All-American beauty, Ariel Nicholson, is poised to become a tour de force in the fashion industry. Ariel’s journey to the runway took an unexpected route as compared to most of her peers. What began as a call to partake in National Geographic’s Gender Revolution issue, soon spawned a phone call from Vogue, asking Ariel if she would appear in a special feature for the magazine. Securing the job, Ariel was photographed by duo Inez & Vinoodh, for “The Kids are Alright” - a spread focusing on transgender children across America.

Ariel made her debut at 16 after meeting the legendary Raf Simons. A muse to the creative director, he asked her to walk in his first collection for Calvin Klein, then placed her in the house’s widely praised Calvin Klein campaign, along with the CK1 fragrance- a historically unisex scent. Since then, Ariel has worked with select houses including Prada, both Marc Jacobs and Marc Jacobs Beauty, Miu Miu, Khaite, Moschino, Proenza Schouler and has appeared in powerful editorial shoots for LOVE, W, Self Service, V, American Vogue and Vogue Italia. Additionally, she has worked with famed fashion photographers Alasdair McLellan, Carin Backoff, Collier Schorr, Ethan James Green, Harley Weir, Mert and Marcus, Lachlan Bailey and Willy Vanderperre.

Ariel has not only established herself in the fashion industry, but as a pillar in the LGBTQ+ community. Ariel helps others navigate their own journeys, seeking to create space for the trans and queer community, notably for those more marginalized than herself and at different intersections, as she tells V Magazine. Ariel uses her social media platform to advocate for and relate to others, as well as to share the worlds she creates for herself.