The model and Miss Grand District of Columbia titleholder expanded her runway portfolio with four consecutive appearances for HER.I, KYU BY KESI, Pinkapple Dress and Vizcaya Swimwear at The WOW Shows during New York Fashion Week 2026.
On September 10, 2026, Lina Xie stepped onto the runway at The WOW Shows during New York Fashion Week, appearing consecutively for four designers: HER.I, KYU BY KESI, Pinkapple Dress and Vizcaya Swimwear.
Presented at Matriarch NYC in Manhattan, The WOW Shows brought together designers, models and fashion creatives for a multi-brand presentation during New York Fashion Week. Xie was introduced by the production as a “Featured Model – Miss Grand DC,” reflecting a year in which her work in pageantry has increasingly intersected with fashion modeling.
Across four runway appearances, Xie moved through distinctly different fashion languages—from the sculpted restraint of HER.I and the relaxed proportions of KYU BY KESI to the playful femininity of Pinkapple Dress and the polished swimwear aesthetic of Vizcaya Swimwear.
The evening also brought together both new and continuing designer relationships, marking another step in Xie’s growing runway portfolio.
For HER.I, the New York occasionwear label led by designer and creative director Hanwei Su, Xie walked in the brand’s SS27 Strapless Structured A-Line Cocktail Dress in Noir. The black midi dress paired a clean strapless neckline with a structured A-line silhouette, creating one of Xie’s most understated looks of the evening.
The appearance marked the beginning of a new creative connection between Xie and the designer. Following the show, Xie and Su began discussing opportunities to collaborate again on future fashion projects, including editorial shoots and custom looks for upcoming events.
A change of designer brought a different rhythm to the runway. For KYU BY KESI, the New York fashion and lifestyle brand founded by designer Kesi Gibson, Xie appeared in a white camisole paired with wide-leg trousers in a muted sage tone.
Both HER.I and KYU BY KESI represented new designer connections formed around Xie’s New York Fashion Week casting. Her other two appearances, however, extended relationships that had already developed through her work in fashion and pageantry.
Xie’s relationship with Pinkapple Dress had begun before New York. During her Miss Grand USA activities in Las Vegas, she wore multiple looks from the pageant and fashion brand as part of an ongoing collaboration.
When Pinkapple Dress was later announced as one of the featured designers at The WOW Shows, the existing relationship moved from the pageant setting onto the New York runway. After connecting with the brand and attending the show’s casting, Xie joined its NYFW lineup.
For the presentation, she modeled the brand’s MUNA Strapless Mini Bodycon Dress, a powder-blue mini defined by a fitted silhouette and oversized draped bow detail. Pinkapple Dress later featured Xie’s runway appearance through its own social media, extending the collaboration beyond the show itself.
The most direct link to Xie’s beginnings as a runway model came through Vizcaya Swimwear.
Xie made her fashion runway debut for Vizcaya at Miami Swim Week in May 2026. Several months later, the collaboration continued in New York after the swimwear brand joined The WOW Shows lineup.
For her NYFW appearance, Xie walked in Vizcaya’s white Grand Swimsuit, featuring a plunging neckline, sheer mesh paneling and gold-tone detailing.
“Returning to the runway with Vizcaya in New York felt especially meaningful because the brand was part of my very first runway experience in Miami,” Xie said.
The return to the runway with Vizcaya reflected a broader progression in Xie’s fashion work throughout 2026. After winning the Miss Grand District of Columbia title in April, she made her runway debut with Vizcaya at Miami Swim Week in May and later appeared at the 79th Cannes Film Festival in haute couture by designer Tasmim Zobaear.
By September, that progression had brought Xie to New York Fashion Week, where she expanded her runway portfolio across four designer presentations in a single evening.
Her New York Fashion Week schedule extended beyond the September 10 runway.
During the week, Xie attended a Supermodels Unlimited Magazine New York Fashion Week event as an invited guest, joining models and fashion-industry attendees for the publication’s show and awards programming. She also represented Miss Grand USA at Model Pickleball, a fashion-week event produced by Fusion Fashion Events that brought together participants from fashion, pageantry and social media.
Her runway work also generated fashion-media attention. Laguna Chic Magazine highlighted Xie’s HER.I appearance, documenting her participation in The WOW Shows and her expanding work as a model during New York Fashion Week.
Still, the four September 10 appearances remained the centerpiece of Xie’s week. Within a single production, she moved across occasionwear, contemporary fashion, dresses and swimwear. Two appearances developed existing brand relationships, while two introduced new designer connections.
For Xie, that distinction is becoming increasingly important. Rather than treating each runway appearance as an isolated moment, she is looking to build relationships with designers that can continue through future shows, editorial work and creative collaborations.
“NYFW gave me the opportunity to work with very different designers and build relationships that can continue beyond a single show,” Xie said. “I want to keep growing as a model and creating more work with designers.”
With plans already taking shape for future fashion projects and another New York Fashion Week season ahead, the September shows added a new chapter to Xie’s developing modeling portfolio – one built not only through individual runway appearances, but through returning collaborations, new castings and designer relationships extending beyond the runway.
Author: Sophie Laurent
