The Model Faces You Need to Know in Kenzo’s New Collection With H&M

H&M’s collaboration with Balmain is a tough act to follow. Thanks to Olivier Rousteing’s popularity and the help of a few Kardashians, Jenners, and Hadids, the line was one of the most successful partnerships the Swedish fast-fashion brand ever entered into. But H&M just offered its first look at its forthcoming collection with Kenzo, and chances are it’s going to be just as great.

Kenzo’s creative directors — Carol Lim and Humberto Leon — consistently experiment with patterns and textures, so it comes as no surprise that the more affordable products feature the same signature elements. In the images released on Tuesday, the previewed items feature colored tiger prints on everything from high-waisted leggings to roll-neck tops and thigh-high boots. But while the clothing’s pretty predictable, the models wearing them — including Isamaya Ffrench, Amy Sall, and Juliana Huxtable — are definitely unexpected. Here’s what you need to know about these fresh new faces:

Juliana Huxtable

Huxtable is a trans woman whose work encompasses art, music, nightlife, and fashion. H&M isn’t the first brand to call her up as a model. DKNY, Eckhaus Latta, Chromat and more have tapped her for projects. Just last year, she was turned into a lifelike sculpture at the New Museum’s Triennial by Brooklyn-based artist Frank Benson. Couple this with her work in nightlife as part of the House of Ladosha, and starting parties like #ShockValueNYC, and you can see why she’s practically a New York institution.

Amy Sall

When Sall’s not giving good face for Kenzo, she’s editing SUNU: Journal of African Affairs, a publication that she founded, or lecturing at the New School in New York City. While these are tall intellectual orders in and of themselves, Sall’s notoriety with that work is probably only rivaled by her artistic and fashion-centric Instagram account that boasts almost 50,000 followers.

Isamaya Ffrench

Ffrench is a London-based makeup artist and beauty editor who has an aesthetic all her own. That certainly appealed to Leon’s casting concept, which he told Vogue includes “people we admire, icons in their own fields, people who are influential beyond their fashion sensibility.”

Oko Ebombo

Ebombo is a Paris-based musician, actor, dancer, and photographer. He might not be a big deal stateside yet — but you better believe his name will be known after Kenzo x H&M’s November release. “This is just the beginning,” Leon said of all those featured. “We really put our heart and soul into how it will look. We just love what they do.”

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