Kai Schreiber walked into the Fashion Media Awards as one of fashion’s fastest-rising young models. She left with a milestone attached to her name.
The 17-year-old daughter of Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber received Breakthrough Model of the Year at The Daily Front Row’s Sept. 11 ceremony at New York’s Rainbow Room. During her acceptance speech, Kai said she was the first transgender recipient of the honor.
The declaration brought one of the night’s biggest reactions. Page Six reported that Kai thanked the fashion community for welcoming her, recognized the trans women who came before her and credited her family for supporting the career she had wanted long before she stepped onto a professional runway.
Watts joined Kai on the red carpet, while Liev was also photographed celebrating with his daughter during the evening. The award capped a rapid rise that began with Valentino in Paris in early 2025 and has since taken Kai through major runway shows, magazine covers and her first fashion campaign alongside her mother.
Kai Thanked the Trans Models Who ‘Paved the Way’
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The 13th annual Fashion Media Awards brought more than 300 guests to the Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center, but Kai’s speech contained one of the clearest personal milestones of the night.
The Daily Front Row itself identified Kai as the first trans recipient of its Breakthrough Model of the Year honor. Calling the recognition surreal, she said it “wouldn’t be possible if not for all my sisters who paved the way for me in this industry. I carry them with me into every room,” Kai added.
V Magazine founder and creative director Stephen Gan, who presented during the evening, also recalled his first impression of Kai. He said he was immediately struck by her “grace and beauty” and remembered watching one of her early shoots unfold like “a ballerina” performing a first dance. Kai also thanked Valentino and her parents for helping her reach the stage so quickly.
The Award Came About 18 Months After Her Runway Debut
Kai made her runway debut for Valentino at Paris Fashion Week in March 2025. Since then, her fashion résumé has expanded quickly, with runway appearances for Khaite, Mugler, Jean Paul Gaultier and Valentino among other houses.
This July, she opened Iris van Herpen’s Fall 2026 couture show in Paris. She has also been photographed by Inez & Vinoodh for Harper’s Bazaar Italia, appeared on the cover of The Face and signed with IMG Models.
The pace matches an ambition Kai was already willing to state plainly last year. In a 2025 Interview Q&A, she was asked what she wanted to be when she grew up.
“I want to be a supermodel. Period,” she replied. Kai said she had practiced her runway walk in the family kitchen for years and made Watts film the rehearsals long before modeling became her job.
Her First Campaign With Naomi Watts Arrived Days Before the Award
Just nine days before the Fashion Media Awards, Kai and Watts unveiled SIMKHAI’s Fall 2026 campaign, marking their first fashion campaign together. Photographer Mikael Jansson shot the project, with Camilla Nickerson styling the mother-daughter pair alongside a wider cast that included Awar Odhiang, Betsy Gaghan, Sage Elsesser and Malcolm McRae.
Watts told ELLE that she and Kai had previously appeared together for The Face, but SIMKHAI was the first time they had worked side by side on an advertising campaign.
Watts also said their relationship with fashion increasingly runs both ways. Kai has started searching through pieces her mother saved from the late 1990s and early 2000s, while Watts now borrows from her daughter’s growing handbag collection and asks her opinion before major events.
Proud Parents Open Up About Supporting Their Trans Daughter
Watts has regularly appeared at fashion events where Kai is modeling, while Liev has spoken publicly about his daughter’s determination and visibility.
“Kai was always who Kai is,” he told Variety in 2025. He described her as “such a fighter” and said he understood why publicly identifying herself as trans mattered even though her identity had never felt like a dramatic revelation inside their family.
He also used that interview to draw a distinction between Kai’s experience and that of many transgender young people who do not have the same family support, financial resources or access to help. Schreiber was speaking ahead of an Ali Forney Center fundraiser supporting homeless LGBTQ youth.