This story originally appeared on Them.
Model Kai Schreiber, 17-year-old daughter of Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber, made history on Friday at New York Fashion Week as she became the first trans girl to win the Breakthrough Model of the Year statue at The Daily Front Row’s Fashion Media Awards, per the Daily Mail.
“I’ve been so graciously welcomed into this beautiful world of fashion, and I’m so beyond excited that I can get to learn more about it every day and call it my job,” Schreiber said on Friday, per audio captured by the Daily Mail. “I’m also the first trans girl to win this award … ” she continued as raucous applause broke out, adding,, “ … which is surreal and wouldn’t be possible if it weren’t for all my sisters who paved the way for me in this industry and I carry that with me into every room.”
She concluded by saying, “To say the least, I’ve found my fashion family, and I couldn’t be more happy.”
Per the New York Post, Schreiber also thanked Maison Valentino, who not only made the lime-green dress she wore for the evening, but also “introduced me to this community and continued to believe in me.”
Schreiber made her runway debut at Paris Fashion Week in March 2025 in a Valentino fashion show. She wore a python-patterned dress with a collar of brown and purple feathers, along with blue sunglasses, a headband, white lace stockings, and white heeled sandals. At the time, in an Instagram post that is no longer available, she wrote, “omggg my heart is so full ilysm.”
Watts posted in celebration of her daughter at the time.
EMBED: https://www.instagram.com/p/DG_N-24vowz/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=ABee5WG_te97wVLGvyLkRjG
“That’s my @maisonvalentino baby!” Watts wrote on Instagram. “I’m squealing with pride. Ilysm @kaischreiberrr.” Her father, Liev Schreiber, called her “the indomitable @kaischreiberrr” in a social media post celebrating his daughter, as well.
For 2025 New York Fashion Week, Schreiber appeared in several runway shows, including taking the coveted opening spot at Jason Wu’s show.
The younger Schreiber has often paid homage to the trans women in fashion who paved the way for her career.
“As a young trans girl, I’m always going to look up to the older generation of transgender people, especially in fashion,” Schreiber told Interview in June 2025. “People like Alex Consani, Hunter Schafer, Hari Nef, Dara, Richie Shazam, Colin Jones, and so many more. It’s so great that there’s a strong community of us in the fashion world; it’s really a doll takeover.”
Schreiber joins one of her idols, Consani, in breaking boundaries with fashion world honors. In 2024, Consani became the first out trans model to be nominated for and win Model of the Year at the British Fashion Council’s Fashion Awards.
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