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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Lifestyle
Kaleigh Werner

Alex Consani opens up about being ‘the youngest ever signed trans model’

Getty Images for David Yurman

Dubbed this generations’ “people’s princess”, Alex Consani has quickly become an imitable model on the runway, but more importantly, for the transgender community.

With her finely cut blonde hair and spurts of pleasurable chaos, the 20-year-old has found solace in New York City after becoming the “youngest-ever signed trans model”.

In 2024, Consani – who joined IMG Models in 2019 – walked for sought-after brands like Thom Browne, Alexander McQueen, Versace and Simone Rocha. She also garnered a cult following on social media, posting racy, raw real-life content backstage and on the city sidewalks, all under the screen names @CaptinCroook and @Ms.Mawma.

Amid Pride Month 2024 celebrations, Consani spoke to Who What Wear for their “Summer Girls Issue” to chat about her West Coast upbringing, rise to fashion fame, and the sense of belonging she felt moving to the Big Apple.

For her first 17 years, she lived in California, growing up in Marin County. Even at a young age, Consani knew herself. Her mom had sent her to a summer camp for trans youth, and when she returned, she had a clear vision for the next era in her life – modeling. It wasn’t long before 13-year-old Consani signed with Slay Model Management, an agency that centered its efforts on catalyzing the careers of young trans models.

Consani reflected on being a model at that age, booking gigs – some free – and driving hours with her mom to seek opportunities. To her, having the title of the “youngest-ever signed trans model” was a motivating pressure.

“Having that title [of being the youngest-ever signed trans model] on my chest pushed me to work harder and strive more in my career,” she told the outlet in her first ever cover story. “I go to work now, and I’m always reminded of those times when I was doing it for free and doing it with my mom and having to beg her to drive me eight hours, seven hours, five hours – whatever just to be out there.”

While the fashion muse admitted her childhood home was more than trans-positive, it wasn’t until she made her way to New York that she truly felt like she had found the community she always wanted. A pivotal moment came when she was visiting colleges in New York and saw two trans women having a heart-to-heart in the subway.

She noted: “I had never seen two trans people connect in that way, and it felt so powerful, and it really motivated me to come here and really find it for myself.

“Community is finding people you connect with on a level deeper than just words,” Consani continued elsewhere in the interview. “When we talk about community in fashion, for me, that’s just representing everyone authentically. It’s very obvious if you look at it, but it’s easy to get wrapped up in the pussy c*** and miss the fact that there are so many people, especially in my community, who are missing.”

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