WHEN you think of ‘It Girls,’ chances are the likes of Paris Hilton, Alexa Chung and Kate Moss instantly spring to mind.
But according to Vogue’s December issue, there’s a whole new generation of socialites in town and they’re “redefining what it means to be cool.”
The fashion bible has listed 10 new trendsetters – including nepo baby actress Doa Barney, who is the daughter of Icelandic singer and actress Björk and Matthew Barney.
Also making the exclusive club is Mancunian model Libby Bennett, who has been dubbed “the new Cara Delevingne,” and British singer Rose Gray, who is engaged to a very famous actor.
Here, Fabulous takes a look at the rising stars to look out for – be it on the catwalk, music or social scenes…
DOA BARNEY
She’s the daughter of Björk and Matthew Barney, but you may recognise Icelandic-American actress Ísadóra ‘Doa’ Bjarkardóttir Barney for her film debut in 2022 film, The Northman.
Doa, who was born in London in 2002 but split her time between a flat in New York and house in Reykjavik, says she was always a “theatregirl” and by the age of just 15 she’d already decided she wanted to be an actor.
“We did strange plays and had the best, weirdest teachers,” she said in an interview with The Gentle Woman.
“Even then I didn’t really believe I could see it through. Everything changed when I got a lead role in the school play in senior year.”
It was that same year she auditioned for The Northman, where she ended up getting the role of Irish slave Melkorka, and appeared alongside big names including Nicole Kidman and Willem Dafoe.
But despite being branded a ‘nepo baby,’ the 22-year-old, who is studying performance at Central Saint Martins in London and has modelled for Miu Miu, admits having famous parents doesn’t always make life easier.
“I have the benefit of their direct support as experienced veterans in their fields, which I am so, so lucky to have,” she told the Sydney Morning Herald.
“They’re the first people I come to, if I have an idea for a script or a project. They have so much guidance to offer.
“But then there is the other kind of benefit that disguises itself as a benefit but doesn’t really serve you, which is nepotism.
“Financially, sure, it can get you super far, but in terms of one’s own personal journey – uncovering how I see the world, how I relate to it and how I’d like to share that with people as an artist – it doesn’t help you very much.”
ROSE GRAY
In September last year, Vogue questioned whether Rose Gray is the next big British pop star – and they could just be onto something.
The 28-year-old singer and songwriter, from Walthamstow, London, has always had a strong voice.
“I couldn’t control it when I was younger,” she told the publication. “I didn’t know what to do with it or where to put it.”
But she obviously figured that out very quickly and went on to release her first single in 2019.
Rose is now signed to PIAS Recordings, and she’s not the only talent in her household, as she has a famous fiancé, too – actor Harris Dickinson.
He starred in ‘Babygirl’ with Nicole Kidman in 2024 and will appear as John Lennon in the upcoming Beatles biopic.
Rose’s album ‘Louder, Please’ made the top 50 in the UK album charts when it was released in January and the following month, she won the MTV Push UK & IRE, which is an award voted for by fans.
Following in the footsteps of previous winners including Anne-Marie and Lewis Capaldi, her future is looking very bright.
When asked what it meant to her to be named one of Vogue’s ’10 It-Girls’, she admitted the news had come totally unexpected.
“I guess I grew up spending a lot of my teens trying to be in the ‘It’ crowd, but I never was,” she said.
LIBBY BENNETT
She’s been dubbed “the new Cara Delevingne”, and with her blonde hair, green eyes and tall frame, it’s little wonder she turns heads wherever she goes.
The 20-year-old, who is from Saddleworth, near Manchester, has strutted her stuff for the likes of Louis Vuitton, Alexander McQueen, Hermès and Versace.
It’s a career path she never expected, telling Vogue in May: “I was never the popular kid in school, which I think is common among models.
“So when people told me I looked like one, I’d just retreat inward. I couldn’t see what they saw. I pushed the idea aside.”
After walking Chanel’s catwalk, she even bagged herself the British Vogue headline “Libby Bennett Is Britain’s Next Top Model.”
Speaking to the publication, she said: “I still don’t feel like ‘a model’, to be honest.
“I just put on a persona when the designers want me to play a role.”
A woman of many talents, Libby is also hugely talented when it comes to drumming, which she often shows off on her TikTok page.
Eager to venture back into the world of music in the future, she enjoys playing with other bands and has played gigs in her local area.
SYDNEY LIMA
If you haven’t heard of Sydney Lima, chances are you will very soon.
Growing up in Soho, London, the 32-year-old has already tried her hand at many different professions – from journalist and presenter to model, filmmaker and content creator.
She’s worked with the likes of Dolce & Gabbana, Dior and Prada and has written for publications including Vice and Tatler – not to mention she’s currently head of media at indie magazine, NAIMA.
Her documentary work has seen her interview everyone from teen pageant queens to an ‘ex-Russian spy turned millionaire influencer.’
Most recently, she’s produced a Channel 4 show on findoms – a fetish where a submissive will give extravagant gifts and money to their financial dominatrix – which will be out later this year.
‘My work has long been driven by a fascination with online subcultures – particularly the increasingly blurred lines between influencer culture and sex work,’ she said, speaking in an interview with The Perfect Magazine.
Sydney told how she’s always been “curious” about people from a young age – and it’s little surprise considering she “went to school between two sex shops.”
“I became really fascinated with observing the characters on the street, and how they changed depending on where you went,” she continued. “It is something very intuitive.”
The former model, who is signed to a prestigious London agency, has also founded her own clothing brand, Rich Parents and has even started selling pictures of her feet on OnlyFans to boost her income – making an impressive four figure sum in the first few days.
“In this economy, when your parents aren’t rich and/or famous and you have a desire to work in the creative industry most living costs have to be subsidised,” she explained, speaking to The Standard.
“In this economy, when we’re all still living in house-shares aged 30+ with no savings, and can’t afford (or even afford to consider) kids, maybe OF can subsidise the things I want to do — like write, or become a landlady like Peggy Mitchell.”
Osman Ahmed
The 30-year-old, who was born and raised in Mile End and grew up in a Kashmiri household, is fast becoming a well-known face in the fashion industry and can often be spotted in the front row at the biggest catwalk shows.
The writer and editor has written for the likes of the New York Times and Vogue and in a very candid feature for 10 Magazine, spoke of their transgender identity.
They told how they didn’t feel as though they had a “gender transition” because they “hadn’t exactly been some archetype of machismo masculinity before.”
Osman wrote: “Men grow increasingly strange, confused by their own desires.
“Women might raise a single eyebrow, as if to suggest that it’s some kind of offensive caricature of femininity.
“Some days, I can’t even bear to leave the house, which is probably why I became addicted to blow-dries because, let me tell you, walking out of the salon with a fresh, blonde blow-out is like taking a handful of euphoric drugs.”
With 18.5k followers on Instagram, including Maya Jama, they can often be seen posting their social outings – from smoking a cigarette on a swish rooftop bar in London to posing in a Carrie Bradshaw-inspired outfit at a Jimmy Choo dinner.
MARISSA MALIK (MANUKA HONEY)
Marissa Malik, also known as Manuka Honey, is a rising star, having won over legions of fans with her DJing.
When she’s not spinning decks at some of London’s biggest raves, she’s recording music to release, including her new single, Road Rage.
Manuka, who is also a producer, multi-disciplinary artist and professional astrologer, was born and raised in America before relocating to the UK to study a master’s degree at the Royal College of Art in 2017.
“I may not be British, but I’ve been a Londoner since,” she told Vogue.
Aged seven, she learnt to play the cello but always doubted her ability, something which she told Dazed in an interview made her become “obsessive about improving.”
She first heard UK music when she was a teen on social forum sites such as Tumblr and Reddit, but soon decided her passion lay in the “bassy wobbles of dubstep, the dub echo-soaked dancehall and harsh but deep Grime.”
LEA OGUNLAMI
The bubbly presenter, who lives in London, started out her career as a music video commissioner for Sony Music.
She has since gone on to become a reporter for i-D magazine and can often be seen interviewing some of the biggest names on the red carpet, or hosting events for leading brands, including Diesel and Marc Jacobs.
The 27-year-old also founded YouTube series RawGabbit this year, which sees her interview names such as Shygirl and Michaela Stark.
While she told Vogue she believed the term ‘It girl’ had previously been associated with “a perception of superiority,” she says now “an It girl to me” is someone who can have a chat and a laugh.
IRIS LUZ
Half-French half-Portuguese but raised in London, photographer and director Iris Luz has shot videos for the likes of PinkPantheress, CouCou Chloe and Oklou.
But the image maker, whose mum was a jazz singer, has now been named as one of Vogue’s 10 ‘It girls’ of 2025.
It’s well-earned considering her success so far, having worked for magazines like Dazed & Confused and clients including Alexander Wang, Balenciaga and Miu Miu in exotic locations all across the world.
Speaking of how she got into the industry, she told Public Offerings: “I grew up an only child and I got used to doing lots of things alone.
“I had little cameras and would shoot myself before editing and animating the pictures on Blingee.
“At the time, I posted those on random social media websites such as Bebo or Skyrock.
“After that, the main thing that animated me growing up was going to conventions such as Comic Con, vape, or Japanese culture happenings.”
Describing what she perceives the term ‘It girl’ to be, she told Vogue they’re “unique and driven” and know exactly what they want from life.
MINA GALAN
The Moroccan-Spanish DJ, who moved to London when she was 18, is known for her boundary-pushing sets that mix experimental club, Latin, and techno music.
She is also the founder of the trans-forward party series Club Stamina, which has been adored by fans of London’s rave scene since it was launched in February.
Mina, who was named as one of Dazed’s 100 Changemakers in 2024, is set to perform at the Barbican this month, with the website saying it’s an evening where “music, fashion and visual art collide.”
Speaking of making it into Vogue’s top 10 ‘It’ girls, Mina told the publication: “To me, an It-girl is somebody that doesn’t need to force who they are.”
REENIE
The London DJ has been making waves in the queer dance scene thanks to her sets that mix house, techno and bass music.
A self-titled “non-binary babe,” Reenie, who is currently touring Australia, has lit up the stages of London most iconic venues – including Unfold, Mala Junta, and Glitterbox- not to mention she’s worked with artists like FKA twigs.
“I can’t believe I’m actually going to play a gig for FKA twigs,” Reenie said, speaking to Hungermag. “How is this happening?”
On being named an “It girl,” the DJ told how the term allows them to be “carefree, silly, hot, funny.”
