Alex Consani becomes first transgender Model of the Year at U.K. Fashion Awards

American model Alex Consani was named Model of the Year at the British Fashion Council’s Fashion Awards on Monday night, becoming the first openly transgender person to win the esteemed accolade.

Accepting the honor at London’s Royal Albert Hall, the 21-year-old used the opportunity to address the who’s who of the fashion industry about the groundbreaking nature of her win.

“I’m the first trans woman to win this award!” she exclaimed to the audience. “But I can’t accept this award without thanking those who came before me, specifically the Black trans women who really fought for the space I’m in today.” Consani said Dominique Jackson, Connie Fleming and Aaron Rose Philip were among those “who fought for the space that allowed me to flourish.”

Consani then thanked her parents before concluding: “Change is more than possible; it’s needed.”

She joined a long list of some of the modeling world’s biggest names to earn the annual award, including Kate Moss, Bella Hadid and Cara Delevingne.

Consani is no stranger to making history.

She is thought to be the youngest openly trans model to sign with a major modeling agency, having signed with IMG Models in 2019 at just 15 years old. And in October, she became one of the first openly trans models to walk in the iconic Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, along with Brazilian model Valentina Sampaio.