Hunter Schafer

Early life

Hunter Schafer was born on 31 December 1998 in Trenton, New Jersey, and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina. She trained in watercolour painting from childhood and, in high school, began designing her own clothing influenced by Tim Burton and Skottie Young, posting the work — along with her photography — online; her politically themed designs were profiled by The Huffington Post in 2017. She graduated from the visual-arts high-school programme at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

Entry into modelling, 2017–2018

Schafer was scouted through Instagram and signed with Elite Model Management in 2017, moving to Brooklyn to pursue the work. Her first bookings were with Dior and Marc Jacobs, expanding by year’s end to Converse, Gucci, Helmut Lang and Versus Versace. In 2018 she walked nine fashion houses — including Marc Jacobs, Miu Miu and House of Holland — made her New York Fashion Week debut, and travelled to Europe to model for the first time; Marie Claire wrote that "the fashion industry embraced Schafer for her ethereal yet edgy look and cool-kid versatility."

Modelling alongside acting, 2019–2023

Schafer began acting in HBO’s Euphoria in 2019 — choosing the role over a planned place at Central Saint Martins to study clothing design — but kept modelling throughout, adding Calvin Klein, Rick Owens, Tommy Hilfiger, Maison Margiela, Vera Wang and Erdem to her client list. She became a global brand ambassador for Shiseido Makeup in 2020, was named a Prada house ambassador in 2021, and became the face of Mugler’s Angel perfume and a Mugler brand ambassador in 2023, continuing to model for Alexander McQueen, Prada and Schiaparelli alongside her acting work.

Cultural moments

At the 95th Academy Awards after-party in 2023, Schafer wore a Ludovic de Saint Sernin design for Ann Demeulemeester that W magazine called "infamous" and "the talk of the Oscars after parties" — one of the most widely discussed fashion moments of that awards season. She has attended the Met Gala in 2021, 2025 and 2026, wearing Prada for two of those appearances, and has worked with stylist Dara Allen — whom she met in 2017, when both were beginning their careers — since the press tour for The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.

Why is Hunter Schafer ranked #12?

• Prada ambassadorship and global fashion campaigns.
• Eligibility reviewed against work and public visibility in the 2021–2026 window; booking-level citations are maintained in the linked industry and biographical records.

Confidence: Medium confidence · evidence reviewed. Scores may change when a source is corrected or new work enters the current window.