If you’re anything like us, you’ve spent many minutes of your life being fascinated by the way that top models such as Naomi Campbell, Shalom Harlow, and Gisele Bündchen walk the runway. Each one has their own unique strut—it’s an art! But it turns out, it’s an art form that can be taught. At least, that’s what model and TikTok star Britney Manson believes. On her TikTok page, Manson can recreate virtually any supermodel’s fashion week walk—and she’s teaching her followers how to do it too.
The 28-year-old content creator—and self-described “Estonian catwalk queen”—launched her TikTok page last year, and now she has over 1.5 million followers. “[My first catwalk video] was so spontaneous, because my friend recorded me crossing the street, just the way I walk every day,” Manson says. “It gained 10 million views in a few hours.” TikTok users were fascinated with Manson’s high-fashion walk (and outfits), so she began posting even more videos of herself strutting down the street or on the subway (including in a recurring series titled “Walking Until I Get Noticed by a Model Agency.”) “I started creating content after growing tired of countless rejections from model agencies,” Manson says. “Then I realized I could do more. So now the main focus of my content is to bring high-fashion energy to the world. To bring the runway energy to the rainy, sad streets.”
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Manson has always loved fashion, and she grew up watching fashion channels and runway shows. “They were my escape,” says Manson. “As a young trans kid, I found it hard to reconcile with my reality. The fashion industry was always like a fantasy world for me: You can create any character starting from scratch! Just sketch a dress, sew it, apply your makeup and hair extensions, put your high heels on, and you could be whatever you want.”
More recently, Manson has begun inspiring her followers—many of whom are diehard fashion fans— precisely how to do that. She teaches them how to walk like veteran supermodels—nailing the catwalk struts of legends like Naomi, Shalom, Yasmin Wijnaldum, and Vlada Roslyakova. “Some people call it ‘talent,’ and I agree with them now, because I’ve realized that it’s just something inside me,” says Manson. “I can catch the details of a model’s catwalk from the first two steps, then it’s easy for me to replicate. That’s how I taught myself—I studied the walk of my favorite supermodels and practiced in the school hallways.”
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Though she can nail virtually any walk—it’s all in the hips, knees, and arms, she says—Manson does have a few all-time favorite model glides. “Carmen Kass for Dsquared2 is on my list—she’s my Estonian sister,” says Manson. “Also Alex Consani because I really love her, and Leon Damme for Maison Martin Margiela. So iconic!” As for her favorite supers of all time? “I would say Natasha Poly and Andreja Pejic. I looked up to them a lot when I was younger, and you can see their influence on me now,” says Manson. “Recreating Natasha’s catwalk for Versace spring 2008 was an honor because that show made fashion history. I also love Teddy Quinlivan’s walk. I’m gonna ask her to step on me one day.”
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Considering she recently signed with Elite Models NYC, Manson is fast becoming an established model in her own right. She recently walked for labels such as Alessandro De Benedetti and Mario Dice during Milan Fashion Week back in February. “I was born to be a model, what are we even talking about,” she jokes. Perhaps we’ll soon see her own epic runway walk during upcoming New York Fashion Week in September too. “I would describe my walk the same way I’d describe my personality,” Manson says. “The ‘Britney’ part is feminine, reminiscent of the 2000s, and sexy: That’s why I rock my hips up and down. But I’m also ‘Manson’—I’m a rebel to the core. That’s why the top of my body is always leading, and I m serving you a strong face from the 2010s.”
