15 Up-and-Coming American Models to Watch

From June 25 to July 4, we'll be examining — and at times, celebrating — all things American made, from the state of U.S. apparel manufacturing to American-born models on the rise. You can follow all of our coverage here.

While the models you see in ad campaigns and runway shows come from all corners of the globe, some of the most famous supermodels in the world were born and raised in the USA. Women like Cindy Crawford, Stephanie Seymour, Christy Turlington Burns and Carolyn Murphy were discovered as young women growing up in relatively small towns, and although they've reached the pinnacle of industry success over the years, they had humble beginnings (and less-than-ideal bookings), just like many other models trying to break into the business. 

Some of the coolest models of the moment — Binx Walton, Natalie Westling, Lexi Boling and Molly Bair, for example — were also discovered stateside, and it wasn't long ago that Westling could have been spotted skateboarding in her hometown of Scottsdale, Arizona or Boling hitting the snowboard slopes near Chicago.

But who will be the all-American supermodel of the next generation? We browsed the rosters of every major agency to bring you this list of up-and-coming American models to keep on your radar. Who knows, the next Victoria's Secret Angel might just be from your city.

Alice Metza

This 17-year-old California native began her career with a bang — walking for Proenza Schouler and Prada her first season out. Metza also made an appearance on the Oscar de la Renta resort runway recently, so we're certainly going to keep an eye on her come Fashion Week in September.

Angel Rutledge

This California girl has already scored some very prestigious gigs, including the opening slot in Proenza Schouler's spring 2015 show, the cover of Style.com/Print's spring 2015 issue and runway bookings for the likes of Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Marc Jacobs, Rodarte and Versace. Rutledge has that laid-back, tomboyish appeal that's so popular these days, so it's not too surprising that designers are smitten with her.

Avery Blanchard

Once a beauty queen in North Carolina, Blanchard is now a regular on runways for fashion houses like Gucci, Chanel, Valentino, Alexander McQueen and Louis Vuitton. Despite her baby face, she's proven to be incredibly versatile, which is a great indicator that she's in for a promising career.

Cierra Skye

Marc Jacobs cast the Pennsylvania native in his fall 2015 show for her haunting looks, and since then she's been featured in both Love magazine and Vogue Italia.

Emilie Evander

This 15-year-old from the suburbs of Seattle had an interesting runway debut: she was an exclusive at the Gucci men's show for fall 2015. Her modeling career has quickly escalated since then, as she's booked runway spots at Alexander Wang, Gucci womenswear, Rick Owens and Margiela.

Esmerelda Seay-Reynolds

After just a few seasons on the modeling scene, this Pennsylvania native already has friends in some very high places. She was cast alongside Miley Cyrus in the Marc Jacobs spring 2014 ad campaign, has walked runways for Saint Laurent, Fendi and Louis Vuitton. She has even covered a Japanese magazine with Karl Lagerfeld and Choupette.

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Iesha Hodges

Hailing from Brooklyn, Hodges — who won Ford and V magazine's model search in 2014 — has appeared on international runways for Giles, Marc Jacobs, Jonathan Saunders and Bottega Veneta since being discovered.

Isabella Emmack

This Kansas City stunner won the favor of the industry's ultimate cool kid — one Alexander Wang — and made her debut at the designer's fall 2015 show as an exclusive. Since then, she's walked for Vera Wang, Fendi, Balenciaga and Saint Laurent, and is already becoming well-known for her signature crop of jet-black hair.

Maggie Jablonski

While her last name may sound familiar (she's not related to Constance or Jacquelyn, for the record), Maggie Jablonski is still a relative newcomer on the fashion scene. Originally from Iowa, she is steadily establishing herself as a model to watch, having walked runways for labels like Chanel, Alexander Wang, Sonia Rykiel and Proenza Schouler, as well as appearing in the Prada spring 2014 campaign.

Marland Backus

The Brooklyn native was set on a career in industrial design before she gave modeling a shot, and the gamble seems to have paid off. The tomboyish beauty has already walked for Jason Wu, Céline, Altuzarra and Proenza Schouler, and secured a Gucci exclusive at the label's fall 2015 show.

Rachel Hilbert

This New York native is the newly minted face of Victoria's Secret Pink — one of the most lucrative commercial modeling gigs around. While you might not be too familiar with the blue-eyed beauty just yet, we're thinking that will change once the lingerie giant's holiday campaigns and annual fashion show come around.

Rihannon McConnell

This 18-year-old newcomer was born and raised in Tennessee, and just made her runway debut at the Gucci cruise show in New York. Judging by her Instagram presence, she has that cool kid "It" factor that's highly important these days, and we can see her becoming a much bigger fixture on the fashion scene in the coming seasons.

Taylor Hill

Hill has been on the scene for a few seasons, but the rate at which this Colorado-raised beauty has reached high-fashion and commercial success is astounding. She was given her wings as a Victoria's Secret Angel less than one year after walking the brand's fashion show for the first time, and has walked runways for such high fashion names as Fendi, Versace, Chanel, Givenchy and Balmain. If there's one woman on this list who's bound for Cindy Crawford levels of fame, our bets are on Hill.

Taja Feistner

Feistner, a 22-year-old from Des Moines, Iowa, is already a Louis Vuitton favorite — she's walked for the label three seasons in a row, officially solidifying her status as a Ghesquière muse. In addition, she's appeared on the runways at Miu Miu, Diesel, Dolce and Gabbana and Public School, and posed for the cover of Lurve magazine's spring 2015 issue.

Willow Hand

Hand, a Florida native, was plucked from relative obscurity to walk Prada's fall 2015 show, and if that's not indicative of a bright future for this teen model, we don't know what is.