Wisdom Kaye started making fashion videos in 2020, filming styling ideas at home and posting them on TikTok. Six years later, the fashion creator has received one of the industry’s honours named after the late Virgil Abloh.

Kaye was presented with the Virgil Abloh Award, presented by LVMH, at Harlem’s Fashion Row’s 19th Annual Fashion Show & Style Awards in New York on September 8. The ceremony, held at The Glasshouse, was part of the events surrounding New York Fashion Week and recognised Black creatives across fashion, media and culture.

The award is particularly fitting for Kaye because his route into fashion did not begin with a traditional fashion job. His online presence came first. He built an audience through styling videos before moving into modelling, brand campaigns, runway appearances and major fashion events.

Kaye’s early TikTok videos were built around styling and visual transformation. He used clothes, editing and different characters to create short fashion-focused videos from his home. His work soon attracted attention from the fashion industry, and he was signed by IMG Models.

Wisdom Kaye speaking at the podium after winning the Virgil Abloh Award at the 19th Annual Harlem’s Fashion Row Style Awards.

From there, the Houston-born creator began working with some of fashion’s biggest names. Harlem’s Fashion Row lists Dior, Fendi, Prada, Valentino, Ralph Lauren, Tiffany & Co., Coach and AMI Paris among the brands he has worked with. He has also walked for Balmain.

His move from social media creator to fashion professional has also included appearances on some of the industry’s biggest stages. In 2024, Kaye made his Met Gala debut wearing a dramatic Robert Wun look. The appearance further established him as a fashion figure beyond TikTok, while his online platform remained an important part of his career.

In 2025, Kaye was included in the inaugural TIME100 Creators list, recognising creators whose influence extends beyond social media. A year later, he took another step into the traditional fashion establishment when he joined the expert panel for the 2026 LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers. LVMH lists him alongside editors, stylists, creative directors and other established figures in the fashion industry.

That progression makes his Virgil Abloh Award notable. Abloh himself became known for challenging the usual boundaries between luxury fashion, streetwear, music and popular culture. He founded Off-White and became Louis Vuitton’s Men’s Artistic Director in 2018, a position he held until his death in 2021.

Wisdom Kaye speaking at the  Virgil Abloh Award at the 19th Annual Harlem’s Fashion Row Style Awards.

Kaye’s career has followed a different route, but there is a clear connection in the way both understood the importance of culture beyond the traditional runway. Kaye first built an audience through his own content before fashion houses, modelling agencies and major events became part of his professional life.

At Harlem’s Fashion Row, his award was announced alongside honours for Erykah Badu, Brandon Blackwood, Jahleel Weaver, Audrey Smaltz and Recho Omondi. Badu received the Fashion Icon Award, Blackwood was named Designer of the Year, Weaver received Stylist of the Year, Smaltz received the Ann Lowe Maverick Award and Omondi was named Editor of the Year.

For Kaye, the Virgil Abloh Award marks another stage in a career that began with a phone, a wardrobe and an audience on social media. What started as fashion content made at home has grown into work with global fashion houses, appearances at the Met Gala, a place among TIME’s leading creators and, now, an award carrying the name of one of fashion’s most influential modern figures.

Nigeria’s Tamunosoye Karibi-George finished among the Top 12 contestants at Miss World 2026 during the grand finale in Nha Trang, Vietnam, on September 5. The 26-year-old was one of 111 contestants who competed in this year’s pageant, which featured several weeks of competitions and activities before the final night.

Karibi-George was not selected among the judges’ initial Top 20, but the live public voting format gave her another route into the competition. Under the pageant’s format, the top two public-voted contestants earned a spot in the Top 12, allowing Karibi-George to advance.

Photo: Instagram/@soye_kg

Meanwhile, Eritrea’s Snit Habteab Tewoldemedhin won the overall People’s Choice Award, which fast-tracked her directly into the Top 6.

Before the grand finale, Karibi-George won the Miss World Africa Top Model title at the Vietnam Beauty Fashion Fest XVII, earning an automatic spot in the next stage after competing against other representatives from Africa.

Outside the main competition, Karibi-George used the Miss World platform to highlight causes she has worked on in Nigeria. Her advocacy project, Beyond Labels, focuses on inclusion and creating opportunities for children with disabilities and special needs.

Photo: Instagram/@soye_kg

She also participated in the Dance of the World presentation, representing Nigeria and drawing attention to environmental concerns connected to the Niger Delta.

Karibi-George earned the opportunity to represent Nigeria internationally after she was crowned Miss World Nigeria 2026 on June 6 at Balmoral Hall, Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos. She emerged as the winner from 20 finalists and represented Bayelsa State at the national pageant before travelling to Vietnam for the Miss World competition.

The Miss World 2026 title was won by Joheirry Mola of the Dominican Republic. Spain’s Elisabeth Reynés finished as first runner-up, while Malaysia’s Taanusiya Chetty was named second runner-up.

Tamunosoye Karibi-George has given Nigeria another big win at Miss World 2026. The Miss World Nigeria 2026 winner has been named Africa’s Top Model, securing her place in the Top 40 of the global competition taking place in Vietnam.

Karibi-George earned the title during the Top Model competition held as part of Vietnam Beauty Fashion Fest XVII, themed “Soul of Heritage.” She came out on top as the African winner, finishing ahead of contestants from Equatorial Guinea, Botswana, Kenya and South Africa. Her win means she does not have to wait for the other challenges to determine her place in the quarter-finals. She is already in.

Photo: Instagram/@Tamunosoye George

The Miss World Organisation announced four continental Top Model winners, with Nigeria representing Africa. The other winners came from the Dominican Republic for the Americas and Caribbean, France for Europe, and Vietnam for Asia and Oceania. Each continental winner earned an automatic place in the Top 40, which has 10 contestants from each region.

There is still more at stake for Karibi-George. The four continental winners will continue in the race for the overall Top Model title, and the eventual winner will receive a direct place in the Top 20. That gives Nigeria’s representative another opportunity to move further ahead before the competition reaches its final stages.

For Karibi-George, this latest achievement adds to a pageant journey that had already taken her beyond Nigeria. The 26-year-old, who is from Port Harcourt, Rivers State, was crowned Miss World Nigeria 2026 after representing Bayelsa State at the national competition. She emerged from a field of 20 finalists and took over the crown from Joy Raimi.

Photo: Miss World

Her story also extends beyond pageantry. Karibi-George is a communications professional and the founder of Beyond Labels, an initiative focused on inclusion and opportunities for children with special needs. She has carried that advocacy into her Miss World journey, giving the Nigerian queen something more to represent than a title and a sash.

She had also shown promise earlier in Vietnam, reaching the African finals of the Head-to-Head Challenge before taking the Africa Top Model title.

Now, with a Top 40 spot already secured, Karibi-George has a bigger challenge ahead: pushing her way closer to the Miss World crown. For Nigeria, the wait continues, but the country already has plenty to celebrate.