A transgender-identifying man has been crowned Model of the Year at the British Fashion Awards in London, beating out five women on the shortlist for the title.
Alex Cosani, 21, won the title at the ceremony on Monday night. Previous Model of the Year winners include supermodels Kate Moss, Kaia Gerber, Naomi Campbell, Bella Hadid, and Cara Delevingne.
Cosani’s acceptance speech included shoutouts to other model inspirations, “specifically the black trans women who fought for the space.”
“You fought for this space that allowed me to flourish today, and I’m eternally grateful for that,” Consani said.
The model continued, saying, “Now more than ever it’s an important conversation to be had, about how to support and uplift one another in this industry – especially those who have been made to feel insignificant. Change is more than possible. It’s needed. And this is a big step in the right direction.”
The British Fashion Council (BFC) said the award “recognizes the global impact of a model who over the last 12 months has dominated the industry. With an influence that transcends the catwalk, the Model of The Year has made an outstanding contribution to the industry, garnering numerous editorial and advertising campaigns throughout the year.”
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Fellow contestant Anok Yai expressed her frustration at losing to Cosani, though she didn’t blame the winner in her remarks.
“Alex, I love you and I’m so proud of you. British Fashion Council, thank you but I don’t want it anymore,” Yai shared on X.
She wrote in a follow up, “If you have seen the effort that I’ve seen Alex put in; you would understand how proud I am of her. But Alex can be proud and I can be exhausted at the same time. It doesn’t take away how much love we have for each other.”
Social media users also reacted negatively to the news.
“Model of the Year at the British Fashion Awards is a man. Why do women allow this?” one commenter asked.
“Is this fair?” another person posted.
Consani was one of the first trans-identified male models to walk the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show runway. The award winner also walked the runway for major fashion brands including Chanel and Stella McCartney, plus appeared in music videos for JT’s “Okay” and Charli XCX’s “360.”