Alex Consani, Robert Wun and Daniella Kallmeyer feature as TIME highlights a new creative cohort shaping fashion and culture
TCF POST REPORT
NEW YORK, September 30, 2026 — Fashion’s next generation has secured a notable place in the 2026 TIME100 Next, with model Alex Consani and designers Robert Wun and Daniella Kallmeyer among the 100 rising figures identified by TIME as helping define the next generation of leadership.
TIME’s annual TIME100 Next franchise spans five broad pillars and recognises emerging figures across industries. The 2026 selection places fashion alongside arts, media, literature and culinary culture, underlining the increasingly interconnected nature of influence across the wider creative economy.
Consani is the most prominent fashion name in the selection from a model and cultural-influence perspective. TIME includes her among its fashion, arts, media, literary and culinary figures and has paired her with singer Charli xcx for a contributor tribute in the 2026 issue.
Her presence also reflects the expanding role of models beyond traditional runway and campaign work. Consani has built visibility across fashion, entertainment and digital culture, while fashion publications have highlighted her growing influence within the new generation of model personalities.
For designers, the selection of Robert Wun brings a strong couture dimension to the list. The Hong Kong-born, London-based designer has developed an independent label built around theatrical design, craftsmanship and highly narrative fashion. His 2026 couture work continues to emphasise fashion as storytelling and spectacle, while his creations have strengthened his presence in the international luxury and celebrity-fashion ecosystem.
Daniella Kallmeyer, meanwhile, represents a different direction in contemporary fashion: tailoring, longevity and a more considered approach to wardrobe building. The New York-based designer founded her eponymous label in 2012, developing a proposition centred on seasonless, tailored clothing and what the CFDA describes as quality and accessible luxury rather than speed-driven fashion.
Her 2026 collections have continued to explore craftsmanship, structure and functionality. TIME’s recognition therefore places a commercially minded, independent womenswear model alongside the more theatrical couture profile represented by Wun.
The fashion representation extends into the broader creative sphere. TIME’s 2026 selection also names artist Sasha Gordon, media figure Emily Sundberg and other creative-industry personalities, showing that fashion influence increasingly extends beyond designers and traditional industry executives.
For the fashion industry, the composition of the list is notable because it does not define future influence solely through established fashion houses. Instead, the selection brings together models, independent designers and creative voices whose influence crosses fashion, entertainment, digital culture and the arts.
That direction is consistent with TIME’s own description of TIME100 Next. Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs said the franchise was created around the idea that influence can emerge early and through channels outside traditional establishment structures.
The 2026 TIME100 Next issue carries three global covers featuring singer-songwriter Raye, actor Ashley Padilla and comedian Druski, further illustrating the strong overlap between entertainment and the cultural industries in which fashion increasingly operates. The TIME100 Next event is scheduled for October 29 in New York City.
For fashion businesses, the message is less about the conventional hierarchy of luxury and more about where cultural relevance is being generated: through personality, independent design, digital visibility and connections across multiple creative sectors.
