The Graduates
Alaina Rae
For over a decade, Models.com’s The Graduates series has served as a visual check-in with the models of the moment who have consistently performed at the highest levels, graduating from rising newcomers on the Hot List to the Top 50’s most recognizable faces. Stars like Bella Hadid, Hoyeon, Vittoria Ceretti, Selena Forrest, and Sora Choi, to name a few, have all taken part in the milestone series, which marks a defining shift in a model’s career. With major bookings across editorials, campaigns, lookbooks, and runways, these models have secured their places among fashion’s most sought-after talents, working with leading luxury houses and influential creatives while continuing to make their mark on the global stage.
For the 2026 edition, Models.com headed back to Paris during the whirlwind of Fashion Week to capture this year’s graduating class through the lens of photographer Valentin Herfray, with styling by Dara and looks exclusively from LVMH Prize finalist De Pino. Beyond the images, the cast sits down with the Models.com team to reflect on their unexpected beginnings, career-defining moments, the designers and photographers who have shaped their journeys, and what lies ahead as they cement their positions as the next generation of leading faces in fashion.
Photography Valentin Herfray
Stylist Dara
Collection De Pino
Hair Stylist Sarah Jo Palmer
Makeup Artist Julian Stoller
Manicurist Sylvie Vacca
Movement Director Gabriele Esposito
Video Director & Art Direction Marcel Gitard, En Mode
Video Director of Photography Maxime Thiolet Berger
Editor-in-Chief Stephan Moskovic
Editorial Director Irene Ojo-Felix
Interviewer Irene Ojo-Felix
Production 360PM – MA + Group
Producers Jocelyn Rummler and Julia Lellouche
1st Assistant Photographer Rémi Procureur
2nd Assistant Photographer Joshua Abecassis
Digital Tech Romain Boé
Retouching INK
Styling Assistants Mona Antabli and Maszia Oettgen
Tailor Carole Savaton
Hair Assistants Celine Lanclume, Aimeric Amiot, and Taisiia Povalii
Manicure Assistant Isabelle Guyon
Special Thanks Christopher Michael at Egos & Icons
American Top 50 model Alaina Rae has had a whirlwind ten months. After making her runway debut at Valentino Haute Couture in January 2026, the Seattle-based model quickly became one of the season’s most promising Top Newcomers, opening Marc Jacobs and walking for Alexander McQueen, Celine, Jil Sander, and Sacai. Her early success extended beyond the runway, with campaigns with Versace photographed by Steven Meisel and Celine with Zoë Ghertner. Yet Rae’s arrival on fashion’s biggest stages was years in the making. During the pandemic, inspired by her older sister’s interest in acting, she participated in a 12-hour photo shoot that introduced her to the expressive possibilities of modeling. Drawing on her childhood experience in theater, she discovered a new creative outlet. “I got those photos back, and I was like, ‘I can be anybody.’ I could genuinely play any character.” Rather than waiting to be discovered, Rae submitted her photographs to Seattle’s Heffner Management, becoming the architect of her own modeling career.
She spent the next four years building experience through fit modeling and e-commerce before finally signing to an agency in New York. Following a stint overseas, she took a yearlong break, a decision she now considers pivotal. “It was the best thing that could have possibly happened to me, because right after I came back, everything started happening.” Rae approached her first international fashion season with a renewed sense of confidence. “Any room that I walk into, I will be 100% myself,” she defined. Even while working alongside some of fashion’s most celebrated creatives, she refuses to let prestige overshadow the importance of genuine human connection, and was exceptionally charming on the Models.com set. “We’re all people who are creative. We just want to put our art out there. It’s how we express ourselves.” Despite a demanding international schedule, Rae remains firmly rooted in Seattle, where her carefully curated apartment serves as a sanctuary from the industry’s constant stimulation. As her career continues its rapid ascent, she remains determined to succeed on her own terms, offering a simple piece of advice to aspiring models: “Everybody’s career is different. Everybody’s path is different. The one that’s right for you is the one that you make while being yourself.”
