Vivian Jenna Wilson just made her New York Fashion Week debut. The 21-year-old model and digital creator, who is also the estranged daughter of Elon Musk, wore a shimmery red dress with short sleeves and a Miss South Carolina sash for Alexis Bittar’s Spring-Summer 2026 runway show. The whole show made a statement, as the models all wore sashes representing states that are targeting trans rights, Teen Vogue reported.
The designer shared footage from the event and explained the inspiration behind the “Miss USA 1991” theme. “Just debuted my SS26 Presentation. Theme MISS USA 1991: a dream sequence, it is a story about misogyny, unchecked predators, objectification, and trans rights,” Alexis wrote. “There was a strong sense of surrealism … inspired by Blue Velvet and Carrie with a sprinkle of Virgin Suicides.”
The designer also thanked Vivian and the other participating models. “Thank you for trusting me @vivllainous and for honoring me with your first show as Miss South Carolina,” he added.
After making her runway debut, Vivian walked in several other NYFW fashion shows, including the Prabal Gurung Spring/Summer 2026 show and the Chrishabana show.
Vivian landed her first major modeling gig earlier this year when modeled for Wildfang’s Say My Name campaign in May. At the time, she told the Cut that she “would kill to do” runway modeling someday. “I really enjoy photography modeling, but I hope that I’ll get to explore other sides to modeling one day,” she said at the time. “I have faith in myself, so I think I will.”
She also told the publication that RuPaul’s Drag Race is what first “drew [her] to modeling.” She said, “The ways different queens would make the catwalk their own, notably Vivacious and Shea Coulée, were really captivating to me. That appreciation of the runway turned into an equal appreciation for digital and photography modeling. I’ve always been interested in it, and I feel like I’m pretty good at it. I’m looking forward to exploring it as my career moves along.”
The 21-year-old also recently graced the cover of the Cut as one of the cover stars for the September issue of the magazine. Earlier this year, she appeared on the cover of Teen Vogue’s special issue. During her interview with the publication, she revealed that her mom, Justine Wilson, was much more supportive of her coming out as trans than her dad was.
“She was very supportive of my transition,” Vivian told Teen Vogue. “She is a published writer of supernatural romance fiction, which is where I get all my Vivian-isms, of being cringe and chronically online. When I came out to her, she was like, ‘Yeah, that figures.’ She kind of [pieced it together], so when I came out, she pretended to be slightly surprised for 30 seconds and then was like, ‘Yeah, honey. Okay.'”
