After three New York Fashion Week shows in as many days, Vivian Wilson seemed expertly unfazed by the chaotic backstage on Monday night, hours before walking her fourth and final runway of this year’s event.
Wilson, the 21-year-old estranged daughter of Elon Musk, scrolled on her phone as stylists did her hair and makeup in the Manhattan event space. Inches away, make-up artists shoved brushes in other models’ faces, and on an outdoor terrace, nail techs pasted custom press-ons under spotlights. Toward the back of the lofted space, stylists rushed to finalize the chainmail, plexiglass and silicone looks for Chris Habana’s runway show, “POP,” in partnership with Pornhub.
Habana’s show marked the end of Wilson’s Fashion Week debut, which included high-profile events infused with social commentary, including Alexis Bittar’s “Miss USA”-themed show calling out states threatening trans rights and Prabal Gurung’s presentation at St. Bartholomew’s Church.
“I do love it when shows are inherently political; I think it’s a really powerful statement,” Wilson, who is transgender and is known to speak about social justice issues, including trans issues, told NBC News. “I kind of just have opinions and then do things with those opinions. It’s always really powerful when a statement is made with a collection.”
That statement was on display just after 10 p.m. on Monday when Wilson — donning a floor-length tank dress made of hand-linked gatecrasher safety pins and chain mail — was the penultimate model on the runway that also featured trans model Connie Girl, supermodel Irina Pantaeva, and JT from the Miami-based hip hop duo City Girls.
“It’s been a whirlwind,” Wilson said. “I am figuring it all out, apparently. We’re just going for it, whatever it may be.”
Similar to the other shows in which Wilson modeled, Habana’s futuristic, BDSM-inspired event addressed social issues, using multiple trans models and various silhouettes to explore the balance between restraint and expansion in 18 sculptural looks. While Monday night was Habana’s first runway show, the designer’s signature sculptural jewelry has been worn by Beyoncé, Madonna, Zendaya, Lady Gaga, Doechii and Doja Cat.
“I’m queer, and the brand was founded on queer values; it wasn’t something that I set out to do,” Habana said in an interview before the show. “My mind is very much shaped by that. It’s also being shaped by me being an immigrant. It’s also shaped by me being Filipino, so all of my decisions are very much about being natural about it.”
Wilson’s public life has also been shaped by her identity. Born in 2004 to Musk and his first wife, Canadian author Justine Musk, she came out as transgender when she was 16 years old in 2020. Two years later, Wilson legally changed her name and gender, choosing to take her mother’s maiden name.
In her first exclusive interview with NBC News in 2024, Wilson spoke openly about her fraught relationship with Musk, describing him as an absent father who was cruel to her as a child for being queer and feminine. Musk, who has been openly critical of gender identity and trans rights, has repeatedly attacked Wilson, including saying she was figuratively “dead.” Musk did not respond to a request for comment for this article.
Wilson, who has denounced Musk’s repeated attacks and does not speak to him, has since said in a recent interview with The Cut that she does not have “that inheritance.”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Wilson said after a lengthy pause when asked about Musk. “I always need emotional preparation before I talk about that kind of stuff.”
Instead, Wilson lights up when discussing her budding future. She’s lived abroad, studied multiple languages in school and dipped her toe into the art world. In June, Wilson made her drag performance debut as Vivllainous, where she showcased a transgender pride flag during “Pattie Gonia Presents SAVE HER! — An Environmental Drag Show” in Los Angeles.
“College is kind of impossible right now because of my schedule. I am trying to keep up with my education, specifically in language, because it’s something I am really passionate about,” Wilson said. “That’s like my biggest passion.”
And as of Friday, after walking in Alexis Bittar’s Spring-Summer 2026 show, Wilson can now add New York Fashion Week model to her growing resume. In the “Miss USA 1991: A Dream Sequence” show for the jewelry brand at Abrons Art Center, models acted as pageant contestants and each represented a U.S. state currently targeting trans rights.
Among the models in the surrealistic show were Wilson as “Miss South Carolina,” model-activist Gia Love as “Miss Louisiana,” and director-actress Tommy Dorfman as “Miss West Virginia.” Wilson went on to model for Prabal Gurung and Dauphinette before ending with the Habana show.
Pornhub positioned its involvement with Habana on Monday's show as a commitment to creative risk-taking. Alex Kekesi, the company’s VP of brand and community, explained that the brand’s constraint-and-release theme captivated Pornhub — especially amid political and social conversations about freedom of expression and censorship.
“We are in a pivotal moment in the restraint side of things by government but also by our industry,” Kekesi explained, adding that the decision to have several trans models also furthers this conversation about celebrating individuality and community.
Kelly Cutrone, the publicist for the show, had a more straightforward explanation of Wilson’s contribution to the show: “She holds the genetics of this conversation.”
By the time the lights dim and the music rises, Wilson has slipped into Habana’s world of leather, silicone and sweet-hued severity. Cameras click as she walks, shoulders squared, expression cool with her metal-tipped fingers latched onto her hips. For an audience — which included Anna “Delvey” Sorokin and two members of the Bop House — that was unaware of Wilson’s participation, the message is sharp: a model claiming her own stage.
When asked how she was handling her first Fashion Week, Wilson insisted that while she had been prioritizing sleep during her hectic schedule, she is looking forward to slowing down when she returns home to Los Angeles.
“I am going to celebrate by sleeping, by hanging out with my friends, and by playing League of Legends,” she said, before laughing and adding, “And by watching eSports.”
