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Models by country and fashion week

Kenyan models at New York Fashion Week

As of 22 October 2026, 11 Kenyan models have walked at least one show in New York since 2002. 6 of them have walked ten or more there. Caren Jepkemei leads with 34 New York shows across 8 seasons.

Share figures use the 4,338 of 5,338 models on record in New York since 2002 whose nationality is on record.

Updated 22 October 2026 · Public runway records since 2002 · Methodology

Models on record 11
Ten or more shows in New York 6
Cast in Fall/Winter 2026 3
Cast in Spring/Summer 2027, latest season 3
First season on record SS08
Latest season on record SS27

Most cast Kenyan models at New York Fashion Week

Ranked by shows walked in New York since 2002, one credit per show. Ties keep alphabetical order. How shows are counted

11 models on record in New York. Showing the first 10 of 11 listed here.

Most cast Kenyan models at New York Fashion Week, ranks 1 to 10, by shows in New York since 2002
Rank Model Shows in New York Seasons New York span Houses in New York
1 Caren Jepkemei 34 8 FW22 to FW26 Carolina Herrera , Ulla Johnson , Prabal Gurung
2 Imari Karanja 23 9 FW17 to SS23 Tory Burch , Tom Ford , Prabal Gurung
3 Perus Adolwi 22 5 SS25 to SS27 Jason Wu , Calvin Klein Collection , Calvin Klein
4 Nicole Atieno 12 6 SS17 to FW24 Adeam , Christian Cowan , Milly
5 Judy Kinuthia 10 5 FW24 to FW26 Collina Strada , Prabal Gurung , Monse
6 Vanessa Ouma 10 4 SS19 to SS23 Marina Moscone , Lela Rose , Pamella Roland
7 Nyanderi Deng 8 3 FW24 to FW25 Carolina Herrera , Tommy Hilfiger , Thom Browne
8 Giannina Oteto 6 6 SS16 to SS27 Collina Strada , Kim Shui , Patbo
9 Ajuma Nasenyana 1 1 SS08 Y-3
10 Andrew Ohawa 1 1 SS27 Campillo
Show 1 more model
Most cast Kenyan models at New York Fashion Week, ranks 11 to 11, by shows in New York since 2002
Rank Model Shows in New York Seasons New York span Houses in New York
11 Michele Opiyo 1 1 SS24 Patbo

Seasons count every season label in New York, Resort and Pre-Fall included.

Kenyan models at New York Fashion Week, season by season

  •   FW21
  • 1 SS22
  • 2 FW22
  • 3 SS23
  • 2 FW23
  • 2 SS24
  • 5 FW24
  • 5 SS25
  • 4 FW25
  • 1 SS26
  • 3 FW26
  • 3 SS27

Distinct Kenyan models with at least one show in New York that season, every category. A hairline marks a season with none on record. Resort and Pre-Fall rows are not counted.

Share of New York runway appearances

Kenyan models took 0.55% of New York runway appearances in Spring/Summer 2027, the latest season on record, from 0.13% in 2008.

Show the figures as a table
Year Kenyan Share With nationality Appearances
2008 1 0.13% 780 834
2009 Not on record Not on record 957 1,037
2010 Not on record Not on record 437 454
2011 Not on record Not on record 233 244
2012 Not on record Not on record 1,359 1,397
2013 Not on record Not on record 1,710 1,809
2014 Not on record Not on record 2,574 2,821
2015 Not on record Not on record 2,619 2,920
2016 1 0.03% 3,221 3,773
2017 5 0.15% 3,392 3,991
2018 15 0.42% 3,530 4,062
2019 9 0.24% 3,771 4,315
2020 6 0.15% 3,930 4,374
2021 Not on record Not on record 193 223
2022 13 0.58% 2,259 2,518
2023 18 0.56% 3,220 3,628
2024 13 0.39% 3,322 3,697
2025 27 0.95% 2,846 3,127
2026 11 0.36% 3,046 3,300
2027 (SS27 only) 9 0.55% 1,647 1,774

Source: Tectova runway database · N = 1,647 New York appearances with a nationality on record in SS27, of 1,774 · read 22 October 2026

One appearance per model per show in New York, every category, by season year. Share = Kenyan appearances divided by appearances whose model has a nationality on record. From 2008, the first year with 500 or more New York appearances on record.

Kenyan models new to New York Fashion Week

Kenyan models whose first New York season is Spring/Summer 2026 to Spring/Summer 2027, ranked by New York shows since that debut. Definition

Kenyan models whose first New York season is Spring/Summer 2026 to Spring/Summer 2027
Rank Model Shows since debut First New York season First Big Four season Houses in New York
1 Andrew Ohawa 1 Spring/Summer 2027 Spring/Summer 2023 Campillo

A debut here means the first New York season this record can see. The next column shows whether the model had already walked another Big Four city.

Houses in New York that cast the most Kenyan models

Every show in New York since 2002.

Casting directors in New York who cast the most Kenyan models since 2025

  • Ashley Brokaw 1 Kenyan model · 6 appearances · 6 shows
  • Rachel Chandler 3 Kenyan models · 5 appearances · 4 shows
  • Nico Mao 2 Kenyan models · 3 appearances · 2 shows
  • Adam Hindle 2 Kenyan models · 2 appearances · 1 show
  • Edward Kim 2 Kenyan models · 2 appearances · 2 shows
  • Michelle Lee 2 Kenyan models · 2 appearances · 2 shows
  • Sivan Currie 2 Kenyan models · 2 appearances · 1 show
  • Ignacio Murillo 1 Kenyan model · 1 appearance · 1 show

Shows in New York since 2025 with a casting credit on record. Roughly six in ten cast-bearing shows carry one, so this is a partial view.

Questions this page answers

Who is the most cast Kenyan model at New York Fashion Week?

Caren Jepkemei, with 34 shows in New York on public record since 2002, across 8 seasons, as of 22 October 2026.

How many Kenyan models walked New York Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2027?

3 Kenyan models have a show on record in New York for Spring/Summer 2027, as of 22 October 2026. The week closed on 15 September 2026 and casts are still being added. 3 walked in Fall/Winter 2026.

Which houses cast the most Kenyan models at New York Fashion Week?

Carolina Herrera leads with 8 documented appearances by 4 Kenyan models in New York, followed by Prabal Gurung and Ulla Johnson.

Counts are runway shows walked in New York on public record since 2002, one credit per show, every category. Nationality is as recorded; dual nationals appear on both country pages. Updated 22 October 2026. Full methodology.

Cite as: Tectova, “Kenyan models at New York Fashion Week”, 22 October 2026, tectova.com/talent/from/kenya/new-york.

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