Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2018: Every Black Model Walking This Year
The 2018 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is fast approaching. The stage is set for filming not one, but two shows, on Thursday evening. The models have been cast, Elsa Hosk was just announced as the wearer of the $1 million Swarovski Fantasy Bra, and all the girls have hit the New York City streets in their best fall fashion street style looks, heading to and from their fittings. Among the 66 models who have been confirmed thus far, we count 16 black girls in the mix. And, while it isn’t quite as diverse as the 17 in the cast who walked in 2017, the company has been vocal about trying to make the show more diverse, across all races and ethnicities, with each passing year. There's been some progress in recent years — specifically with the casting of the first Filipina model and first model with vitiligo, Kelsey Merritt and Winnie Harlow, respectively — but the brand has much further to go to truly be inclusive. Here, meet all the black models who will be strutting their stuff on the epic runway in just two short days. And keep an eye out for them on TV when the full show and behind-the-scenes footage airs on December 2.
Getty Images1/17Jasmine Tookes
Jasmine has not only walked in six Victoria’s Secret Fashion Shows, having first started in 2012, but she is an official Angel. She's coming off of the honor of wearing the Fantasy Bra in 2016.
Getty Images2/17Winnie Harlow
Winnie is having quite the year, from international fashion weeks to major ad campaigns, but this will be her first-ever Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. And she's making history: she will be the first model with Vitiligo to be cast in the show's history. She told Vogue of her casting, “Representation is so important, and I want to [stand for] all women.”
Getty Images3/17Leomie Anderson
Prepping to walk in her fourth Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, Leomie is also a high-fashion runway model extraordinaire (she walked in her first runway show ever at 17…and for Marc Jacobs, no less!). NBD she's also currently the face of Fenty Beauty and Pat McGrath Labs.
Getty Images4/17Iesha Hodges
Though this is Iesha’s first year walking in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, she’s worked for a diverse group of brands up until now. Not only has she modeled for the likes of Forever 21, ASOS, and Nasty Gal, but she's a favorite of luxury fashion brands like Marc Jacobs, Oscar de la Renta, and Miu Miu.
Getty Images5/17Duckie Thot
Having worked with Oscar de la Renta, Yeezy, Moschino, and more, Duckie is also one of the models who has come to the forefront of Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty line since it’s launch more than a year ago. This will be her first ever time walking in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.
Getty Images6/17Isilda Moreira
This will be Isilda’s first fashion show for Victoria’s Secret. She's a runway darling for major fashion brands like Oscar de la Renta and Brandon Maxwell; Rodarte and Michael Kors. Not only does she have an impressive, photograph-filled career on her own, but she's also half of a power couple with football player boyfriend Diego Batista.
Getty Images7/17Cheyenne Maya-Carty
Having only been modeling for five years — posing for editorials in Nylon Indonesia and ELLE — this Brit has hit it big, nabbing a spot on the 2018 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show runway. She was reportedly scouted while roller-blading, so here’s hoping she pulls out the wheels on the catwalk this week.
Getty Images8/17Cindy Bruna
Cindy first started walking for Victoria’s Secret in 2013, so she’s one of the killer veterans who will show the new kids around the epic spectacular that is the annual show. Additionally, she was the first model of color to ever walk exclusively for Calvin Klein, having done so in 2012. And in 2014, she became only the third model of color to ever face a Prada campaign, after only Naomi Campbell and Malaika Firth.
Getty Images9/17Jourdana Phillips
Jourdana made headlines last year, following in the footsteps of Maria Borges and wearing her natural hair on the Victoria’s Secret runway in 2017. At the time, she told Mic, “I think it’s super important to have natural hair at the show. They see how successful Maria [Borges] has been and to join the party now is so great. We want people coming in different sizes and shapes and a diverse range of women of color. We want girls that everyone can identify with. I’m hoping there’s girls who will be like, ‘Oh that looks like me!’”
Getty Images10/17Mélie Tiacoh
Born in Paris, raised in West Africa, Mélie will make her Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show debut during the 2018 show. She will be the first Ivorian as well as the first Guinean model to walk in the show as well.
Getty Images11/17Grace Bol
When she was 8, Grace’s family fled the South Sudan Civil War for the U.S.; years later, she was scouted at a mall and became an illustrious career as one of our country's most recognizable fashion models. She didn’t even tell her parents when she first began modeling, as she told Net-a-Porter, “I didn’t let them know, because I wasn’t sure what to say, and they might have looked at it as a waste of time. But then one of my younger siblings saw a picture of me online, without me even informing anyone at all. They saw, and then they told my parents.”
Getty Images12/17Lameka Fox
Lameka first walked in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in 2016, so she’s far from a newbie. Both times, she was featured in the PINK section of the show, in one of the brand's signature playful looks. We can't wait to see what she wears this time.
Getty Images13/17Mayowa Nicholas
Mayowa will be making her debut on the Victoria’s Secret runway this year, but she was actually meant to do so in 2017. While the reasons for her eventually being unable to make the show at the eleventh hour are unclear, it was widely known that many models faced massive visa issues when attempting to fly to Shanghai for the show last year, so she was (sadly) far from alone.
Getty Images14/17Herieth Paul
Originally from Tanzania, Herieth has been all over the Fashion Week runways, from Cushnie to Laquan Smith. The accomplished model has two VS shows under her belt, having been cast in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show for the first time in 2016. And we’re so excited to see this beauty back in the mix for another year!
Getty Images15/17Sabah Koj
A newbie to the Victoria’s Secret scene, Sabah will be walking in her first-ever show for the brand this year. You may recognize her from runways like Balmain, Rick Owens, Miu Miu and Mugler. She’s had quite the journey to get here, having left the South Sudan as a child, moved to Egypt, and then Australia, before coming to New York City for this event.
Getty Images16/17Zuri Tibby
Zuri was discovered in a shopping mall at the age of 15. Not only did she walk in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show PINK section in 2017, but she also served as the first black spokesmodel for the label.
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