had to choose one place, I’d say SoHo: chaotic, alive, and beautiful.
Does your environment shape your mood or style?
Definitely. Every city has its own identity, and I like to take inspiration from it and adapt it to my personal style.
What has modeling taught you about identity?
That identity is fluid. You can be many versions of yourself without losing your core. Modeling taught me how to adapt, but also how important it is to stay grounded in who you really are.
What change do you want to see in this industry?
More freedom of expression and more individuality, without everyone being pushed to look or act the same. I also wish it felt less exclusive and more accessible more open to different stories.
What kind of future are you working toward?
I’m working toward a future where I feel completely free to be myself, without having to depend on anyone. I want to build something that goes beyond modeling, while still staying connected to art, beauty, and storytelling.
Follow Thainar Serena @thainarserena at Ford Models.
SANTHA HAWK
What part of home do you carry with you?
In this industry, energy is constantly in motion. Traveling is always imminent, and plans can change instantly with little warning. I have learned to carry a portable home in my mind. It’s like a wall separating any character I’ve played for the day, and behind that wall there is only room for my awareness.
Meditation has helped me cultivate that space, so even when my environment is constantly changing, I can always access this part of my mind.
Where in the city do you feel most yourself?
Probably in moments when I’m slightly outside of everything. Observing rather than participating. New York can feel very performative, especially in fashion, so the times I feel most myself are when I step back and just watch the city move. I love to people watch at the park, and public libraries are another place I can slow down and wander through different books.
What has modeling taught you about identity?
Modeling has taught me that identity is surprisingly quiet. On set, everything is about transformation: lighting, hair, makeup, styling, and posing references all shape the character of the image.
But a model’s real identity does not react to all of that, it observes it. Teams aren’t just booking a look; they’re booking how that person inhabits the character.
Follow Santha Hawk @santha.hawk at Lumien Creative Models.
Photographer Nick Thomsen. Photo assistant John Griffith. Stylist Billie-Rose Owen. Hair and make-up by Monica Alvarez. Casting director Evagria Sergeeva. Set designer Miles Bettinelli. Set assistant Ethan Edward. Production PRIV.Y. Producer Tristan An. Film processing Gelatin Labs NY.
