Rhys Pickering, 19, Middlesbrough, England
Newcomers looking to build up their social media clout could take a page from Pickering, whose fifty-five thousand Twitter followers outnumber those of many established veterans. “Once you get a following, people start to see you and then you just get more exposure and it kind of snowballs from there,” he explains. A former resident of Dubai, the young filmmaker was discovered while tending bar for a family friend earlier this year, then quickly shipped off to Barcelona before booking a Prada exclusive and opening and closing Louis Vuitton. “I tried on two looks at Louis Vuitton and as [stylist Alister Mackie] was checking everything, he said, ‘What does it feel like having this responsibility?’ I couldn’t fathom what he was talking about, and then he told me I was opening and closing and I was absolutely gobsmacked,” he says. “It was absolutely amazing, and I don’t think I’ll experience anything more exhilarating than that ever.”