Meet the Next-gen Nepo Baby Models Taking Over Fashion in 2026

PARIS — Not since the advent of the Hadids and the Jenners has fashion seen such an influx of nepo baby models.

The spring 2026 season heralded a crop of new faces, led by Kai Schreiber, the daughter of actors Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber. Just one season after making her runway debut at Valentino, the 17-year-old walked for brands including Calvin Klein, Fendi and Mugler, often with her mother watching in the front row. 

Dior creative director Jonathan Anderson cast Sunday Rose, the daughter of actress Nicole Kidman and country singer Keith Urban, and Matilde Lucidi, whose parents are model Bianca Balti and photographer Christian Lucidi, in his debut women’s show for Dior. 

Betsy Gaghan, who walked the greatest number of shows for spring 2026, according to fashion search engine Tagwalk, also comes with a fashion pedigree: her mother is model and actress Michael McCraine. 

So what’s behind fashion’s renewed obsession with celebrity offspring? 

“To be honest, I don’t think there is some master plan behind why all of these young models are emerging at the same time. I think the simplest answer is that they are all growing up at once,” said Ali Kavoussi, managing partner at talent management firm The Lions.

“We live in a world that is deeply obsessed with celebrity culture, familiarity and legacy, and fashion has always reflected what society is focused on. These kids have been surrounded by cameras, creatives and image their entire lives, so in many cases they move comfortably in that space,” he added.

Brands are naturally attracted to the narrative, and social media following, that come with a famous provenance, which helps them to break through a saturated media landscape. 

“We’ve always seen nepo babies coming to the business,” noted casting director Piergiorgio Del Moro. “It’s an extra layer of visibility that you can bring through the casting, so I don’t feel it’s cynical. I feel like it’s strategic.”

He singled out Schreiber, who is a transgender woman, as a breakout star who should have another strong year. “Kai is gonna do great,” he said. “She has a great potential and she likes modeling. You can see really how focused and attentive she is when she works.”

But industry observers agreed that it takes more than celebrity parents to crack the notoriously tough and fickle modeling business. 

“A famous name on its own is not enough. It might get you an early opportunity, but fashion is unforgiving,” said Kavoussi. 

“What actually matters is whether someone photographs well, whether they have presence, whether they can evolve, and whether they show up professionally. Some of this generation genuinely has those qualities, but the industry is very quick to move on if the substance is not there,” he warned. 

Del Moro said the newcomers who have only dabbled in fashion will need to garner more experience to test their commitment to the profession. 

“We have to give those girls time to see the business, because obviously the requests will be there from the brands,” he said. “It’s not an easy job, so it’s important for them to discover it and to understand if they want to belong to that, or not.”

While they may have it easier than other wannabe models, the industry is always hungry for fresh faces, meaning everyone has a shot at fame. 

“Social media and global scouting have opened doors that did not exist before, but competition is also more intense than ever,” noted Kavoussi. 

“What I still believe deeply is that fashion always falls in love with originality. When someone without connections breaks through, it is usually because they bring something undeniable that cannot be manufactured,” he added. 

For the time being, the new crop of nepo babies is not seen as posing a threat to the reigning class of celebrity models, which includes Gigi and Bella Hadid, Kaia Gerber, Kendall Jenner and Amelia Gray. 

“I don’t see how they can be replaced, because, first of all, they have a huge platform of visibility,” said Del Moro. “Second, some of them are really great models. They have relationships with designers, they have connections with photographers, so I truly believe that they will stay where they are.”

Gray, who is represented by The Lions, recently made her Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show debut, signaling her momentum remains strong, eight years into her career.

“Those girls built real careers, deep relationships, and global relevance over many years. That does not just disappear. What we are seeing now is expansion. There is room for different generations, different archetypes, and different stories to exist at the same time,” said Kavoussi.

“Fashion is not linear anymore. It is layered. And the people who last, whether they come from famous families or not, will be the ones who evolve, stay grounded, and actually do the work,” he concluded.

Here, WWD singles out some names to watch in 2026.

Kai Schreiber
Age: 17
Agency: IMG (New York, Paris, Milan, London, Los Angeles, Australia)
IG followers: 35,300

Since making her debut in Valentino’s fall 2025 show, Schreiber has become a runway stalwart, walking for brands including Celine, Calvin Klein, Fendi and Mugler. The daughter of actors Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber was cited as one of the breakout faces of the spring 2026 season by Models.com, alongside Lennon Sorrenti, the daughter of fashion photographers Vanina Sorrenti and Cedric Buchet. 

Sunday Rose
Age: 17
Agency: Society Management (New York) and Elite (Paris)
IG followers: 31,700

The eldest daughter of actress Nicole Kidman and country singer Keith Urban, she celebrated turning 16 by opening Miu Miu’s spring 2025 show. This was followed by a campaign for watchmaker Omega. More recently, Dior creative director Jonathan Anderson chose the Nashville-born model to walk in his debut womenswear show and appear in his first coed campaign, and Sunday Rose presented him with the Designer of the Year prize at the British Fashion Awards. 

Scarlett White
Age: 19
Agency: DNA Models (New York) and Perspective Management (London)
IG followers: 39,600

The model and musician celebrated her Paris Fashion Week runway debut at the Ann Demeulemeester show with a TikTok video alongside her divorced parents, model Karen Elson and musician Jack White. A dead ringer for the former White Stripes frontman, she made her debut last year with a Marc Jacobs campaign, closely followed by a mother-daughter spread in U.S. Vogue shot by Annie Leibovitz. 

Deva Cassel 
Age: 21
Agency: DNA Models (New York), Karin Models (Paris), D’Management Group (Milan) and The Squad (London)
IG followers: 1.8 million

The daughter of actors Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel broke into modeling at just 14, as the face of Dolce & Gabbana’s Dolce Shine fragrance. Since being named an international ambassador for Dior fashion and makeup, she has appeared in the French fashion house’s holiday 2025 beauty campaign, not to mention on the covers of Vogue Italia, Harper’s Bazaar Spain, Elle France and more. 

Matilde Lucidi
Age: 18
Agency: Society Management (New York) and Elite (Paris)
IG followers: 86,300

Having accompanied her model mother Bianca Balti to fashion shows since a young age, Lucidi made the natural transition to the runway last year, walking for Miu Miu and Dior. Balti, who has publicly battled ovarian cancer, appeared alongside her daughter on the runway at the Vogue World event in Los Angeles, which also featured Meryl Streep’s daughter Louisa Jacobson, and Amelia Gray, daughter of actors Harry Hamlin and Lisa Rinna. 

Ever Anderson 
Age: 18
Agency: Viva Paris (Paris)
IG followers: 622,000

The daughter of model Milla Jovovich and director Paul W. S. Anderson made her big-screen debut in 2016 in “Resident Evil: The Final Chapter,” playing a young version of her mother’s character Alice. She is now developing a twin career in fashion and film, with campaigns for Chloé and Miu Miu, as well as Marc Jacobs’ Daisy fragrance. The young star appears in the Gilded Age-era series “The Artist.”