We have a winner: India Makailah Graham has been crowned the 2016 #WmagModelSearch winner, which is a collaboration between W magazine and IMG Models. The 18-year-old Michigan native will appear in an editorial shot by Craig McDean and creative directed by Edward Enninful that will appear in the March 2017 issue of W. Graham will also be signed with IMG Models, home to Joan Smalls, Karlie Kloss, and Taylor Hill, among others. Graham is currently a sophomore at Pace University in New York where she studies business and fashion marketing. “Since I’ve become interested in modeling, it became my dream to work for IMG Models and possibly one day be the face of IMG because my initials are IMG,” Graham told W.
During the monthlong contest, more than 1,000 entries from aspiring Gigi Hadid types were reviewed by the W team, along with IMG’s @WeLoveYourGenes Instagram scouting team. W magazine readers now have the opportunity to vote for the People’s Choice winner, who will be featured in a photo shoot on wmag.com and get a chance to work with IMG Models. The finalists are Ebony Townsend, 21, from Las Vegas; Hayley Witt, 21, from Long Island City, New York; Aslayy Baugh, 18, from Sugar Hill, Georgia; Kayte Abell, 27, from Orlando, Florida; and Emilie Li, 21, from Atlanta. Voting is now open at Wmag.com.
